Podcast appearances and mentions of patricia o connell

 Patricia O’Connell interviews Alaina Love, CEO of Purpose Linked Consulting, about passion and purpose. They discuss how passions express purpose, the ten archetypes of passion, and about learning your top three passion archetypes. They explore how to link an organization to a meaningful purpose.   Listen in to learn more about your passions and purpose and how to express them in your life and career. Key Takeaways: [:22] Patricia O’Connell introduces Alaina Love, CEO of Purpose Linked Consulting, and her message of following passion with purpose, for individuals, companies, and teams. [1:15] Patricia welcomes Alaina Love to CEO Stories on This is Capitalism. [1:26] Alaina explores what it means for an individual to have purpose and passion. She begins by sharing her experience of walking away from an executive opportunity at a large organization where she had been climbing the ladder of success. [3:58] Alaina had to ponder to discover why being successful and being rewarded for the work she was doing was not enough for her. She didn’t want to spend the next 85,000 work hours doing work she didn’t see as deeply purposeful. Alaina began to realize that purpose and passion are connected. [5:07] Alaina has interviewed people for 20 years about finding purpose in work. Most people spend their lives trying to find out exactly what their purpose is. Most people believe they will be satisfied sometime in the future, after finding their purpose. [6:26] Alain found that people who have figured out how to weave who they are into their roles, where their passions can “come out to play every day,” are the folks who feel that their roles were aligned to a deeper purpose that they are here to achieve.[6:50] After many years of wrestling with this issue, Alaina realized the passions people exhibit are the outward expression of the deeper purpose that drives them. [7:43] With researchers from the University of Michigan, Alaina developed The Passion Profiler, which identifies how a person resonates with each of ten passion archetypes that are present to a degree in each of us. It is useful for us to understand what our top three passions are, and how their strengths and vulnerabilities drive our behavior. [8:27] The ten passion archetypes arose from Alaina’s structured interviews with high-potential folks from fourteen industry segments across the globe. Alaina observed that certain patterns of behavior showed up consistently, over and over again, across industries. Alaina had been seeing these patterns throughout her corporate career. [9:33] Alaina found these behaviors organized themselves into ten categories. Through her research, she identified what each of these passions looked like. [9:59] The ten archetypes are Creator, Conceiver, Discoverer, Processor, Teacher, Connector, Altruist, Healer, Transformer, and Builder. Alaina describes each archetype. [11:40] Understanding your passions provides you with a roadmap to understand where you can contribute beyond your skill set alone. [11:57] Alaina suggests designing our organizations to leverage the passions our team members are wired with, giving them opportunities to utilize their passions in their assigned roles, and putting them in a cultural environment where their values are honored. This extends beyond hiring someone for a particular set of skills. [12:27] Alaina tells how an individual can benefit from the knowledge of their top three passion archetypes. When an individual applies their passions to the role they hold, their level of engagement becomes higher, and their role becomes an expression of who they are more than a responsibility they have to accomplish. [13:05] The team leader, with a knowledge of the passion archetypes of their team members, understands each of those team members on a much more intimate level. A leader can put the right people on the team to create the correct passion composition. [14:05] A Gallup poll found that only about 30% of employees are genuinely engaged at work. Alaina thinks that is directly correlated to a lack of understanding of passion and purpose. Alaina also mentions the Happiness Curve and how it applies to the drop in work engagement. At more mature ages, meaning begins to matter over money. [17:12] Alaina describes a confluence of self-actualization at both ends of the generational spectrum. Millennials and Gen-Z-ers have been raised to find what their passion is and make a career of that. Older workers have learned that the financial plans of their youth have not worked out, and they are starting to search for meaning. [19:25] How do you match your passion archetypes to your career? There are myriad ways to express them. A teacher archetype will not always stand in front of a class. Alaina uses Oprah Winfrey as her icon for the teacher archetype. [20:16] The pandemic has cost millions of jobs, and people are afraid they won’t have work. Employers wonder what the new normal will be. Alaina says people she talks with worry about what their lives will be like going forward. They are asking themselves if they are doing what matters, every day, to make the best contribution they can. [22:26] We may have people in roles that aren’t their dream jobs simply to survive. Alaina suggests looking for what they can do to make a contribution to their work that is unique to themselves. How do you bring you to your job? To answer that question, you need to know who you are, and what your passions are. [23:24] Alaina once worked with a hospital team of people from nurses to foodservice. The goal was to leverage their passions to improve patient satisfaction. As they reviewed patient satisfaction, the scores were highest on the floors where one man mopped the floors. He had a healer archetype. He spoke with the patients and families. [25:55] How do you figure out passion and purpose? Alaina wrote a book, The Purpose Linked Organization, with a chapter on each of the passion archetypes. The hardcover book has a code that allows you to take an abbreviated version of the Passion Profiler and find your top three passion archetypes. [26:33] Alaina has also created a public website so others can have access, Mypassionality.com. There you can purchase a code for under $15.00 to take the Passion Profiler and find your top three passions. That will give you the information you need to start sorting out the places where those passions might be applied. [27:24] How do self-reflection and meaning-making relate to the Passion Profiler, professional version? Work-inspired reflection tends to drive up engagement. Reflection is extremely important. If you understand your passions, as you reflect on your life, you will observe when your passions “came out to play.” [30:08] Patricia thanks Alaina for being on the podcast; This Is Capitalism. Learn more at ThisIsCapitalism.com.   Mentioned in This Episode: Alaina Love ThePurposeLink.com University of Michigan Gallup The Happiness Curve: Why Life Gets Better After 50, by Jonathan Rauch Oprah Winfrey The Purpose Linked Organization: How Passionate Leaders Inspire Winning Teams and Great Results, by Alaina Love and Marc Cugnon Mypassionality.com

