In this episode of The Inspire Podcast, Bart speaks with Barry LaBov—CEO, founder, author, and former rock musician and producer—about his new book The Power of Differentiation. Barry explains why differentiation is critical for brands, businesses, and leaders, and how clarity around what makes you unique is essential in today’s crowded marketplace
He shares stories from his early days in the music industry and his unexpected transition into marketing, highlighting how great bands, great companies, and great leaders all know what makes them distinctively unique, and they double down on it. Barry also walks through his approach to finding and naming your differentiators, and why leaders must launch and celebrate them by engaging the people who bring them to life.
Whether you want your business to stand out or you’re looking to elevate your own leadership brand, Barry’s insights offer practical guidance for differentiating in an increasingly crowded marketplace.
Shote Notes:
00:22 Show intro
00:56 Introducing Barry
02:05 What is differentiation?
02:53 It's so important today to have authenticity
03:15 Harley Davidson's differentiation
03:58 Elon Musk
04:42 Bart talks about differentiating brands
04:59 Music and unique artists
06:07 Barry's early days in a band and as a producer
06:58 Wrote songs for famous performers
07:19 Band members were all doing something unique
07:47 From music to marketing
09:49 Someone asked him to take on a marketing role – and he declined!
10:18 We trust YOU
10:49 Writing a book
11:09 Why write the book on differentiation?
11:48 How the COVID great resignation changed his thinking
12:11 Hearts, minds and market share
12:46 How can people discover their unique proposition?
13:20 Talk to humans about the brand
14:21 Observing the biz to see what is unique
14:53 Example of a unique process in a business
15:50 Jam session with the client
16:07 Taking the differentiators and executing in marketing and business
16:21 The Launch
16:26 Launch to the most important people first
16:58 You're often too close to your own work to see the differentiators
17:47 How to do this personally
19:08 These are things I do well — but it's not for everyone!
20:14 Celebrating your differentiators
24:03 Morale slipping — leaders need to reframe
25:26 How to maintain enthusiasm for your core strengths
25:57 Don't wait for the holiday party — tell them every day
26:28 Don't talk about profit unless you are sharing it
27:03 Cheerleading vs authentic celebration
28:41 Music acts that are unique today
30:53 Where can people get more
31:28 Thank-yous and outro
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In this episode of The Inspire Podcast, Bart speaks with Barry LaBov—CEO, founder, author, and former rock musician and producer—about his new book The Power of Differentiation. Barry explains why differentiation is critical for brands, businesses, and leaders, and how clarity around what makes you unique is essential in today’s crowded marketplace
He shares stories from his early days in the music industry and his unexpected transition into marketing, highlighting how great bands, great companies, and great leaders all know what makes them distinctively unique, and they double down on it. Barry also walks through his approach to finding and naming your differentiators, and why leaders must launch and celebrate them by engaging the people who bring them to life.
Whether you want your business to stand out or you’re looking to elevate your own leadership brand, Barry’s insights offer practical guidance for differentiating in an increasingly crowded marketplace.
Shote Notes:
00:22 Show intro
00:56 Introducing Barry
02:05 What is differentiation?
02:53 It's so important today to have authenticity
03:15 Harley Davidson's differentiation
03:58 Elon Musk
04:42 Bart talks about differentiating brands
04:59 Music and unique artists
06:07 Barry's early days in a band and as a producer
06:58 Wrote songs for famous performers
07:19 Band members were all doing something unique
07:47 From music to marketing
09:49 Someone asked him to take on a marketing role – and he declined!
10:18 We trust YOU
10:49 Writing a book
11:09 Why write the book on differentiation?
11:48 How the COVID great resignation changed his thinking
12:11 Hearts, minds and market share
12:46 How can people discover their unique proposition?
13:20 Talk to humans about the brand
14:21 Observing the biz to see what is unique
14:53 Example of a unique process in a business
15:50 Jam session with the client
16:07 Taking the differentiators and executing in marketing and business
16:21 The Launch
16:26 Launch to the most important people first
16:58 You're often too close to your own work to see the differentiators
17:47 How to do this personally
19:08 These are things I do well — but it's not for everyone!
20:14 Celebrating your differentiators
24:03 Morale slipping — leaders need to reframe
25:26 How to maintain enthusiasm for your core strengths
25:57 Don't wait for the holiday party — tell them every day
26:28 Don't talk about profit unless you are sharing it
27:03 Cheerleading vs authentic celebration
28:41 Music acts that are unique today
30:53 Where can people get more
31:28 Thank-yous and outro
S7 E3: New Imperatives for Talent Management with Peter Zukow
The Inspire Podcast
37 minutes 42 seconds
7 months ago
S7 E3: New Imperatives for Talent Management with Peter Zukow
In this episode of The Inspire Podcast, Bart welcomes Peter Zukow, Managing Partner at IQ Partners, a leading search firm, for a conversation on the evolving world of talent management.
