Steve Dion on Leadership, Culture & the Future of Work

This week’s episode of the Be Customer Led podcast features Amanda Ono, Chief Human Resources Officer at Kroll. When she was in college, her passion was the interaction between teams and leaders and how they worked together to drive results. She worked in a wide range of positions, including recruiting, training, and building leadership programs, which led her towards the specific title she holds now. In today’s conversation, we talk about migrating from customer experience to employee experience. [01.26] Professional Journey – Starting the conversation, Amanda shares where she ignited her passion for customer experience. [07.40] Outcomes – Amanda explains what outcomes they achieved at Resolver by bringing customers and employees together as a business decision. [13.13] Training programs - If training is the answer, what's the question? Amanda shares why training programs fail most of the time and what we need to do to get real outcomes form them. [19.37] Leadership and management – We discuss the distinction between change leadership and change management. [26.21] Training on empathy – Amanda walks us through how they train employees on building empathy in their onboarding program at Resolver. [32.55] Inspiration – Wrapping up the conversation, Amanda shares where she gets her inspiration in her life to keep going. ResourcesConnect with AmandaLinkedIn - linkedin.com/in/amandaono/ Website - resolver.com/ Twitter - twitter.com/amandaono Book by John P. KotterLeading Change – goodreads.com/book/show/51370.Leading_Change

Today's episode of Be customer Led features Kimberly Wiefling, founding member & global consultant at Silicon Valley Alliances. Her superpower is uniting people of different nationalities, cultural backgrounds, and aesthetic preferences to accomplish a common goal. Kimberly has worked in the United States, Europe, and Asia. Also, she has visited Japan more than a hundred times to work with the culturally diverse staff of globalizing Japanese businesses. Throughout our conversation today, she imparts invaluable advice on creating an influential culture and leadership. [01:14] Background – Kimberly recounts the origins of her company, which she founded over two decades ago, and her professional journey. [04:36] Culture - Kimberly defines both corporate culture and leadership, and we talk about the relationship between the two. Also, we discuss the relationship between leaders and managers and whether one can be both, or if one must choose between being a leader or a manager.[09:42] Disconnection -  Kimberly outlines why firms fail to give what employees want and why there seems to be a disconnect between the company, its executives and managers, and its employees.[16:55] Culture in Japan -  What is the difference between the culture of Japan and Silicon Valley?[19:07] Leadership - Leaders are responsible for creating and maintaining a strong organizational culture. This involves modeling the desired behavior, celebrating successes that align with the cultural values, and correcting or dismissing behavior that goes against the cultural norms.[21:44] Culture - If you are a new leader and want to establish a company culture, Kimberly offers some suggestions on how to do so, as well as some actions you may take as an individual to alter an existing culture that is toxic or unappealing. [25:08] Action, Communication, and Thinking - The ACT framework is a simple and effective way for leaders to understand their roles and responsibilities.Resources:Connect with Kimberly:LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/scrappykimberlywiefling/Website: wiefling.com/Website: kimberlywiefling.com/Silicon Valley Alliances: siliconvalleyalliances.com/

The CEO of Wine Access, Inc., Joe Fisch, joins Bill Staikos on this week's episode of Be Customer Led. Through careful selection, engaging narratives, and impeccable provenance, Wine Access makes finding and enjoying the world's most inspiring wines simple. During this episode, Joe discusses a variety of the experiences, insights, and perspectives that he has gained throughout his time working in the wine industry. [02:37] Background –  Joe describes his professional career, including the steps that ultimately resulted in the launch of his company. [05:47] Wine Access –  How exactly does Wine Access cater to the needs of its customers? [09:09] NPS – NPS, CX, and the Wine Industry[13:37] Personalization – Joe explains how quickly they swing into action when a customer is having a bad time with their service. On top of that, he details his company's usage of customization. [19:05] Customer Satisfaction -  We talk about how to strike a balance between maximizing profits and sales and providing a satisfying experience for customers.[25:33] Guest’s Question: In response to the previous guest's question, Joe outlines his interest in philanthropy and donating.Resources:Connect with Joe:LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/joefisch/Website: wineaccess.com/App: apple.com/us/app/wine-access/id1642804318

