Partly to give the Berlin conference with its very informative sessions and presentations a lighter note, partly because we are curious about how he makes us think out-of-the-box, we have invited Geoff Burch to address the conference. Burch is probably the most unconventional business guru, masterfully oscillating between stand-up comedian and management consultant. He likes to entertain the auditorium as much as he likes to spark new insights in the board rooms of major blue chip companies.
Burch has become a TV celebrity in Britain where he has his own TV show at the BBC, called “All over the shop” – a title that implies at first glance a certain element of chaotic creativity but actually hints at his TV clients: small High street businesses such as cafés, grocers etc. Burch gives economic advice in simple, yet unique terms. Like this one: “Your employees can be the ambassadors or the assassins of your business. Which one do you want them to be?”
He does more than just crack jokes. In order to run an operation successfully, he preaches, you have to win the minds, hearts and trust of your employees. Burch reminds us that business intelligence on its own is not enough. Data warehousing is about enabling your employees to make better, faster decisions by means of information. But what will make them actually want to improve their decision making? Burch, who has authored a book about persuasion in business, will share a few tips with us.
Mario Bonardo
