Earlier this week, growth-oriented business consultants and co-authors of Matter, Peter Sheahan and Julie Williamson, visited BigSpeak headquarters in Santa Barbara, California to host a discussion about their recent case-study research. The event welcomed local BigSpeak partner clients who were interested in becoming more familiar with Sheahan and Williamson’s research, consultancy expertise, and respective speaking topics.

Peter and Julie’s discussion focused specifically on the topic of turning challenge into opportunity and disruption into a competitive advantage. Referencing case studies and research from their book, Sheahan and Williamson pointed out that by finding opportunity in disruption major companies were able to reverse the downward spiral of commoditization and matter more to their customers than to their competition.

Their talk was unique and inspiring in that it didn’t just focus on growth for the sake of growth or profit, but on a specific kind of growth that elevates the quality of customer relations. Peter and Julie implored leaders to act in ways that are both business savvy and ethical.

Sheahan and Williamson also advise that leaders move towards the very disruption that challenges them and their customers. Peter offered several ways in which business leaders can move toward disruption and in fact leverage it to their advantage. The first piece of advice was acceptance. After a disruptive event the longer a business leader grieves over that event, the longer it will take them to move on and think strategically. Second, start out with an optimistic attitude. It has been proven that our attitudes more often than not affect the outcome of an endeavor. Next, Peter emphasizes the need to become very specific about the company’s client segmentation. Who is it that you serve and how? Forth, it is necessary to differentiate your company from the competition through expertise. Lastly, Peter also acknowledges the compliance burden as a real factor but, he assures that it can also be a catalyst for innovation, and an opportunity to adopt new systems and better align the company to the customer segments that you aim to serve. In following Peter and Julie’s advice it is possible to leverage disruption to create the future rather than being disarmed by it.

Peter is the Founder & CEO of Karrikins Group, a growth-oriented consulting firm whose strategic advice and planning reside at the intersection between company commercial gain and positive social impact. Peter has advised leaders from companies as diverse as Apple, Goldman Sachs, Microsoft, Hyundai, IBM, Pfizer, Wells Fargo, and Cardinal Health. He is also the author of seven books, including Flip, Generation Y, Making it Happen, and Matter.

Julie Williamson is the research partner and co-author of Matter. She serves as Chief Growth Enabler at Karrikins Group, and holds a Ph.D. in Organizational Communication.

With Karrikins staff in more than 23 cities across 7 countries, and case-studies conducted with major industry-leading companies, Peter and Julie know the challenges of growing a business in these rapidly-changing times.

If you are interested in booking Peter Sheahan or Julie Williamson to help your organization move towards disruptive opportunity please contact BigSpeak at info@bigspeak.com

The content writers at BigSpeak Speakers Bureau are Experts on the Experts. They hold doctoral, masters, and bachelors’ degrees in business, writing, literature, and education. Their business thought pieces are published regularly in leading business publications. Working in close association with the top business, entrepreneur, and motivational speakers, BigSpeak content writers are at the forefront of industry trends and research.