Patricia O’Connell interviews Howard Breindel, Co-CEO at DeSantis Breindel. Patricia and Howard discuss the meaning of brand, how companies may need help clarifying their brand story, and why brand matters. They also touch on some of the changes the COVID-19 epidemic has forced onto B2B businesses.   Listen in to learn how you can strengthen your company brand in any environment. Key Takeaways: [:27] Patricia O’Connell welcomes Howard Breindel to CEO Stories on This is Capitalism. [:48] DeSantis Breindel is a B2B brand strategy and brand experience firm working with companies going through critical inflection points. They help companies maximize their brand. Brand is the promise a company makes to all of its key stakeholders and the experience it delivers to fulfill that promise. [2:09] Younger companies may need help to define their value proposition beyond their product to focus on what they enable the stakeholder to reach. More mature companies may need help with business strategy as their offerings evolve. [3:00] DeSantis Breindel helps companies translate their business strategy into a valuable brand strategy for their partners, influencers, customers, investors, and employees, making sure that everyone understands the value proposition for them.[3:37] Howard studied accounting in college and started in that world. He soon found he was more interested in how companies presented themselves to the world than in their numbers. He saw branding and marketing as a career that would leverage his financial background and his interest in the image a company presents. [5:05] Howard recalls getting exposure to many different kinds of industries and people from all walks of life and all the countries of the world as he grew up in New York. That exposure gave Howard the sense that everyone is driven by different values and needs. That informs Howard as he helps companies understand all their important audiences. [6:40] In the branding business, curiosity about businesses is critical. To do the job well, you need to understand deeply and be good listeners. You need to keep asking questions, listen to the answers, and connect the dots. Successful people in this industry have had exposure and experienced diversity, and they apply their knowledge to a complex world. [7:40] At DeSantis Breindel, a mid-sized company, people wear many hats and are agile. There is not a playbook for everything. They need to be innovative and thoughtful. [8:07] The stakes are much higher in B2B marketing than in B2C marketing, with more widespread ramifications. For DeSantis Breindel, research across audiences is critical to understand more deeply what drives decision-making and what’s on people’s minds. [10:05] Howard tells how branding and marketing are linked. Branding is about an operating philosophy and marketing is about putting all that out there in the world. [10:59] Howard sees challenges in how companies define and tell their story. Companies need to understand their brand proposition for all stakeholders. The story is really about the brand experience. How companies craft the stakeholder journey with their brand determines how stakeholders will perceive their story. [12:43] Howard believes culture eats brand for breakfast, especially in B2B. What a company’s employees say, think, and feel every day cannot be paid for in marketing. Make sure your employees truly understand your value proposition — what it means to them and the experience you expect them to deliver to your customers. [13:56] A brand isn’t what you say it is, it’s what your stakeholders say it is. You might have a “brand gap” between what the employees think the brand is and how the customers perceive it. If you understand the gap, the brand strategy becomes clear. [14:42] You cannot go through a branding exercise without engaging the employees and listening to what they say. Curiosity and listening are the two most important parts of the exercise. [15:44] Brand is the one strategic asset that is shared across the C-suite. [17:44] The COVID-19 pandemic has required companies to become more comfortable with digital interactions within the company and with external stakeholders. It has been a big adjustment. If this pandemic had happened before digital tools were available, it would have been much more devastating to businesses. [19:26] Creativity is critical in every business. Working remotely, you have to work harder to make creativity happen. DeSantis Breindel has created online workshops to replace workshops that were held in person. They are using technologies to whiteboard things online and share files more quickly and easily for rapid-fire interaction. [20:40] At DeSantis Breindel, every interaction with clients and each other is held over Zoom. They have no phone calls. They hold regularly-scheduled group meetings. In some ways, people are more engaged because their camera is on. However, everyone misses the casual interactions that happen in a business office environment. [21:50] Howard looks forward to when they can go back to an office, whenever that will be. When it is deemed safe, they will go back. They surveyed the staff and 95% said they were not prepared to go back to the office before there is a vaccine. Some didn’t want to go fully back to the office the same way as they did in the past. [24:21] Patricia thanks Howard for being on the podcast; This Is Capitalism.   Mentioned in This Episode: Howard Breindel DeSantis Breindel Peter Drucker Zoom

Patricia O’Connell interviews Cortney Stapleton, Partner at Bliss Integrated Communications and one of the Founders of Exponent Women. Patricia and Cortney discuss why women in the dealmaking community benefit from networking and having a place where their voices are heard and their power is raised exponentially.   Listen in to learn how this networking organization can work for the dealmaking women in your organization. Key Takeaways: [:31] Patricia O’Connell welcomes Cortney Stapleton to CEO Stories on This is Capitalism. [:57] Cortney and nine other women co-founded Exponent Women for senior women in the dealmaking community as a place where they can find content and partner with like-minded women to change the face of dealmaking. [1:35] They wanted a place for senior women to come together in a trusted environment. The founders had done business with each other. They brought their networks together with trust in each other for deeper, more meaningful networking. [3:06] Exponent aims to exponentially raise women to a new power within this industry. The dealmaking community is heavily weighted towards men, so they wanted to make sure women have a voice and meet like-minded senior women in these companies. [3:44] Cortney and the other founders believe we don’t see women networking the same way as men. Men network with the same people they knew in college, play golf with, do business with, and go to the gym with. Women have separate networks of friends that don’t mix and they don’t tend to do business with them. [4:59] Women often have deeper relationships within their networks and larger networks than men do but are uncomfortable asking their friends to do business. Exponent gives dealmaking women a safe space to talk about things they have a passion for in their careers and do business together. [6:04] Exponent facilitates dealmaking women to feel comfortable making the “ask.” All events, whether in person or online, have the main event and then breakout rooms where a leader, usually a founder, asks the women to introduce themselves, what they do, and what their ask is — what they are looking for. [7:00] Cortney describes some of the events they have sponsored with authors and facilitators, such as workshops on making the ask. Exponent focuses on bringing women together in inspiring spaces. [7:58] An early deal in Exponent Women resulted in a $1.5 million commission for one of the members. The Exponent website displays testimonials of women who have made important deals through the network. [9:05] Cortney’s main career is in integrated marketing communications. She has had lots of asks for organizational marketing help and individual marketing for women. Cortney has brought her network into Exponent to their benefit. [9:55] When Cortney has a virtual “coffee” after an event, she comes away with one to three things to do to help the person she spoke to, such as connecting them with someone. Cortney focuses on strengthening connections. [10:31] Exponent opens the way for speaking spots, going into companies to help them with executive visibility or marketing. [10:48] Current Exponent events focus on deals that will be made despite COVID-19. Upcoming areas of focus are healthcare, technology, and the economy. [12:00] Dealmaking always requires caution in choosing who is trusted around the table. Dealmakers also want to be around the table with people they like. In this virtual environment, it is necessary to have trusted connections because you are not sitting across from the person. [13:22] Cortney feels more comfortable with her asks, being very overt about what she wants, and asking others about their asks, outside of the Exponent network. Exponent is a catalyst for senior women to make deals in their environment and workplace. [15:11] Everyone wants to connect as much as possible, including by giving advice. There has to be a clear line for when advice is a service. It’s important when you’re putting down a specific idea to move a business forward to state that the relationship is moving into a consultative phase and you have a service offering. [18:39] Exponent Women was formed for East