This week on Be Customer Led with Bill Staikos, we interview Stacy Salvi, Vice President of Strategy at Movano Health. Movano Health is creating a portfolio of purpose-driven healthcare products to bring medical-grade, high-quality data to the forefront of consumer health devices. They are on a mission to empower and inspire you to live a healthier, happier life by integrating crucial health data with individualized intelligent feedback in stylish form factors tailored to your specific lifestyle and present you with the data most important to you. Throughout today's episode, Stacy elaborates on Movano's mission and delivers her insights on wearable technology and the customer experience.[00:28] Journey – Stacy describes her exciting journey thus far. In addition, she details her work at Movano and the company's emphasis on women. [07:27] Wearable Technology - How has technology worn on the body progressed? How has the consumer's viewpoint evolved?[09:41] Other Use Cases - Stacy shares where besides healthcare, she sees the most pressing need for wearable technology. [12:30] The Combination – Customer Experience, User Experience, and Product [18:49] The Future – What does the future hold for wearable technology?[24:09] Guest Question – Stacy's Question: How do you find balance in your life and translate that into your working life?Resources:Connect with Stacy: LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/stacysalvi/

Janet Polach, executive coach, speaker, author, and retired marine, joins Bill Staikos for this week's episode of Be Customer Led. Janet has extensive training and expertise as an executive coach and leader-builder. Leaders throughout the world have benefited from her coaching and guidance. She has a Ph.D. in Organizational Leadership and Development from the University of Minnesota and is a retired Marine lieutenant colonel. Today's session focuses on her insights and advice for aspiring and established leaders alike in the realm of coaching.[01:20] Janet's Background – Janet commences the conversation by detailing her background.[05:54] Bill as a Leader - Janet gives Bill a leadership coaching session, during which she questions him on several themes and delivers insights. [11:56] Culture of Feedback – The concept of receiving regular feedback. [17:44] Coaching – Role of coaches, their impact and importance, and underlying reasons why most middle-aged individuals hesitate to get the support they need. [23:40] Tools for Success - How can middle-level managers ensure they are equipped with the necessary tools for success and do not lose personnel at their level or below?[28:18] Inspiration –  Janet responds to the question of which leaders she admires and where she finds inspiration.Resources:Connect with Janet:LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/janetpolachphd/Mentioned in the episode:The Seven Mistakes New Managers Make: How to Avoid Them and Thrive: goodreads.com/book/show/61877493-the-seven-mistakes-new-managers-make

Trey Hoffman, Vice President of Customer Experience at Fleetio, joins the Be Customer Led podcast for this episode. Fleetio's software enables global organizations to track, analyze, and enhance fleet operations. In today's episode, Trey, who has a deep-seated interest in assembling formidable teams to aid clients in achieving their goals by employing novel approaches, discusses his experiences in this regard.[01:03 Trey's Journey – Trey recounts his experience and describes what Fleetio offers its customers. [09:10] Evolution of the Team - Trey explains what he was looking for in the CX team when he joined Fleetio, how Trey structured the team, and the change in the team structure he is most proud of implementing.[16:09] Team's success - Defining what constitutes success for the team.[19:34] Customer Feedback - Trey describes how he will relay customer feedback to the product board.[24:07] Customers' Success - How to measure the customers' success? How to balance focusing on different customer types and deciding whom the company wants to invest the most? [30:22] Future – Trey expresses his desires regarding his discipline.[33:18] Trey's answer – Trey responds to the previous guest's questioning regarding the brand experience that has been relevant, proactive, and responsive to his needs.Resources:Connect with Trey:LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/treyhoffman/

The current generation of chatbot technology utilized in business and consumer settings has significant shortcomings, such as a lack of long-term memory, interactive learning, deep contextual knowledge, and the inability to reason or explain itself, making conversing in a meaningful manner impossible. Our guest today is Peter Voss, the founder/ CEO/ chief scientist at AGI Innovations & Aigo.ai. Aigo.ai is the most sophisticated platform available for natural language interaction. It is implemented utilizing 'The Third Wave of AI,' a cognitive architecture resembling the brain. In this episode, Peter explores the past, present, and future of conversational AI and its impact on the user experience.[01:06] Peter's Journey - Peter recounts his professional journey, mentioning a couple of defining moments in his career. [04:53] Aigo.ai - We discuss Peter's company and the products he and his team deliver.[07:16] Levels of Chatbots - Evolution of conversational AI technology. [11:31] Use Cases - Peter highlights some of the fascinating use cases he has observed, mentioning the B2C and B2B applications and the most significant issues with tech support in conversational AI. [21:33] Conversational AI - How will conversational AI technology affect our advancement as customers, and how will it improve our lives as individuals? [27:37] The Future – Peter outlines his predictions for the future of technology and his hopes for its improvement.Resources:Connect with Peter:LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/vosspeter/Website: aigo.ai/

