The Smith Business Insight Podcast

Fresh ideas from Smith School of Business at Queen’s Universit

About the show

Tune in for a different take on business, with professors, researchers and experts from Smith School of Business. Understand the rapidly evolving corporate world, stay ahead of the curve, and navigate a landscape that is no longer defined by the balance sheet alone.

Episodes

  • TEAMS Work: Innovating Teams

    December 2nd, 2022  |  Season 2  |  23 mins 34 secs
    business education, business ideas, business school, creative thinking, hr, innovation, managing teams, nusa fain, queen's university, smith school of business, team management, team voice, teams, teamwork, workplace

    Innovation teams have jumped from tech firms to general organizations that need to find creative responses to rapid-fire change. What makes them special?

  • TEAMS Work: Building High EQ Teams

    November 16th, 2022  |  Season 2  |  36 mins 26 secs
    eq, teams, teamwork

    We know how important it is for people to have emotional intelligence to thrive in the workplace. The same goes for teams. Here’s a road map to build team-wide EQ

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    TEAMS Work: Secrets of Knowledge-Hungry Teams

    November 2nd, 2022  |  Season 2  |  39 mins 4 secs
    hr, knowledge sharing, team management

    Much as we like to think that sharing knowledge is normal team behaviour, the reality is that we often struggle to find that key piece of information a co-worker is overlooking or hiding. Same goes for getting worthwhile feedback. People seem too busy or shy or skittish to offer advice that would improve a team member’s performance. This episode shows you how to release the knowledge dam.

  • TEAMS Work: Aligning Diverse Voices

    October 17th, 2022  |  Season 2  |  33 mins 7 secs
    diverse teams, diversity, edii, team management, team voice, team work, teams

    Most people support greater diversity in the workplace. But making that a reality is no simple matter. How do team leaders align diverse voices? And how can a diverse mindset be cultivated, whether or not you’re in charge?

  • TEAMS Work: Managing Boundary-Busting Teams

    October 17th, 2022  |  Season 2  |  31 mins 38 secs
    business education, business ideas, business school, hr, hybrid teams, hybrid workplace, jana raver, managing teams, queen's university, remote, smith school of business, team management, virtual teams, virtual work

    Managing hybrid teams, where some of us are in person and others at home, takes a special kind of finesse. How do we build teams that make the most of being hybrid, and how do we keep pulling in the same direction… even when we’re not in the same space?

  •

    Start-up Cycle: Perseverance

    November 29th, 2019  |  Season 1  |  30 mins 9 secs
    entrepreneurship, new business, perseverance, queen's university, resilience, smith school of business, startup cycle, startups, success

    Starting a business is one thing, but how do you keep going when the going gets tough? This episode of The Start-up Cycle explores the topic of perseverance. We hear about new research from professor Jana Raver on the relationship between resilience and entrepreneurial success (yep, they're related) and get a final dose of motivation from Jeremiah Brown, author of The 4 Year Olympian. We will also hear about learning from failure. Your host is Meredith Dault.

  • Start-up Cycle: Sustaining

    November 22nd, 2019  |  Season 1  |  22 mins 9 secs
    entrepreneurship, new business, queen's university, smith school of business, startup cycle, startups

    Too many start-ups hit the ground running, and then sputter out before their time is up. Don’t let it happen to you. This episode focuses on finding ways to sustain your business as it grows. We learn about lean innovation from professor Barry Cross (hint: it’s about focusing your efforts on the stuff that really matters). We also talk to professor Anthony Goerzen about the challenge of maintaining your competitive advantage when you are expanding internationally and get some advice on staying focused from 437 Swimwear founder Adrien Bettio. Your host is Meredith Dault.

  • Start-up Cycle: Scaling

    November 12th, 2019  |  Season 1  |  37 mins 43 secs
    entrepreneurship, new business, queen's university, scaling, scaling your startup, smith school of business, startup cycle, startups

    One of the challenges when you are growing your business is finding the right balance: do you grow the leadership team first, or focus on the sales force? And how far into the future should you be casting your gaze? We tackle these questions and more as we explore the subject of scaling with Eva Wong, co-founder and COO of Borrowell, and professor Jim Hamilton, an expert in sales management who has plenty of his own experience growing start-up companies. We will also hear the management evidence on what makes great entrepreneurial teams tick. Your host is Meredith Dault.

  • Start-up Cycle: Financing

    October 31st, 2019  |  Season 1  |  34 mins
    entrepreneurship, funding your business, new business, queen's university, smith school of business, startup cycle, startups

    You know your business idea is worth a million bucks – now you just have to convince someone to give you the cash to make it happen. But while some say it is easier than ever for start-ups to raise money, one question remains: what’s the best way to do it? We get advice from angel investor Jess Joss, Executive Director of York Angel Investors, as well as from Shyam Ramchandani, an entrepreneur with experience securing VC financing. We will also hear about the unique challenges and opportunities facing female entrepreneurs when it comes to finding funding.

  • Start-up Cycle: Risk

    October 10th, 2019  |  Season 1  |  34 mins 25 secs
    entrepreneurship, new business, queen's university, smith school of business, startup cycle, startups

    Shari Hughson was already a seasoned entrepreneur when she gave it all up to pursue her dream of living off the land in the Canadian wilderness. Unsurprisingly, she knows a thing or two about risk-taking. Now the director of the Master of Entrepreneurship and Innovation program at Smith School of Business, she shares some of what she has learned along the way, along with the mantra she believes every young entrepreneur ought to know when it comes to risk. We will also hear from Smith entrepreneurship coach and mentor JP Shearer on the risks every entrepreneur needs to be aware of when starting a business (like the risk of becoming complacent!) and hear insights into how risk perception impacts entrepreneurial success. Your host is Meredith Dault.

  • Start-up Cycle: Discovery

    October 4th, 2019  |  Season 1  |  31 mins 11 secs
    entrepreneurship, new business, queen's university, smith school of business, startup cycle, startups

    Are entrepreneurs born or are they made? And what matters more when you are starting a business - passion or perseverance? This first episode of The Start-up Cycle explores those questions and more.