Coast women. Women have flown in from Chicago and California for live events. With the shutdown and virtual tools, Exponent has been able to broaden nationally. [19:30] Exponent is launching a new sector, Momentum, for junior women looking for mentorship from senior women in the dealmaking spectrum. Junior women have from two to ten years in the dealmaking community. Senior women have been in the industry for a couple of decades. Momentum will focus on topics more valuable to junior women. [21:36] Every panel, including the annual Exponent Exchange, is very diverse, and includes speakers who are persons of color and LGBTQ persons, talking about investing in deals that are particularly focused on diverse markets. [22:47] Cortney stresses the importance of diversity of thought, background, skin color, experience, incomes, and more. Clients include every form of diversity. Cortney’s firm, Bliss Integrated Communications, has focused on inclusion for years. [24:16] Cortney notes the difference between lip service and a focus on diversity. It is important to hold brands accountable for their actions, not just for what they stand for. [25:33] The world has become completely transparent. It’s so transparent now that you can see people’s living rooms! All of your information is out there. Brands can communicate more easily with their audiences. [26:42] Cortney wants people to know about what Exponent is doing to bring senior women in dealmaking together. She wants to highlight the whole spectrum of people it takes to make a deal successful. Exponent brings women together to widen their circle of trust. [27:42] Cortney talks about the role men play in Exponent Women on panels, such as Exchange. You need men to be a part of the change and the dialog. [28:45] Exponent Women may move into other specialties beyond dealmaking, depending on where the women who are members take it. Right now, dealmaking seems inclusive enough for the women who participate. [29:45] Cortney shares the website and LinkedIn links for Exponent Women. [30:04] Patricia thanks Cortney for being on the podcast, This Is Capitalism.   Mentioned in This Episode: Cortney Stapleton Bliss Integrated Communications Exponent WomenExponent Women on LinkedIn Zoom Microsoft Teams Exponent Momentum Series Black Lives Matter

Patricia O’Connell interviews Jill Houghton, President and CEO of Disability:IN. October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month. Patricia and Jill discuss the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and the variety of Disability:IN programs promoting inclusion of people with disabilities in the workplace.   Listen in to learn what your company can do to accommodate your employees with disabilities and serve your customers who have disabilities. Key Takeaways: [:26] Patricia O’Connell welcomes Jill Houghton to CEO Stories on This is Capitalism. [:57] Disability:IN is a global nonprofit that empowers businesses to achieve disability inclusion and equality. The organization grew out of the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). [1:16] The primary sponsor of the ADA was Congressman Tony Coelho. He recognized that the ADA could not legislate attitudes, but businesses have the power to employ and shape our workforce. [1:37] Disability:IN is the place where talent with disabilities and business intersect. Businesses respond to their professional peers. When they know that disability inclusion makes good business sense, they’re very responsive and competitive. [2:10] Disability:IN partnered with the American Association of People with Disabilities. They created a benchmarking tool called the Disability Equality Index to help businesses take a deeper dive into their policies and practices and identify opportunities where they could be better. [2:42] The Disability Equality Index is a tool that looks at leadership and culture, employment practices, enterprise-wide access, community engagement, supplier diversity, and Non-U.S. operations. Companies answer the questions and substantiate their answers. [3:14] Disability Equality Index scores are from zero to 100. Scores of 80, 90, and 100 earn a designation of being a Top Place to Work for People with Disabilities. There is no such thing as perfection. A score of 100 means that they’re on the journey and committed to doing better. Disability:IN helps companies do better. [3:50] Jill discusses the wide variety of programs at Disability:IN including mentoring, consulting, and certification. [5:00] Jill has a learning disability. She grew up embarrassed that she didn’t read well or test well. She didn’t get into law school so she went to Washington D.C. and interned for Senator Robert Dole during the passage of the ADA. That led her to work in the disability field. [5:49] Jill married a man who has a spinal cord injury. She has an 11-year-old who has ADHD and an anxiety disability. Her home is a “trifecta.” Jill was not diagnosed until after she failed the LSAT, but all her life she had trouble on timed standardized tests. [8:00] Some companies have presented objections over the cost of accommodating workers with disabilities. It’s important to recognize that one in four Americans have a disability. As well as recruiting talent with disabilities, companies need to retain their currently employed talented people with disabilities. [9:10] We encounter disability as we age. This COVID-19 pandemic with remote work exposes disabilities like depression and anxiety disorders. Before the pandemic, we had not talked about these taboo topics in the workplace. [9:42] The ADA was passed 30 years ago. Twelve years ago, the ADA was amended to broaden the scope of covered disabilities to include such things as ADHD. Business is beginning to see a competitive advantage to include all people with disabilities in their business. [11:44] How businesses that are inclusive of people with disabilities fare better than those that are not. It pays to be inclusive of people with disabilities. [12:23] Accenture and Disability:IN teamed up to create the Disability Equality Index (DEI). Many best practices were mined from the index, including setting goals for your hiring and accessible technology and including businesses owned by people with disabilities in your supplier diversity program. What gets measured gets done. [13:48] The DEI emphasizes leadership and culture. You can call accommodation a productivity tool, assisting an individual to perform the essential functions of their job. It’s important that all employees know how to request accommodation and for managers to know who pays for the accommodation and how the process works. [14:42] It is a best practice to have a centralized equality fund so that managers know where that expense comes from. Data shows that on average, accommodations cost less than $500. [15:29] The Board Chair at Disability:IN is the Chief Accessibility Officer at Microsoft and is deaf. The Board Treasurer has a global business role at Accenture. He is an amputee. These are senior leaders, identified as being people with disabilities. Disability is just part of their identity. [16:33] Anxiety, depression, learning disabilities, autism, diabetes, and other disabilities may be invisible to others. The global pandemic has created an opportunity to lead with humanity and to get to know our team members and check in with each other. [17:34] It’s a personal choice to identify as having a disability and it can be scary. Jill shares a personal experience from a recent virtual event where a senior leader in a multi-national company came out as an individual who has dyslexia. A leader sharing their story creates a culture that frees others to share their circumstances. [19:11] Jill would advise companies starting to look at their disability practices to start an Employee Resource Group for people with a disability. Your greatest resources are your people. Don’t talk about people with disabilities without involving people with disabilities. Then leverage tools like the DEI. Participate in the Disability:IN campaign “Are You In?” [21:36] “Are You IN” is more than a pledge; it’s a commitment backed with measurable actions. These are companies that have participated in the DEI that are calling on their peers to take this critical step. [22:23] Jill recaps the progress in the public space in the 30 years of the ADA, and where we go from here, including mobile devices, the Cloud, and remote work with virtual platforms, meetings, and file sharing. Companies are starting to acknowledge that this is an area where there is great room for improvement. Engage your people. [24:03] A more inclusive workforce allows you to relate better to your customers. Use focus groups. Jill uses as an example Marriott International’s engaging with professionals with disabilities who travel to make sure their hotels are accessible to all. Do the right things for your customers; your employees with disabilities will help. [25:08] Patricia thanks Jill Houghton for being on the podcast, This Is Capitalism.   Mentioned in This Episode: Jill Houghton Disability:IN ADA Tony Coelho American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) Disability Equality Index Robert Dole The ADA Amendments Act Accenture Getting to Equal: The Disability Inclusion Advantage Are You IN Marriott International

