Welding the Team - Terry Jones

I'm the host of On the Schmooze, a weekly podcast that features interviews with talented professionals who have achieved success in their field or industry. I ask probing questions to get them to share untold stories about their leadership journey and how they built and sustained their professional network.

Put insights from me and my guests into action this week and you’ll benefit from for years to come.

OTS 215: Welding the Team - Terry Jones

Today’s guest believes that not all innovation will be obvious and your business must be ready before it becomes your disruption.

He is the Founder and CEO of Travelocity.com which he led from a team of six to a three-billion-dollar public company. He retired from Travelocity when it was taken private and then helped found Kayak.com where he was chairman for seven years until it was sold to Priceline for $1.8 Billion dollars.

His career path has established him as a thought leader on innovation and disruption in our increasingly digital world. As a speaker, author, venture capitalist, and board member he shares the tools and techniques he’s developed to keep up with rapid changes.

He has presented in over 25 countries to 300+ companies. His programs on innovation, leadership, and customer relationships leave attendees with inspired ideas and concrete action items to implement in their companies.

He is the author of two books, “ON Innovation: Turning On Innovation in Your Culture, Teams, and Organization” and “Disruption OFF: The Technological Disruption Coming For Your Company and What To Do About It”.

Please join me in welcoming Terry Jones.

In this episode we discuss:

• his thoughts on leadership: “A leader knows how to create a powerful team and tease the skills out. This is what makes you a powerful leader.”
• his dream of buying a camp at 21 and how he has accomplished that goal.
• his experience travelling the world and how that opened his eyes to the world of travel and how wonderful the world is.
• his time in a travel start-up where he worked as a receptionist.
• the beginnings of Travelocity inside of AOL and CompuServe.
• how he handled difficult leadership challenges and how he brought unexpected value to his teams.
• how he uses his LinkedIn profile to help nurture the outer levels of his network.
• how his business has changed in this new virtual world.

What were the key takeaways you plan to put into practice this week and benefit from for years to come? Post about them in the show notes.

Listen, subscribe, and read show notes at www.OntheSchmooze.com - go directly to episode 211.

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About Robbie:

Robbie Samuels is a keynote speaker, TEDx speaker, and relationship-based business strategy coach who has been recognized as a “networking expert” by Harvard Business Review Ascend, Forbes, Lifehacker, and Inc and as an “industry expert in the field of digital event design” by JDC Events. He is a Certified Virtual Convener and Certified Virtual Presenter.

He created The 5% Advantage Program, a four-week certification program that helps presenters grow in their confidence with Zoom, online facilitation, and virtual event design so they can reduce their tech angst and host more engaging online experiences. Presenters have the opportunity to be "Certified Virtual Event Professional #NoMoreBadZoom." 

He is the host of #NoMoreBadZoom Virtual Happy Hour, a popular weekly virtual event that explores new ways to design engaging virtual experiences. This event attracts 50-60 participants each week, 50% of them have attended 8 or more times, 20% say they lost track and plan their week around this event.

As a Virtual Event Design Consultant and Executive Zoom Producer, he assists organizations with bringing their in-person events strategically online. He provides virtual event design strategy, emceeing, production (managing the tech, including chat and breakout rooms), and training/supporting presenters. His clients include California WIC, Feeding America, Association of Talent & Development chapter, The National At-Home Dad Network, and the California Notary Symposium.

He is the author of the best-selling business book Croissants vs. Bagels: Strategic, Effective, and Inclusive Networking at Conferences and has been profiled in the Harvard Business Review, Forbes, and Fast Company. He writes for Harvard Business Review Ascend. His clients include associations, women’s leadership summits, and corporations including Marriott, AmeriCorps, Hostelling International, and General Assembly.

He has been featured in several books including Stand Out: How to Find Your Breakthrough Idea and Build a Following Around It by Dorie Clark and The Connector’s Advantage: 7 Mindsets to Grow Your Influence and Impact by Michelle Tillis Lederman. He has guest lectured at many leading educational institutions including Harvard University, Brown University, Cornell University, and Northeastern University.

Robbie is the host of On the Schmooze podcast which features his networking strategies and talented professionals sharing untold stories of leadership and networking.

READ his "9 Ways to Network in a Pandemic" - www.robbiesamuels.com/9ways

Sign up for his free weekly Virtual Happy Hours at www.NoMoreBadZoom.com.

The 5% Advantage Program - Get Certified #NoMoreBadZoom

Right now, everyone is being pretty forgiving when it comes to poorly executed virtual events, but that's not likely to last much longer. If virtual events are part of your business plan you need to get better. We all do.

• You need the confidence and skills to up your game. The problem is that there are so many new pieces of technology to master quickly that you can feel stuck, overwhelmed, and like you're running out of time.
• The reason options are overwhelming is that you're trying to go from zero to 100 immediately, when -- to make the most of your time -- continuously getting 5% better would allow you to focus on the most important and highest-impact options.
• Why? Because you know it's true that if you try to do everything, you will accomplish nothing. This means, to achieve your goal, you have to invest in a strategy to put time on your side.
• How? The 5% Advantage Program teaches online facilitation and virtual event design, but even more so, give you the tools for reflection and continuous improvement.
• Through this interactive and experiential 4-week program you will get 5% better now, will know how to keep learning so you are far ahead of your peers in a few months, and will be leading your industry 5-10 years from now.
• The time to get 5% better is now because soon you will be sought out, not just for your expertise, but for your ability to deliver that expertise on an interactive virtual platform.
• Interested to learn more about this program and get on the waitlist? Send Robbie an email: robbie @ robbiesamuels . com

Relationship-Based Business Strategist & Business Coach

Are you ready to create a Relationship-Based Business Plan that will help you achieve greater impact (and income)?

• You want to have a greater impact and increased income. The problem is that there are so many options for how to build your business that you can feel stuck, overwhelmed, and like you’re running out of time.
• The reason options are overwhelming is that you’re looking at them as a series of disconnected steps when — to make the most of your time — you need a strategy that connects only the most important and highest impact ones.
• Why? Because you know it’s true that if you try to do everything, you will accomplish nothing. This means, to achieve your goal, you have to invest in a strategy to put time on your side.
• How? This program will help you find the clarity to determine what is the right next step for your business. A book? A podcast? An online course? Masterminds? Speaking on bigger stages?
• Together we will design a Relationship-Based Business Plan that will allow you to stack your successes to create momentum and leverage your limited time.
• Robbie believes that networking is a marketing strategy and coaches “expert entrepreneurs” to grow to the next level through relationship-based business strategies and hands-on support. Interested to learn more about private coaching packages? Send Robbie an email: robbie @ robbiesamuels . com

Keynote Speaker

Interested in booking Robbie to speak? At www.robbiesamuels.com/speaking you'll find video clips and a description of his signature session, Art of the Schmooze.

Watch his TEDx talk "Hate networking? Stop bageling and be the croissant!" at www.robbiesamuels.com/TEDx.

Stay Connected:

• Connect with Robbie on LinkedIn
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• New to his website? Start here
• On the Schmooze podcast archive - over 200 episodes!