“Part of the instinct of getting started with new products, for me, is starting with real human motivations and the customer base you are going after.”Adam Nash, CEO & Co-Founder at Daffy, joins Bill Staikos on this episode of Be Customer Led. Daffy is a non-profit organization founded on the principle that everyone should set something aside for those in need. Providing a streamlined mobile experience for saving, investing, and donating to over 1.5 million charities, they encourage people to give more frequently and increase the amount they give. Throughout this episode, Adam imparts the wisdom he has gained in product experience.[01:40] Background – Adam discusses the defining moments in his professional background that helped him get to where he is now.[04:33] Daffy – Adam explains how he and his team created Daffy and the customer experience he aimed for when designing the platform.  [09:58] Meeting the Demand – Adam outlines how he considers customer reactions to his products when they are so diverse. [14:56] Customer Delight Features  - Customer delight is special. Mentioning that, Adam points out that the delight features are not readily apparent enough for customers to request.[25:00] Adam's Advice – Adam's advice for other leaders who wish to launch their enterprise.[29:15] Guest Question Answer – Adam mentions how he achieves balance in his life and applies it to his work.Resources:Connect with Adam:LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/adamnash/Mentioned in the episode:Website: daffy.org/App: apps.apple.com/dk/app/daffy-charitable/“Part of the instinct of getting started with new products, for me, is starting with real human motivations and the customer base you are going after.”Adam Nash, CEO & Co-Founder at Daffy, joins Bill Staikos on this episode of Be Customer Led. Daffy is a non-profit organization founded on the principle that everyone should set something aside for those in need. Providing a streamlined mobile experience for saving, investing, and donating to over 1.5 million charities, they encourage people to give more frequently and increase the amount they give. Throughout this episode, Adam imparts the wisdom he has gained in product experience.[01:40] Background – Adam discusses the defining moments in his professional background that helped him get to where he is now.[04:33] Daffy – Adam explains how he and his team created Daffy and the customer experience he aimed for when designing the platform.  [09:58] Meeting the Demand – Adam outlines how he considers customer reactions to his...

“The best gift you could give your employees is to put them in a position where they can earn a life of meaning and purpose through service to others that get recognized and rewarded by teammates.”This episode of Be Customer Led with Bill Staikos features Fred Reichheld. Fred is one of the world's leading customer and employee loyalty experts. He is the Net Promoter System (NPS®) creator and has been called the "high priest" of loyalty by The Economist. Also, Fred is the founder of Bain's Loyalty practice and a fellow at Bain & Company, where Fred advises businesses on increasing customer and employee loyalty to boost business performance. In this episode, he explains how NPS enables enterprises to become genuinely client-focused, thereby releasing the potential for profitable expansion. [01:18] Fred's Background - Fred describes the milestones and turning points in his professional life. [03:04] Net Promoter System – Fred details about net promoter system and how to benefit from it. [08:03] Winning on Purpose: The Unbeatable Strategy of Loving Customers - Fred explains how customer affection translates into Net Promoter Score (NPS) or likelihood to recommend a product. [14:48] Best Gift - What is the best gift a company can give its employees? [18:31] More on NPS - The power of NPS, putting NPS into practice, and the concept of earned growth[26:33] Advice – Fred provides guidance for CEOs to begin their journeys to success. [30:35] Fred's Question - Which business, brand, or product have you enthusiastically recommended to a friend, and why?Recourses:Connect with Fred:LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/fredreichheld/Mentioned in the episode:Winning on Purpose: The Unbeatable Strategy of Loving Customers: goodreads.com/en/book/show/58090620-winning-on-purpose

“A core part of what we do through strategic workforce planning is translating that purpose and strategy into what the organization needs from its workforce.”This week on Be Customer Led with Bill Staikos, we speak with Alicia Roach, Founder, and CEO of eQ8 and a global thought leader in Strategic Workforce Planning and Analytics. Alicia has spearheaded the development of a globally unique SWP solution, "eQ8," by combining her skills in complicated data analysis and sophisticated financial modeling with attractive visualizations and tales. EQ8 is an innovative, globally-unique, dynamic, and scalable SAAS platform for Strategic Workforce Planning. Also, Alicia's passion is assisting organizations in executing their purpose by knowing their existing and future workforce potential. In this episode, she discusses how organizations can take their Strategic Workforce Planning to the next level. [01:37] Background – Alicia describes her path, the company she co-founded, and how it earned its name," eQ8".[09:23] SWP – What are the Strategic Workforce Plan, its outcomes, and its impact on the long-term health of the business[23:32] SWP and CX - If you can improve the employee experience, it will benefit the consumer experience in numerous ways. Alicia mentions how she observes businesses utilizing SWP as a basis for getting a better customer experience. [27:36] The Future - Alicia's vision for the future of SWP.[31:21] Previous Guests' question - Where would you choose to live and work remotely around the globe, and why? [32:21] Inspiration – Alicia discusses where she finds inspiration.Resources:Connect with Alicia:Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/aliciaroach/