Patricia O’Connell interviews Joe Strechay, an entertainment media consultant for blindness and disability employment initiatives. They discuss Joe’s childhood, his interest in representation and inclusivity for persons with blindness, low vision, and disabilities, his career, and the opportunities in entertainment today for persons with low vision, blindness, or disabilities. The door is open but we have further to go.   Listen in to learn what your company can do to foster representation and inclusivity in your hiring practices and your products and services. Remember all your audience. Key Takeaways: [:21] Patricia O’Connell welcomes Joe Strechay to CEO Stories on This is Capitalism. [:50] Joe is in Toronto, Ontario, Canada in quarantine, preparing to get back to Season 2 of Apple TV+’s See. Joe was an associate producer on Season 1. He was in-charge of the blindness-related aspects of the show. He has been promoted to Producer. [1:15] See is a science fiction show set hundreds of years in the future, in a world with a small population and universal blindness caused by a viral apocalypse. It tells the story of a family with a set of twin children born with vision. [2:51] Joe grew up in New Jersey. Joe and his mother were both diagnosed with Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP), a degenerative eye condition. At 19, Joe was legally blind. Joe did not have the services that most people have in preparation for school, education, and life.[3:27] On leaving college, Joe sought help and was taught orientation and mobility (O&M), which is traveling with a white cane or with a guide dog, daily living skills, technology, and all the things that help you become a successful and independent individual who is blind. [4:13] As a child, Joe had an IEP for school, but his vision deteriorated gradually from the outer edge, eventually narrowing to a small spot, but within that spot, he could see clearly. By his first semester in college, he had lost most of his vision. He tried to get help, but no one was available to help him. [5:29] Joe did get some assistance from the Disability Student Services at East Carolina University where he was a college student. [6:10] At age 19, Joe had low vision, and was legally blind. It was like looking through a straw. When he was 18, a doctor told him off-handedly at the end of an appointment, “Yeah, you’ll probably be totally blind by the time you’re 25. Pay at the front. Have a good day.” [7:56] Joe’s career plan was to go into public relations and professional sports marketing. He had played a lot of sports growing up. Joe got involved in public relations with the East Carolina communications organization doing PR and marketing work for nonprofits in North Carolina. He enjoyed it. He sought internships and jobs. [8:35] Joe went to New Jersey and New York City to intern and finish his degree. He interviewed with pro hockey and basketball teams. He interned for a marketing firm that worked with the NFL, racing, pro golf, and more. Then, there was 9/11 and the economy dropped into a recession. There was no opportunity to be hired by the company. [9:27] Joe started to face the fact that he was visually impaired as he went on interviews. He was still learning the skills to become independent. He searched for any job to pay the bills. [9:44] He went in for a substitute teaching job at the Calais School. They offered him a teacher’s assistant position in physical education. Joe did that for two years. There were two students with visual impairments. Joe started working with them, which started him thinking about working with visually impaired individuals. [10:08] Joe was already getting services from the New Jersey Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired. They talked to Joe about fields in education and rehabilitation of disabilities. Joe wanted to give people the opportunity for services that he hadn’t had. [10:29] Joe went to Florida State University in Tallahassee and studied visual disabilities and teaching people who are blind or low-vision how to travel, how to access their education, and to transition from school to employment. He wanted to make an impact for individuals. Employment became a passion for him.[11:14] With his media background, he started looking at portrayals of minority characters and blindness and disability in movies and on television. He did a study about minority and gender portrayals on the Disney Channel. Joe had always been obsessed with movies and television but hadn’t imagined working in the industry. [13:23] Joe found a job working in the U.S. and abroad advising around employment and services for people who are blind. As a hobby, Joe started writing about the portrayal of blindness and critiquing it in blog posts and articles. [13:55] Some media companies started contacting Joe’s employer for casting assistance for commercials and documentaries. Joe helped the writers’ room for three episodes of the USANetwork show Royal Pains, regarding a character who was blind. [14:35] Next, Netflix called about an anonymous project, Marvel’s Daredevil, for consulting around the main character. Most consultants around blindness issues for television or film are people who are sighted. Netflix interviewed and hired him for Season 1 as a show advisor. He advised on scripts and props and helped actors. [16:44] Joe teaches people on a show how to identify individuals. The first method is to put the person before the disability: a person who is blind (or low-vision) or a person who has a disability. The second method is for someone who chooses to identify as a blind person or a disabled person. Allow them to say how they choose to be presented. [17:55] Joe is a person who is blind. He is more than just his blindness. It just means he does things in a different way. He is not offended if you call him a blind person. [18:58] Joe found working on Daredevil very enlightening. After Season 1, he continued on his work with professionals serving the blind community. He became Director of the Bureau of Blindness & Vision Services for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and the Thursday before he started he got a call to help with Netflix’s The OA. Because of his new job, he commuted to work every weekend with them. [21:02] Joe enjoyed consulting but he had a full-time job. He kept getting offers that he turned down because they weren’t the right opportunity for him. He wasn’t looking for another job. [21:17] Joe got calls from the executives, directors, and creators of Peaky Blinders, Hunger Games, and other shows, about an opportunity they were developing with Apple. Joe started consulting and eventually chose to leave his employment running services for Pennsylvania and moved to British Columbia to start working and prepping. [22:15] The opportunity was for See. Joe started as a blindness consultant and the role grew. The executives believed in Joe and the work he did. He advised choreographers and actors. He had an assistant who audio-described for him what was going on. That is a personal assistant who helps with the organization, and describes the sets for Joe. [23:40] By Episode 3, Joe stood near the director. For Episodes 4 and 5, there was a new director, who told Joe to be next to him for every shot. He helped block every scene, figuring out what the actors might be paying attention to in the environment and thinking about things that should be included. [24:20] From the beginning, Apple was committed to