This week, we will be looking at what technologies and processes are vital for a keen competitive edge, and successful strategies from the last 12 months, with examples from Pfizer (the MAINTAIN program and global expansion), Alcatel-Lucent (deep transformation of the company), and many more.

One of the pre-eminent thinkers on this subject, Michael Porter, produced – amongst many other useful articles – a list of generic competitive strategies. These are his ‘ways of competing’: and they’re good (for our Ninja’s take on Porter, click here).

In this week’s ‘talking heads’ program, Neil Bush of Nexus Energy Corporation is amongst those who would rather not focus on the competition. His strategy? Work harder and be better. So which camp are you?

Get stuck in and let me know your thoughts. Is MeetTheBoss proving useful to you? What can we do to make it better? Our competitive strategy is customer engagement: we hope you’ll approve.

Jonny will also be in Las Vegas for Business Forecasting & Planning 2010. At least, that’s what he told us…

Flexible working hours are regularly beating bonus size in the happiness indices. We hear less about jobs for life and more about work / life balance. Your culture is your USP – it’s how you define your company for your staff, and it’s part of how they define themselves.

This week on MeetTheBoss TV…
Managing your greatest asset. Our panel of experts (including Mattel’s Alan Kaye, KFC’s Misty Reich and Harvard Business Review’s Tom Stewart) discuss the most vital components of a healthy, sustainable and focused corporate culture – plus the principles by which they run their careers.

How clear goals make DreamWorks (or ‘how to train a corporate dragon’). A culture of creativity and innovation don’t mean a thing without a strong technical, sales and marketing backbone. DreamWorks Animation, the studio behind Shrek, has created a world-beating mix. Dan Satterthwaite, Head of Human Resources, explains how.

Building a culture. When Nokia Networks merged with Siemens Communications, people compared their two cultures to a shoal of fish and a supertanker, respectively. Hans Juergen Bill, SVP HR at the freshly minted Nokia Siemens Networks, is responsible for making them one…

I’m here all week…
He’s back – and this time it’s personnel. Chief Ninja Padraig Hyland presents his unique take on creating your own deadly competitive strategy. All together now… ‘everybody was Kung Fu strategizing…’

Really hope you enjoy the programs. Thank you to everybody for your feedback so far – I will stay in touch with progress on your interview recommendations. Any and all suggestions (for interviews, subject matter, how the site works) welcome!

‘Doings’ are better, but you have to work at them. Case studies take longer to read, practical tests take longer to do – but the result is deeper learning and a much greater understanding of the subject at hand.

MeetTheBoss TV is a ‘doings’ channel, full of executives, thought leaders and innovators who have made a difference and have something to say. And this week is a prime example…

Leadership now – What does leadership really mean for today’s executive class? And what strategies are they using to stay one step ahead?

“If there’s toxicity in the system, it won’t work” - In 2003, when Fred Hassan took over as Chief Executive at Schering-Plough, the company was in freefall and being investigated for accounting irregularities. In 2008 he lead the company to net profits of over $18.4 billion. And in 2009, he successfully oversaw the $41.1 billion mega-merger with Merck. How? Find out here.

“You have to lead from the front” - Sir Roger Bone, President of Boeing UK, has been serving Britain for over 40 years, from a storied career as a top diplomat, to his current role with the aerospace giant. He believes that leaders have to set the tone, and walk the talk. How? Find out here.

Not forgetting the Ninja… In our deadly leadership academy: management coach Padraig Hyland explains different leadership styles so you can pick a winner for you and your company.

Please let me know any feedback about the site, the topics covered and our interviewees – I can promise you, we’re listening.

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And finally…
The MeetTheBoss TV pick of sayings that turned up during research this week:

1. “If your organization is not on a journey don’t bother about leadership – just settle for management” – John Adair.

2. “Tell me and I’ll forget; show me and I may remember; involve me and I’ll understand” – Chinese proverb.

Like diet books, I’ve been urged to man up – eat red meat, aggressively pursue targets: or go organic, improve my EQ, seek balance. Some worked, some left me unsatisfied and windy.

The point is: to improve we have to learn. We have to try things, experiment, and see what suits us.

Modern business makes huge demands of its executives. We expect more of their business abilities, more rounded management skills. And finding the right, high quality advice can be both challenging and time consuming.

MeetTheBoss TV is a solution. Ten-minute lessons from the best in the business. Incredible access to proven leaders and management training on-demand for wherever and whenever you need it.

This week – sales:

“Enthusiasm is infectious” – energize yourself and your sales team with our Ninja leadership academy.

“Listen to your customers” – learn how to grow sales in tough times, with the third in our exclusive series of ‘behind business’ programs.

“Presentation is key” – what makes a good salesperson? Tom Purves, CEO for Rolls-Royce Motor Cars explains.

“Consumer demand is changing” – exploring new sales channels with Christian Jorg, SVP for New Media at Island Def Jam.

I really hope you find the site useful. We work hard to ensure it’s not just hot air!

I have been a business journalist for 15 years. It’s not a lifetime, but it is long enough to have some sense of the basics, and I know that everything starts with people: idea, vision, strategy, build, sell, use, loyalty.

There are no unseen forces guiding, for example, how well your company is run, the direction of the Internet, the convergence of telephone and computer, the use of app or open source. There are people making decisions (like an insurer, I’m excluding Force Majeure here).

MeetTheBoss is about how you write yourself into that decision making process.

How? Innovation can be messy and disruptive. It’s hard to switch on at 9 a.m. on a Monday morning. But hard is not impossible (new strap line for Viagra, anyone?). This week’s business leaders have all used creative processes to drive value to the bottom line.

From Tuesday we’ll be showing innovation as a competitive tool. Working across borders and using small teams are just two of the proven strategies explained in this fascinating program.

From Wednesday, we have FedEx’s ‘secret weapon’ – a best of the best team that uses innovative thinking around existing capabilities to deliver more for the customer. Creative catalyst Tom Schmitt explains.

Can innovation help financial services? Gary Greenwald, chief innovation officer for banking giant Citi, says yes. But how? Find out here (from Thursday).

Lastly but not leastly: how can you become an innovation leader? Stand-up comic and management coach Padraig Hyland continues his unique brand of deadly leadership training… don’t miss the Ninja!

Please let me know what you think of MeetTheBoss.

MeetTheBoss is an online TV channel for executives – but being online it’s not just TV. There are podcasts and shortly we’ll be integrating the best business writing from our favourite sources. You can find out more here.

This week, we have some incredible insights into leadership from some of the most successful people in these recessionary times. It’s not lip service: you’ll be surprised at the honesty. Plus the biggest sports rivalry ramps up for 2010: it’s Adidas vs Nike and we’ve got the inside track on leading through innovation from Adidas CEO and Chairman Herbert Hainer.

Then there’s Nycomed: the pharma co. that tripled profits in a recession. CEO Håkan Björklund explains how his stewardship has created 11 years (and counting) of solid success.

Finally: don’t miss the Ninja. Stand-up comic and management coach Padraig Hyland brings his own, unique brand of deadly leadership training to MeetTheBoss.

Really hope you enjoy it all. Details of upcoming programs can be found in the calendar on the right, and the feedback tab is on the left. Please use it.