Peter unpacks why talent management has changed in recent decades, driven by trends like remote work, the great resignation and now AI. He emphasizes that while talent management has always been important, it’s now increasingly imperative for leaders themselves.
From recruiting top talent to nurturing future leaders, advancing team members, and building your leadership brand inside and out, Peter outlines why leaders must play an active, hands-on role. He also offers valuable advice for aspiring leaders on how to take charge of their own development in a world where individuals are increasingly expected to drive their own growth
Whether you're leading a team or aspiring to step into leadership, Peter’s insights offer a compelling case for why talent management is no longer an option but a requirement.
Visit https://www.iqpartners.com/ to learn more!
Show notes:
00:36 Show intro
01:07 Introducing Peter
02:22 What do leaders need to know about managing talent?
02:27 The fundamentals haven't changed
02:34 A more complex environment than ever before
03:19 What are the fundamentals of talent?
03:28 The needs of the teams
03:37 Stakeholders
04:04 How Peter got here in his career
05:05 Recruitment is not usually a career of choice
05:54 What is the search business - in a nutshell?
06:33 Benefits of hiring a search firm over posting a job on LinkedIn
07:07 Targeting the passive job seeker
07:55 Trend in building "Talent Practices"
09:48 What is talent management and the role of leaders in this
10:24 Building and maintaining great culture
10:39 You can't just rely on others to build talent
11:10 Engaging with top leaders in an org is key
11:51 CEO willing to have coffee chats with candidates
12:58 The need to coach and develop talent inside the company as well
16:21 Being transparent about the opportunities in the organization
17:52 The 3 things people can do to bring a talent mindset into their work
18:04 Communication is critical
18:53 Investing the time in it
19:21 Both internal and external efforts on your brand as a leader
20:28 How to prioritize their investment in members of their team
21:12 Leaders at different parts of the org could be key!
22:02 Many ways a leader can communicate—pick your strongest
22:32 How can leaders work externally to attract talent
23:00 Being intentional and consistent with your actions
24:10 Succession Planning: how to approach it
24:18 Succession planning has changed significantly
24:49 As organizations have evolved the jumps from level to level are huge
25:26 The gray tsunami crisis
25:55 Younger generations may have different ideas about "career"
26:27 Take a hard look at team and identify the gaps
27:10 Who's in the marketplace that I might want to bring on?
28:13 Advice for aspiring leaders?
28:29 Be proactive about your own career!
29:20 Tell stakeholders your aspirations!
30:53 Volunteering for cross-functional projects
31:59 If you can't get that internally, you can get involved in the community
34:00 Tech and info has levelled the playing field
34:51 Always and ever and not good places to stand
35:46 Final piece of advice — quickest way to start
35:56 Just start having the conversations
36:23 Thank yous
36:39 Show outro
The Inspire Podcast
In this episode of The Inspire Podcast, Bart speaks with Barry LaBov—CEO, founder, author, and former rock musician and producer—about his new book The Power of Differentiation. Barry explains why differentiation is critical for brands, businesses, and leaders, and how clarity around what makes you unique is essential in today’s crowded marketplace
He shares stories from his early days in the music industry and his unexpected transition into marketing, highlighting how great bands, great companies, and great leaders all know what makes them distinctively unique, and they double down on it. Barry also walks through his approach to finding and naming your differentiators, and why leaders must launch and celebrate them by engaging the people who bring them to life.
Whether you want your business to stand out or you’re looking to elevate your own leadership brand, Barry’s insights offer practical guidance for differentiating in an increasingly crowded marketplace.
Shote Notes:
00:22 Show intro
00:56 Introducing Barry
02:05 What is differentiation?
02:53 It's so important today to have authenticity
03:15 Harley Davidson's differentiation
03:58 Elon Musk
04:42 Bart talks about differentiating brands
04:59 Music and unique artists
06:07 Barry's early days in a band and as a producer
06:58 Wrote songs for famous performers
07:19 Band members were all doing something unique
07:47 From music to marketing
09:49 Someone asked him to take on a marketing role – and he declined!
10:18 We trust YOU
10:49 Writing a book
11:09 Why write the book on differentiation?
11:48 How the COVID great resignation changed his thinking
12:11 Hearts, minds and market share
12:46 How can people discover their unique proposition?
13:20 Talk to humans about the brand
14:21 Observing the biz to see what is unique
14:53 Example of a unique process in a business
15:50 Jam session with the client
16:07 Taking the differentiators and executing in marketing and business
16:21 The Launch
16:26 Launch to the most important people first
16:58 You're often too close to your own work to see the differentiators
17:47 How to do this personally
19:08 These are things I do well — but it's not for everyone!
20:14 Celebrating your differentiators
24:03 Morale slipping — leaders need to reframe
25:26 How to maintain enthusiasm for your core strengths
25:57 Don't wait for the holiday party — tell them every day
26:28 Don't talk about profit unless you are sharing it
27:03 Cheerleading vs authentic celebration
28:41 Music acts that are unique today
30:53 Where can people get more
31:28 Thank-yous and outro