hiring people who were blind or low-vision as actors and background performers. Joe became responsible for accessibility and assistive technology, including Braille labeling and signage for the employment office and accessible scripts. [25:42] Actors who are blind or low-vision bring authenticity. They have to be authentic to the world of See. A civilization built without vision for hundreds of years does not have eye contact. Personal space is different. There was a team of people working together to develop this world. [27:06] Apple is committed to making sure that persons who are blind are represented responsibly. Blindness is not all one flavor. It comes in shades and sizes. [28:37] There is a process from representation to inclusion. Joe studied that in his undergraduate work at ECU with Dr. Linda Kean in the communications department. First, Persons with blindness, low vision, or disabilities are presented as characters in the show. Then, they are provided professions of legitimacy and authority. Then they move into general character roles. [29:40] Joe would see himself represented in the media most often as a person with blindness lying in a bed in a hospital or walking by on the street. He wondered when he would be represented as a character. Apple TV+’s See is a story of a world almost entirely of people with blindness, as villains, heroes, warriors, lovers, parents, etc. [30:30] People with blindness are in the world doing great things. Joe’s friend, Erik Weihenmayer, summited Mount Everest, climbed an ice peak, and kayaked the Colorado River — totally blind. Joe has friends who are blind who work as mechanics, carpenters, and in all kinds of professions. [31:47] There are more portrayals of blindness and visual impairment and other disabilities in the media now than there used to be. Actors who are blind or low-vision are getting opportunities, and they are now being cast for their talents as well as their physical traits. [32:40] People who work on See move on to other shows and give more opportunities to persons with disabilities. Joe gives an example.[34:09] Allie Strucker played Ado Annie in a wheelchair in Oklahoma on Broadway and won a Tony Award for it. [36:29] Persons with disabilities are still under-represented in television and movies. Joe says “We don’t see ourselves as often, getting those opportunities within those portrayals.” The numbers are growing thanks to the work of a lot of people. [37:45] Meaningful representation in media matters, such as showing people who are blind or low-vision doing different types of professions, not just lying in a bed or walking by. There is a lot of disbelief and misconception about what persons with disabilities can do. Media changes perceptions.[38:48] The production of See has zero tolerance for disrespect for persons with blindness or disability. They have built an inclusive environment to make sure all cast members can get to difficult locations with the accommodations they need. [41:22] If you have a business, you want to have a company environment where people are comfortable to disclose their disabilities because they might need accommodations and tools to do their job successfully. 20% or more of your customers are persons with disabilities. Consider the whole population with your products or services. [44:53] If you’re not sure if your website is accessible, it’s probably not. You need testers who are blind or low-vision. Joe recommends working with Disability:IN and the Council of State Administrators of Vocational Rehabilitation. [47:28] When you hire a person with disabilities, accommodations are not a huge cost. Persons with disabilities stay longer in a job and get there on time. They put in the work. They make sure the quality of the work is up to specifications. They appreciate the opportunity. [48:19] Disability touches everyone in the world. October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM). [50:59] Patricia thanks Joe Strechay for being on the podcast, This Is Capitalism.   Mentioned in This Episode: Joe Strechay See Retinitis Pigmentosa Orientation and Mobility SkillsWhite CaneGuide Dogs IEP East Carolina University The Calais School New Jersey Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired Florida State University Disney Channel Royal Pains USANetwork Marvel’s Daredevil The OA Apple TV+ Peaky Blinders Hunger Games Movies Dr. Linda Kean, East Carolina University Erik Weihenmayer mountain climber This is Us The Politician Away Fox Corporation Netflix The Old Man Ali Stroker Oklahoma! Revival Glee Paralympics Disability:IN Disability Equality Index Council of State Administrators of Vocational Rehabilitation National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) American Printing House for the Blind

Patricia O’Connell interviews returning guest, John Byrne, CEO and Founder of Poets & Quants and CEO of C-Change Media, Inc. They discuss what is happening in business schools and what applicants, students, and graduates can expect in the near future and beyond.   Listen in to learn about the prospects for business school graduates in the pandemic and resulting economic depression. Key Takeaways: [:25] Patricia O’Connell welcomes John Byrne back to CEO Stories on This is Capitalism. [1:05] For the past four to five years, we’ve seen a significant decline in applications to full-time MBA programs. But the better schools are starting to see a boom in applications during the pandemic recession. This year could be one of the most competitive, ever. [3:00] There has been tremendous growth in online MBA programs. You can still maintain your job and get your MBA. If you don’t have a job, you might be better off going to a full-time program. You’ll have the opportunity to meet a parade of employers who come to campus for interviews. You can do summer internships.[4:26] In an online MBA, what you sacrifice in in-person learning and networking, may not be as great as a lot of people think. Surveys show that people who go to an online MBA program are pretty happy. [4:49] Most business schools are trying to go hybrid with a combination of in-person classes and online. Some schools, such as Wharton, Stanford, Georgetown, Michigan State, and others, have already had to cut back on planned in-person classes because the novel coronavirus is not allowing them an alternative to ensure safety and health. [6:08] These full-time programs will be largely remote instruction, not designed as online classes. John explains some of the differences between a well-designed online course and remote learning in a full-time program. [7:53] The pandemic is temporary. John discusses choosing between a designed online MBA and a two-year MBA program that is restricted for one year to remote learning classes. Remote instruction has evolved over the summer to be better than the suddenly remote classes with glitches students experienced in the spring of 2020. [9:37] During the summer, schools have trained their faculty to use the remote technology up-to-speed. Professors have practiced and tested it with volunteer “guinea pig” students. That will make a difference. [11:42] Wharton planned its return in the fall without consulting its students. There were no students on any committees. They announced their plans with no outreach to the students. This was before Wharton decided to go fully online. Students felt disenfranchised. [12:28] Stanford organized panels to plan for the return to school in the fall, and students formed the majority of the panel participants. They were actively engaged in all the decisions. The school made many changes that would otherwise not have been done, because of the students’ involvement. That was stakeholder involvement. [15:02] John doesn’t think schools will return to the way they operated before the pandemic. Remote technology has become easier to use and much more effective. There are things you can do virtually that are more accessible for greater numbers of people than you can do in person, such as small group virtual meetings for applicants. [16:16] Admit weekends, where you tour the campus and admit students, can be done virtually. Guest speakers are much more accessible through virtual sessions. [17:36] John explains the concept of flipped classrooms. There has been a lot of talk about them but few teachers put them into practice. John says there will be more use of them as we go forward. John details the benefits of flipped classrooms. [18:53] The pandemic will inform what is being taught in B-School, including how we manage people and organizations through a crisis. There are long-term impacts of remote work. John would not want to be an investor in commercial real estate right now. [19:56] As companies return to work, John foresees employees working three-days in the office and two days at home, and staggered schedules. John expects to see changes to urban centers where young people want to be. John thinks people will move away from congested, expensive, and problematic cities. People will work remotely. [22:07] The business school community is extremely important because you create connections with people you will network with for the rest of your life, based on friendship and encouragement, that are going to help your career. They may be your future employers, co-workers, suppliers, customers, or investors. [22:51] Community is essential to the value proposition of what an MBA is, particularly at a good school. John does not see that disappearing. It will still be very desirable to attend big-city schools. [23:52] Everyone is risk-averse. A good business school typically expects you to have gone to a highly selective undergraduate school. Employers look at graduate school as a filter that produces only the most select employees. John talks about how a business school education smoothes the rough edges of their students. [25:44] Employers look at the business school from which you graduated. Very few people get into a top business school whether attending virtually or in person. Remote learning at a world-class business school is not inferior to attending in person, as far as employers are concerned. A virtual global curriculum may even be better preparation. [26:53] A lot of the high-value activity at a business school occurs outside of the classroom. Much of that is student-centered, organized, run, and led by the students. Students are going to have to re-imagine all the extracurricular activities so that the virtual models of what happened on campus may be of comparable quality. [28:21] How will the pandemic affect business recruiting as they move into a fully-virtual environment? [29:36] A lot of getting a job is about story-telling. Upcoming MBA graduates will have powerful success stories to tell! [30:58] How the B-School application essay questions may change, related to working through this unprecedented confluence of a recession, a health crisis, racial injustice, and a highly polarized political society. [32:05] John discusses the current application essay questions. They are open enough to include discussion of crisis navigation. [33:28] Despite the challenges, this is also a time of great opportunity. Adversity, such as unemployment, inspires people to stand up and do new things that can be wonderful and magical, which benefit many and generate meaningful employment for others. [34:13] Education is essential to social mobility in our country and to live a more fulfilled and productive life. A graduate degree provides another level of productivity. John shares his thoughts about the importance and value of a business degree. [37:17] Why is immigration in this country so important? America has been able to attract the world’s best and brightest, decade after decade. They’ve come here, they’ve created businesses, and they’ve sought higher education to make themselves live a better life than they otherwise would have. Immigration is vital. [38:52] International attendance at B-School is way down. It’s been more difficult to get a student visa. Gaining employment after graduation has become more difficult. Many schools have started a STEM designation program that allows two additional years of employment in the United States on an H-1B visa. [40:11] Patricia thanks John Byrne for being on the podcast and John shares website information.   Mentioned in This Episode: Poets & Quants The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania Stanford Graduate School of Business Georgetown University McDonough School of Business Michigan State Eli Broad College of Business Google McKinsey J.P. Morgan Goldman Sachs Apple Procter & Gamble

Patricia O’Connell interviews Sara Hurst, CEO of Bella’s Kitchen, on the origin of Bella’s Kitchen, how Sara runs it, and Sara's plans for it. Sara shares more about her family background of successful entrepreneurs in El Salvador. Sara is grateful for her family, friends, and professional resources that help her to succeed in this new venture.   Listen in to this encouraging account of growing a business by meeting a real food need for busy mothers. Key Takeaways: [:29] Patricia O’Connell welcomes Sara Hurst to CEO Stories with This is Capitalism and asks about Bella’s Kitchen. [:53] Bella’s Kitchen offers convenient, healthy meals for kids and families. It is based on baby-led feeding. Babies try different foods with this method. This also avoids overfeeding babies when they don’t want to eat anymore. [1:35] Sara started the business in April 2020, at the beginning of the pandemic. Sara came up with the idea when she started feeding solid foods to her daughter, Isabella. She started researching how to introduce new foods to her baby and she found the concept of baby-led feeding. She decided to feed Isabella with that method. [2:35] Sara found out that baby-led feeding takes a lot of cooking and meal preparation for one baby. [3:18] Sara found canned or frozen choices, mostly pureed foods in the grocery store but she wanted fresh foods for Isabella. She also wanted Isabella to have a variety of foods to develop her palate and not become a picky eater. [3:57] As she was introducing Isabella to solid foods, Sara was going to the office daily, and Isabella was spending the day in daycare. Sara explains how the business idea of a meal service for busy mothers came out of her food preparation experiences for her baby and her experience serving healthy foods at parties. [6:16] Sara had seven children, from babies up to age 11, at her first photoshoot for Bella’s Kitchen. It was a scary moment for her; Sara knew that if the children didn’t like the food, it would show on their faces. They all liked it and the photoshoot went well. [6:55] Sara had her friends and their children try different recipes for taste and serving size. Sara also used her background in marketing to conduct surveys to make sure she was serving the needs of other parents, not just her own needs. [7:44] The more Sara thought about bringing her recipes into a business, the more ideas came to her for new recipes and products. She was determined to make a business out of her concepts. Her husband and friends also encouraged her. [8:45] Sara worked the numbers to see what she could afford to lose if the business didn’t work out. [9:10] Sara decided three months would be the appropriate trial period to test the business model to see if she would start making a profit. She knew the worst that could happen would be losing her startup money and having her pride hurt. [9:27] Over the last year, Sara worked on branding, the marketing plan, recipes, packaging, and permits. One big step was finding a commercial kitchen. She set a launch date in March, and then COVID-19 hit. [10:00] Sara explains how she went from hesitation over starting a business during a pandemic to moving ahead with her launch in April. [10:52] Sara works full-time outside of her role at Bella’s Kitchen. She explains how she fits everything into her schedule. Sara’s mother had raised three children as a single mother, working full-time while running a side business; she was a great role-model for Sara. Sara’s husband takes care of their children while Sara runs meal production. [13:17] Sara always wanted to be an entrepreneur like her mother. She loved cooking, but having worked in the food industry, she noticed that there’s not a lot of margin in a restaurant, so she knew she didn’t want to have a restaurant. [13:45] When Sara thought of Bella’s Kitchen, she knew that was the business she wanted. [14:09] Sara has noticed that sometimes both men and women think the idea of Sara running her business is “cute.” They underestimate her business vision and drive because she is a woman. They think it’s a hobby. [15:38] Not just for Bella’s Kitchen, but also for different caterers, people think the business is a little thing, run out of a kitchen. Sara works out of a commercial, licensed kitchen. Sara prices her meals just as any business prices their products and services. [16:29] Sara took business classes to learn about a business plan. She reads a lot and listens to a lot of podcasts. Sara worked with the Arkansas Small Business and Technology Development Center; they helped her with local market research, what license she needed, and how to get licensed. [17:52] Sara’s advice to people looking to make a business: you need to have more than an idea. There needs to be a problem and your idea needs to solve that problem. Some great ideas don’t necessarily serve a market purpose; you might not be able to find the customers you need. Don’t just think of your idea, but your clientele. [19:09] Sometimes people with good ideas don’t give enough time for the idea to flourish. [19:57] This is Sara’s first business. She doesn’t know if it will be her last. [20:21] Sara is doing the recipes and the cooking, in a commercial kitchen. [20:34] Sara wants Bella’s Kitchen to get as big as it can get. Sara credits the CEO of First Orion, where she works full-time, with understanding that people have their own passions. If Bella’s Kitchen gets so big she has to devote her attention to it full-time, then so be it. Sara talks about giving her full attention to each career. [21:52] Sara organizes her vacation schedule on a spreadsheet! Sara took the Birkman personality assessment at work and she is completely a “doer.” [23:06] Sara’s mom is proud of all her children’s success. She set a great example for them. Sara’s maternal grandfather is also a successful entrepreneur who now owns a coffee plantation. Sara shares his story. [24:34] Bella is 21 months old, so she has time to develop her entrepreneurial streak. She is already a photo model for Bella’s Kitchen. [25:10] Sara says you can’t have it all. Each decision is a deliberate choice. WIll she workout or will she work on her friendships? Each day she devotes time to what matters for that moment. You have to make time for yourself. Sara takes at least an hour every week to think just for herself, not for her family and business roles. [26:55] Sara reviews the support she has received from family and the Arkansas Small Business Center. Sara’s sister and nephew are the best trial customers for Sara. Sara thanks her friends, and her monthly book club where Sara shares ideas for honest feedback. [28:04] Sara hopes one day to have Bella’s Cookbook. [26:23] Sara shares Bella’s Kitchen website (bellaskitchenus.com), Facebook (@bellaskitchenus), and Instagram (@bellaskitchenus) links (links below). [28:31] Patricia thanks Sara Hurst for being on the podcast — This is Capitalism.   Mentioned in This Episode: Stephens.com Bella’s Kitchen Bella’s Kitchen on Facebook Bella’s Kitchen on Instagram Sara Hurst on LinkedIn Arkansas Small Business and Technology Development Center Arkansas Department of Health First Orion Birkman Personality Assessment  

Patricia O’Connell interviews Tom Stewart, Executive Director of the National Center for the Middle Market on their latest survey of middle-market businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic. Tom describes the work of the National Center for the Middle Market and then explains how the middle market has changed between the March survey and the June survey. Tom suggests what the recovery will look like and that we should expect a ‘new different,’ not a ‘new normal.’Listen in to understand what middle-market businesses are experiencing now. Key Takeaways: [:34] Patricia O’Connell introduces Tom Stewart and asks him about the work of the National Center for the Middle Market. [1:10] The National Center for the Middle Market is a research group at the Fisher College of Business at Ohio State University and is the nation’s only academic research center focused on mid-sized companies with annual revenue between 10 million and a billion dollars a year. [1:34] That group is the middle third of the U.S. GDP. It’s a couple hundred thousand companies, and as the Center has documented over the years, actually the most dynamic part of the U.S. economy in terms of growth, as measured by the middle market indicator, a repeated survey of 1,000 middle-market companies. [2:20] Middle-market companies are one-third of the private sector and produce 60 percent of new jobs, much faster than small or large businesses. The middle market is more resilient than small businesses. [3:26] The Center took a survey of 600 companies during the first two weeks of June. Tom describes some of the differences between the same businesses’ responses to the June survey, the March survey, and the December 2019 survey. [4:10] The pandemic lockdown began in March 2020 and Tom compares it to a terrible accident or falling off a cliff. There was tremendous uncertainty. In March, 25 percent of businesses said the impact could be catastrophic. In June, only 13 percent said it would be catastrophic. [5:39] In March, 76 percent of businesses said that the single biggest issue for them was uncertainty. In June, that number went down to 66 percent. [6:38] In June, operational continuity is still a big concern. The second and third concerns were managing employees and managing customers. They wondered how to get customers back and how to work with them either virtually or in person. [7:51] A new survey question in June was whether companies asked for a PPP loan, a bank loan, or others. 25% of the companies surveyed had received a PPP loan. Others had applied for but not yet received it. 11% each were drawing on an existing line of credit, getting a new bank loan, or getting an SBA loan. [9:15] Existing financial relationships were very important. 85% of middle-market companies are private, split between family businesses, private equity investment, and sole proprietorships and partnerships and other structures. They can’t raise capital by issuing stock. [11:04] Some companies have prospered during the pandemic, such as companies that make restaurant take-out clamshells. Most retail businesses were “clobbered,” especially hotels and restaurants. Wholesalers supplying retailers experienced a big impact. Elective healthcare stopped. Many physician offices closed. [14:41] Manufacturing had less impact. Construction re-opened in the first or second phase of re-opening business. [15:53] How much are you going to restructure your business and your operations? [16:30] The three industry sectors impacted the most by COVID-19 are retail, wholesale, and healthcare. The technology sector is projecting stronger growth in the coming months than other industries. Changes are happening in how we sell and buy things and in how we communicate. [17:41] Going into the June survey, the Center hypothesized that deals would get put on hold. They were right. They surveyed about six transitions: selling the business, merging, bringing in a major investor, making a transformative acquisition, senior leadership transition, and restructuring, whether they would be more or less likely. [18:39] The Center for the Middle Market routinely asks about plans to make an acquisition or sell a part of their company in the next 12 months. The Center will follow up with the same companies in six or 12 months to see how these plans trend. [19:30] The Center for the Middle Market started operating in 2011, after the financial crisis, so this pandemic is the first crisis they have surveyed. Things started to change for businesses in March with the beginning of the shutdowns. [20:47] In June, one out of four businesses said they were less likely to make a transformative acquisition. In March, four out of 10 businesses had said they were less likely to make a transformative acquisition. That showed that businesses in June had more confidence in acquisitions than businesses had had in March. [21:31] Private equity is sitting on a trillion dollars of “dry powder” they’ve got to put to work. As people start getting ready to sell there is pent up demand. Now might be a good time to sell for an attractive offer. [22:15] In June, by 10 points, people surveyed said a CEO transition was more likely rather than less likely. Tom describes why this may be, but the Center is still studying the data. [23:37] By three to one, people said in June that restructuring was more likely rather than less likely. Some restructuring may be in the form of on-shoring previously out-shored processes and supply chains. [25:06] The way we work will go to a new ‘different.’ Some things we see, like plastic shields at the checkout; some changes will be behind the scenes. Worker safety and productivity will change. Split shifts, school two days a week, remote work, temperature checks, and other changes will come. How do you bring remote workers on board? [27:33] Changes required in a pandemic are time-consuming and expensive. Who will pay the difference, the customer, or the investors? Will companies pay for wi-fi for remote workers? [28:45] Universities are still deciding how to handle changes. School starts in August, but classes will be different and professors will spend less time on campus. Lectures will be remote. Labs will be in class. People will have to certify they have no temperature or symptoms before they can come onto the campus. [30:58] In March, 39 percent of the companies surveyed said they would be back at full capacity within a month. Nineteen percent of the companies said it would take six months or longer to be back at full capacity. In June, only 23 percent said they would be at full capacity within a month and 40 percent said it would take six months or longer. [32:17] In March, people thought business would come back like turning on a light switch; now it’s more like a cloudy January dawn — slow. [33:22] The Center asked companies to grade themselves A to F. Companies that were more prepared with ready capital, investment for the long-term, a three-to-five-year strategic plan, ability to keep talent, and strong marketing and communications, were less likely to say the pandemic had a big impact and they projected a faster recovery. [34:39] Companies with those five strengths have a strong foundation for a well-operating company, even in times of crisis. Other strengths were not as critical. These lesser strengths were operational excellence and efficiency. Marketing and sales capability mattered more than salesforce efficiency. Ants outperform grasshoppers. [36:28] Patricia looks forward to more reports from the National Center for the Middle Market. You can reach them at Middlemarketcenter.org. [37:02] Patricia thanks Tom Stewart for being on the podcast — This is Capitalism.   Mentioned in This Episode: Stephens.com Thomas A. Stewart on LinkedIn Fisher College of Business at the Ohio State University MiddleMarketCenter.org SBA PPP Loans

Take an off-the-record journey with our most recent guests, Tom Stewart and Patricia O’Connell, to hear about what they would tell their five-year-old selves, interesting characters they’ve met and the worst job he/she/they ever had. Are there other fun questions you’d like us to ask our guests? Email mindsworthmeeting@sternstrategy.com.

In episode two, we continue our conversation with service design experts and co-authors of “Woo, Wow and Win: Service Design, Strategy and the Art of Customer Delight,” Tom Stewart and Patricia O’Connell. This time we go deeper into the service design topic to explore how businesses can leverage social media as part of their service design strategy, and opportunities for service design in government agencies. Tom Stewart and Patricia O’Connell are available for paid speaking engagements including keynote addresses, speeches, panels, conference talks, and advisory/consulting services through the exclusive representation of Stern Speakers, a division of Stern Strategy Group®.

In episode one of this two-part series, service design experts and co-authors of “Woo, Wow and Win: Service Design, Strategy and the Art of Customer Delight,” Tom Stewart and Patricia O’Connell talk to Minds Worth Meeting about the science of service design and the importance of designing your company around service. Tom Stewart and Patricia O’Connell are available for paid speaking engagements including keynote addresses, speeches, panels, conference talks, and advisory/consulting services through the exclusive representation of Stern Speakers, a division of Stern Strategy Group®.

Band-aid strategies for pleasing customers isn’t enough to differentiate your business—it needs to be designed for service from the ground up. In today's interview with Patricia O’Connell we discover the importance of service design in businesses that compete today. Patricia shares her journey of discovery in the field of service design and the inspiration behind Woo, Wow, and Win, a guide to service design, strategy, and the art of customer delight. Patricia currently serves as the President of Aerten Consulting, in New York City.   Key Takeaways: [1:03] As a journalist transitioning from print to web, Patricia found service design thinking a necessity. [4:30] The big idea behind Woo, Wow, and Win. [7:12] The importance of co-creation. [9:40] The 5 Principles of service design. ● The customer is always right, provided they are the right customer for you. ● Don’t surprise and delight your customers, just delight them. ● Heroics should not be required for good service. ● Anywhere you play, you have to play well. ● You’re never done. [28:22] The 10 E’s of Customer Experience. [31:49] Patricia can be found on Woowowwin.com   Mentioned in This Episode: Woo, Wow, and Win: Service Design, Strategy, and the Art of Customer Delight, by Thomas A Stewart and Patricia O'Connell Woo Wow Win @Woowowwin on Twitter Praxent @PraxentSoftware on Twitter

Is your business equipped to deliver exceptional customer experiences? Shep Hyken speaks with Thomas A. Stewart and Patricia O’Connell, authors of the new book “Woo, Wow and Win: Service Design, Strategy and the Art of Customer Delight,” who assert that a customer’s experience should be designed just as thoughtfully as your product was designed. A successful customer experience will not happen by accident. O’Connell says that service design, which has its roots in Europe, is a fairly new discipline in the United States. The real crux of service design is for a business to think, reimagine and engineer the customer experience - from start to finish. Stewart states that every part of a service should be designed to create a set of expectations, and then deliver on them in a way that maps to your strategy. For example, Starbucks wants to create a different experience from a deli, Dunkin Donuts or McDonald’s. How you design your experience is part of your strategy. Stewart asserts that some moments matter more than others. These are known as the critical customer interactions, those moments when you either make it or break it with a customer. For instance, the time of an automobile insurance claim is that moment when a customer will decide to either love you or hate you. You’ve got to deliver an “aha” moment. O’Connell describes the Five Principles of Service Design: 1. The customer is always right, provided it is the right customer for you. 2. Don’t surprise and delight customers, just delight them. 3. Great service should not require heroic efforts. 4. Anywhere you play, you need to play well (across all platforms or channels) 5. You’re never done. Stewart discusses the importance of aligning yourself with one of the Nine Archetypical Service Designs, including these three: 1. Bargain – Are you the Walmart of your industry? 2. Trend setter – Are you the Apple of your industry? 3. Safe choice – Are you the CVS or Macy’s of your industry? Which is your archetype? Do not study others in the same archetype in the same industry as yours, as you’ll just be copying them. Instead, study others in the same archetype as you, but in different industries. What can you learn about delivering an extraordinary customer experience from them? Thomas A. Stewart, the executive director of the National Center for the Middle Market (NCMM), shows executives how to design, manage and run organizations that keep pace with innovation and achieve sustainable growth. Before joining NCMM, Stewart served as the chief marketing and knowledge officer for the international consulting firm Booz & Company (now Strategy&). Prior to that, for six years, he was the editor and managing director of Harvard Business Review. Patricia O’Connell, president of Aerten Consulting, works with companies to devise content strategies, and develop thought leadership. For 12 years, O’Connell served as news editor and then as the management editor of BloombergBusinessweek.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices