Podcasts about Steelcase

Kim Koeman, the Global Director of Impact at Steelcase, joins the show to share her journey into corporate social impact and how Steelcase is using its people, products, and capital for good.

On this episode of The CityCURRENT Show, host Andrew Bartolotta welcomes Dr. Tracy Brower, sociologist, VP of Workplace Insights at Steelcase and author of The Secrets to Happiness at Work and Bring Work to Life by Bringing Life to Work. Together, they explore the evolving nature of work culture, how organizations can foster more meaningful employee experiences, and why pursuing happiness isn't the same as creating the conditions for it.Dr. Brower shares her “Big 5” conditions for workplace happiness—purpose, connection, growth, performance, and gratitude—and emphasizes that happiness is most sustainable when we're contributing to something larger than ourselves. She challenges traditional notions of work-life balance, favoring a more integrated and navigational approach to work-life harmony.The conversation also covers how community-based office design can combat workplace loneliness, the role of assessments like the Predictive Index, and how leaders can inspire cultural transformation through intentional structure and support. From the impact of volunteering to design strategies that foster collaboration, this episode is a must-listen for anyone invested in improving the workplace.Learn more: https://tracybrower.com/

Dr. Thomas Trautmann is a dynamic entrepreneur, coach, author, and speaker, passionately dedicated to empowering business owners' success by to empowering their clients. As the founder of Happy Brains, Thomas utilizes the Science of Ethical Persuasion to transform lives and businesses, fostering communities that thrive on mutual growth and success.Living on the picturesque coast of southern France, Thomas cherishes quality time with his family, including his patient wife, their three sons, and a lively group of pets. This sense of community extends to his professional life, where he builds strong connections with his clients.With a Ph.D. in artificial intelligence and an engineering degree in computer science, Thomas's career path led him through influential roles at companies like IBM, HP, AOL, Bosch, and Steelcase. His entrepreneurial spirit eventually guided him to start his own businesses, where he learned invaluable lessons from both triumphs and challenges.As a Certified Neuromarketing Instructor, Thomas leverages cutting-edge brain and decision-making science to enhance his clients' marketing, sales, and business strategies. His insights into the differences between male and female brains inspired the creation of the NeuroCouple System and his first book, "Is There a Brain in Your Couple?"Recognizing the need for a more human touch in neuromarketing, Thomas developed the Ethical Persuader System and authored “IMPACT Money and Love." By merging these systems, he crafted a comprehensive solution for married business owners to strengthen both their personal and professional lives.Central to Thomas's mission is the "Make Me Great" concept, which focuses on empowering clients to achieve their fullest potential. He guides CEOs, Executives, and Business Owners to evolve from stressed Chihuahuas to happy and successful Kangals, fostering trust, success, and fun in their lives.As a 10X Elite Business Coach with Grant Cardone, Thomas combines brain science and ethical persuasion with Cardone's expertise in money, marketing, and sales, helping clients achieve exponential growth.Today, Thomas delivers workshops, training, coaching, and seminars for organizations and individuals worldwide. As a global conference speaker, he empowers people to become ethical persuaders and fulfilled business owners, living life to the fullest.Learn more about Thomas here:https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomastrautmann/https://www.facebook.com/happybrainsbyTThttps://www.instagram.com/happybrainstt/www.happy-brains.comDon't forget to sign up for our FREE "Scale Your Business Through LinkedIn" workshop here:https://www.thetimetogrow.com/scale-your-business-blueprint-workshop-april2025

Kicking off Season 2 we have a long overdue catch-up with Michael Held, VP of Design at Steelcase. We discuss television remotes, the evolution of the workspace, building diverse teams, and pivotal lessons from a career spanning industries and the globe.On this episode:Brendan & Karen Hutchieson, Jason McGinnityJomo Tariku Research Study ArticleJomo TarikuRemembering Marty SmithThis episode was recorded in October 2024.Subscribe to Play&Conversations to listen to new episodes on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Amazon Music.

Tis the season to gift your podcast obsessed loves ones with their favorite gear. Struggling to find the perfect gift for that podcaster who spends more time talking to a microphone than actual humans? Fear not! Blubrry has compiled the ultimate guide to help you win the title of “Best Gift Giver Ever” in your favorite podcaster's heart (or at least their next episode shoutout). Today's Hosts: Mike Dell and Todd Cochrane Take a Look at Blubrry's Ultimate Holiday Gift Guide for Podcasters 1. Quality Microphone: Microphones are a very personal thing. We would suggest a dynamic mic. SM7B, M7, RE-320, Rode Podmic or the ATR2100X. 2. Pop Filter/Windscreen: Good at reducing plosive sounds (like “p” and “b” noises) that can distort audio. A simple, affordable add-on that makes a big difference in sound quality. 3. Headphones: A great set of wired headphones (not wireless) are a great gift! Audio-Technica ATH-M50x: Closed-back design provides accurate sound monitoring without audio bleed, making them ideal for editing and live recording. Other great options include the Sony MDR-7506, known for clarity and comfort. 4. Portable Audio Recorder: Zoom H5 or H6: Compact, portable recorders that are excellent for capturing high-quality audio on the go. They're great for recording interviews, live shows, or backup audio. 5. Microphone Boom Arm: Rode PSA1: A versatile and sturdy boom arm that keeps the microphone stable and easy to position, reducing desk vibrations and clutter. Heil PL-T2 is a bit more expensive, but it's the gold-standard for mic booms. 6. Podcast Editing Software: Both of our suggestions are subscriptions so get a yearly subscription. Adobe Audition: Industry-standard editing software with powerful tools for mixing and mastering audio. Great for podcasters who want to fine-tune their episodes. Descript: An innovative editing software that makes audio editing simple by transcribing and allowing edits through text. 7. Acoustic Panels: Foam or fabric-covered panels help dampen room sound and prevent echo, making audio recordings cleaner. Perfect for podcasters with a home studio. 8. Laptop Stand: Helps keep the workspace ergonomic and organized, reducing neck strain and providing better airflow for the laptop. Look for options that are adjustable and portable. 9. Custom Podcast Artwork: Hiring a graphic designer or gifting a service like 99designs can make a podcast stand out with visually appealing artwork.. 10. Gift Card for Stock Music/Effects: A subscription to a service like Epidemic Sound or a gift card for AudioJungle can provide access to high-quality music and sound effects for podcast intros and transitions. 11. Online Courses: Platforms like MasterClass or Skillshare have courses on audio editing, storytelling, and interview techniques. There are also podcast-specific courses available to help creators sharpen their skills. 12. USB Audio Interface: Focusrite Scarlett 2i2: A great audio interface for connecting XLR microphones to a computer. It's known for its high-quality preamps and ease of use. AudioSigma - Podmoble 13. Backup Storage Solution: A reliable external hard drive (like the WD My Passport or Seagate Backup Plus) is crucial for storing and backing up episodes. Cloud storage subscriptions to services like Google Drive or Dropbox are also valuable for extra safety. 14. Comfortable Office Chair: Ergonomic chairs, like those from Herman Miller or Steelcase, provide comfort and support during long editing and recording sessions. Lift desk, plenty of affordable options online nowadays 15. Merchandise Design Kit: Tools or services like Canva Pro for designing podcast-themed merchandise, or a gift certificate to a print-on-demand service like Printful to help podcasters create and sell branded items. Got a subject you would like us to cover on the show,

The interplay between our genetics, environment, and lifestyle is increasingly recognized as a crucial factor in shaping our health outcomes. Understanding how these elements interact can pave the way for a transformative shift in healthcare practices.In this episode of The Health Literacy 2.0 Podcast, Seth Serxner and Dr. Kenneth R. Pelletier, PhD, MD, Clinical Professor of Medicine at the University of California School of Medicine (UCSF) in San Francisco, talk about how our environment and lifestyle choices significantly influence our genetic makeup and overall health.Dr. Kenneth Pelletier also holds positions in the Departments of Family and Community Medicine and Psychiatry at the University of California School of Medicine in San Francisco. He serves as the Director of the Corporate Health Improvement Program (CHIP), a collaborative research initiative that partners with fifteen Fortune 500 companies, including Ford, Oracle, Prudential, Dow, Lockheed Martin, NASA, PepsiCo, IBM, Cummins, Steelcase, and the Mayo Clinic.Seth and Dr. Pelletier discuss:☑️ Epigenetics, which reveals that our genes don't solely determine our health; environmental and lifestyle factors significantly influence health outcomes.☑️ How the fee-for-service model creates inefficiencies in healthcare by incentivizing unnecessary treatments.☑️ Insights from “blue zones”, demonstrating that longevity and quality of life are largely shaped by lifestyle choices and strong social connections.☑️ The greater impact of environmental factors and lifestyle choices on health outcomes compared to genetics.☑️ The various challenges facing the U.S. healthcare system, including entrenched financial incentives and resistance from medical lobbies.☑️ The importance of increasing healthcare literacy to improve health outcomes.☑️ The necessity of incorporating integrative and lifestyle medicine into traditional medical education to enhance overall healthcare results.☑️ The need for innovative strategies to promote the adoption of integrative healthcare approaches.☑️ And much more.Learn About EdLogicsWant to see how EdLogics' gamified platform can boost health literacy, drive engagement in health and wellness programs, and help people live happier, healthier lives? Visit EdLogics.

Steelcase, consultora estratégica de espacios de trabajo, presenta un informe sobre la influencia del espacio de trabajo en la evolución de las empresas españolas.

Are you using AI without even realizing it? In this episode, Alexandra takes a fun dive into how AI is shaking up the design world. She's joined by Kari Anderson, founder of Techbox Collective, Scott Loomis from Steelcase, and Felipe Teixeira of Encodec to chat about how AI is being used in real design projects. They break down the perks, the pitfalls, and what we need to watch out for as AI becomes a bigger part of our creative process. From ditching boring tasks to unlocking new levels of creativity, they explore how AI shapes the future of design and what it means for you!Sign up for The Design POP's Monthly webinar as we continue to learn existing design technologies and explore new ones too! https://www.thedesignpop.com/webinarThe Design Pop is an Imagine a Place Production (presented by OFS)Connect with Alexandra on LinkedInFollow The Design Pop on LinkedInConnect with Alexandra Tseffos and The Design Pop

Happiness seems as elusive and subjective at work as empathy. But there is a link between the two, and we're going to get into that today! My guest is Dr. Tracy Brower, a PhD sociologist studying work-life fulfillment and happiness. Today we discuss what happiness at work means, how happiness is linked to empathy, and the research around what happy workplaces experience in terms of engagement, retention, and performance. Tracy shatters the myths of happiness as a constant state. While we can't "make people happy" we can create the conditions for happiness. She shares the five measurable conditions for happiness and we discuss the Paradox of Happiness, the benefits of post-traumatic growth, the current loneliness epidemic and the role workplace cultures can play, and the two important components of what it means to thrive. Tracy offers ways you can create connections as a leader - and you'll love the conversation near the end about how leaders don't have to take on all the responsibility for this in their culture by themselves! To access the episode transcript, please click on the episode title at www.TheEmpathyEdge.com Key Takeaways:Tracy's Big Five conditions for happiness are: Having a sense of purpose, Connection with other people, Opportunity for learning, growth and challenge, Performing really well, and Gratitude.Sometimes you will have to do work you don't want to do. Your work won't always be fulfilling. But that doesn't mean your career or workplace cannot be nurturing, engaging, and fulfilling despite that work.Thriving always includes an element of striving. There are positive challenges, and positive growth that come out of difficult situations. "It's actually counterproductive to measure happiness by itself, and the more we think about happiness as its own end, the less likely we are to accomplish it, statistically." — Dr. Tracy Brower Episode References: The Empathy Edge episodesLogan Mallory: How a Culture of Gratitude Boosts Engagement and Mental HealthJamie Greenwood: Why Empathy for Others Starts with Compassion for YourselfShasta Nelson: Why Successful Leaders Encourage Work FriendshipsFrom Our Partner:Download the 2024 Ninth Annual State of Workplace Empathy study from Businessolver: www.businessolver.com/edge Discover more valuable content from Businessolver on The Benefits Pulse vodcast: www.businessolver.com/benefits-pulse About Dr. Tracy Brower, VP Workplace Insights, SteelcaseDr. Tracy Brower is a PhD sociologist studying work-life fulfillment and happiness. She is the author of The Secrets to Happiness at Work and Bring Work to Life. She is the vice president of workplace insights with Steelcase and a senior contributor to Forbes and Fast Company. Her work has been translated into 22 languages, and you can find her on LinkedIn, X, Instagram, or at tracybrower.comConnect with Tracy Brower:Steelcase: www.Steelcase.com Website: https://tracybrower.com/ X: https://twitter.com/TracyBrower108 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tracybrowerphd/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tlb108/ Book: The Secrets To Happiness at Work Connect with Maria: Get the podcast and book: TheEmpathyEdge.comLearn more about Maria and her work: Red-Slice.comHire Maria to speak at your next event: Red-Slice.com/Speaker-Maria-RossTake my LinkedIn Learning Course! Leading with EmpathyLinkedIn: Maria RossInstagram: @redslicemariaX: @redsliceFacebook: Red SliceThreads: @redslicemariaAchieve radical success putting empathy into action with Businessolver. Techlology with heart, powered by people. https://www.businessolver.com/edge

Key Topics Covered:Federal Reserve Interest Rate Cut & Housing ImpactThe first interest rate cut in four years may help boost home purchases and furniture sales, though housing affordability remains a challenge, particularly for younger buyers.Encouraging signs with increased housing starts and completions in August, potentially boosting demand for home furnishings.Furniture Purchase TrendsGen Z and Millennials are expected to drive nearly 70% of furniture purchases in the coming months.Sofas and sectionals remain top planned purchases across age groups, signaling continued demand for living room furniture.2024 Holiday Retail ForecastBain & Company predicts 3% growth in U.S. retail sales this holiday season, with a significant focus on non-store sales (up 9.5%).Recommendations for retailers: emphasize value, offer personalized marketing, and improve omnichannel capabilities.Return Policies Impact Consumer BehaviorStricter return policies deter 69% of consumers, with younger shoppers being especially sensitive.91% of respondents favor lenient return policies, highlighting the need for retailers to balance cost management with customer satisfaction.Furniture Retailer UpdatesThe RoomPlace bankruptcy may lead to more store closures as they seek court approval to self-manage.Templeton Furniture is closing after 53 years due to economic pressures and industry decline.Bay Street Manufacturing, owner of HealthGuard, acquires CKI Solutions to aid U.S. expansion.MillerKnoll sees mixed results: a 6.1% sales drop but a 2.4% rise in orders, with expected improvements across its divisions.Steelcase reports flat revenues but growth in government, education, and healthcare markets.Conclusion: Stay updated on the latest shifts in the furniture industry. Don't miss our next episode for more insights and trends. Subscribe now!

Journey with Donald Miller as he reveals the power of surrounding yourself with excellence-oriented individuals. This episode explores the relationship between success and failure, emphasizing the importance of routine and consistent effort. Discover practical tips for creating productive habits, staying disciplined, and understanding marketing as a simple act of informing others about your work. We also dive into modern marketing strategies and how to effectively scale your business, drawing inspiration from successful brands like Domino's Pizza and Ryan Reynolds' Mint Mobile.About Donald Miller:Donald Miller is the CEO of StoryBrand, helping over 3,000 business leaders each year clarify their brand message. His books have collectively spent over a year on the New York Times Bestsellers list. Renowned for being one of the most entertaining and insightful speakers globally, Don challenges his audiences to embrace their personal stories, creatively develop the narrative of their teams, and deeply understand the stories of their customers to serve them with passion. His expertise on storytelling has profoundly influenced leaders and teams at companies such as Pantene, Chick-fil-A, Steelcase, Intel, Prime Lending, Zaxby's, and many others.Please click here to learn more about https://hcleadershipessentials.com/collections/donald-millerAbout Brad SugarsInternationally known as one of the most influential entrepreneurs, Brad Sugars is a bestselling author, keynote speaker, and the #1 business coach in the world. Over the course of his 30-year career as an entrepreneur, Brad has become the CEO of 9+ companies and is the owner of the multimillion-dollar franchise ActionCOACH®. As a husband and father of five, Brad is equally as passionate about his family as he is about business. That's why, Brad is a strong advocate for building a business that works without you – so you can spend more time doing what really matters to you. Over the years of starting, scaling and selling many businesses, Brad has earned his fair share of scars. Being an entrepreneur is not an easy road. But if you can learn from those who have gone before you, it becomes a lot easier than going at it alone.Please click here to learn more about Brad Sugars: https://bradsugars.com/Learn the Fundamentals of Success for free:The Big Success Starter: https://results.bradsugars.com/thebigsuccess-starter

Today we're visiting the beautiful seaside township of St Raphael, nestled in the French Riviera to catch up with our guest the Happy Brains' founder, Neuro Couple's creator and author Dr. Thomas Trautmann.   Thomas has a real passion for people and their brains, a bit like a zombie.   Driven by people's smiles, he enjoys life with his family, pets, horses, and friends. He speaks fluently English, French, and German, and started his career as a Computer engineer and wrote his Ph.D. thesis Working and improving an Artificial Neural Networks model.   So TEAM you may rightly guess where this conversation is heading, but there is a twist.   After a while he moved towards the "dark side", towards marketing and sales, wanting to be closer to the decision maker: the client.   Thomas has worked for major companies like HP, Bosch, AOL, Steelcase as well as smaller ones before founding his first company.   His scientific as well as marketing, sales, and strategy knowledge allowed him to get certified as a Neuro Marketing instructor with SalesBrain.   The more he read and studied about the decision processes in the human brain the more he noticed the differences between the male and female brains.   After two years of data collection and compilation Thomas launched the Neuro Couple concept and published his first book: "Is there a Brain in Your couple?"   With the driving force behind efficient marketing, sales, strategy, and relationships being Persuasion, Thomas is now leading ethical Persuasion Strategies and Techniques.   TEAM, Thomas speaks a lot in his work about understanding the differences between the male and female brains and how we can leverage the latest neuroscience to strengthen our marriage and business leadership. Visit our website to access the guest links, full transcript, and episode notes. - Coaching 4 Companies

Design has the potential to help us solve some of the world's most pressing problems. But few designers and entrepreneurs recognize that potential.  Paul Lambert, co-founder and CEO of Quilt, sees design as a tool to drive the adoption of climate change mitigation technologies. That's why he's partnered with industrial designers Maaike Evers and Mike Simonian who are helping the team at Quilt rethink how we heat and cool our homes, a major contributor to the average home's carbon footprint. We spoke with Maaike, Mike, and Paul about how they approached the challenge of designing a process as well as a product, bringing fresh eyes to familiar problems, and how they collaborated with engineers to create a product that is both beautiful and highly functional. Find the full episode, transcript and bonus content on our Substack: https://designbetterpodcast.com/p/quilt-mike-and-maaike Bios Mike & Maaike Mike & Maaike is a progressive industrial design studio led by Mike Simonian and Maaike Evers. Formed as a design laboratory, the San Francisco studio works both independently and with clients to create new opportunities through products, technology, furniture, environments and transportation. Maaike Evers is Dutch, Mike Simonian, Californian. These distinct backgrounds inform a diverse body of work marked by experimentation, substance and strong conceptual narratives. Collaborations include: Google, Sonos, Headspace, Haworth, Artifort, Incase, Belkin, Xbox, Blankblank, Council, Coalesse, Quilt, Steelcase, and the City of San Francisco. Paul Lambert Paul founded Quilt after committing himself to designing a company that he could spend the rest of his life on. A breakthrough came in 2022 after realizing the answer was working on whatever problem was most threatening to the next generation of humans and that the problem today is climate change. Paul built his first internet business as a teenager, founded Learndot, an education platform, and was a Partner at Google's Area 120. *** Premium Episodes on Design Better This ad-supported episode is available to everyone. If you'd like to hear it ad-free, upgrade to our premium subscription, where you'll get an additional 2 ad-free episodes per month (4 total). Premium subscribers also get access to our monthly AMAs with former guests, ad-free episodes, early and discounted access to workshops, and our new enhanced newsletter The Brief that compiles salient insights, quotes, readings, and creative processes uncovered in the show.   Upgrade to paid *** Visiting the links below is one of the best ways to support our show: Methodical Coffee: Roasted, blended, brewed, served and perfected by verified coffee nerds

What if merging two industry giants could revolutionize an entire market? Join us as we chat with Amy Edington, Product Manager for Commercial at Cyncly, who takes us through the thrilling creation of Cyncly from the merger of 2020 and CompuSoft. Amy paints a vivid picture of how this fusion resulted in a global powerhouse, expanding their offerings to encompass everything from commercial solutions to windows, doors, glass, and flooring. She dives into Cyncly's shift towards cloud-based solutions and the integral role of high-quality content in the design process.Amy's personal journey is equally compelling. Starting her career at Haworth, she navigated the tumultuous waters of the market crash and the COVID-19 pandemic, which eventually led her to her current key role at Cyncly. Amy shares invaluable insights from her work with industry titans like Steelcase and Herman Miller, giving us a behind-the-scenes look at the life of a product manager. The passion she has for her role shines through as she discusses the exhilaration of sprint reviews and the constant drive to meet market demands efficiently.The episode also dives into the transformative power of visualization technology in client communication. Amy shares how advancements in tools like cut sheets have made it easier to explain complex design concepts to clients. The conversation shifts to the importance of maintaining clean data in the age of AI, and the evolving "technology, process, people" model that is redefining job roles and increasing efficiency. Amy emphasizes the critical role of networking events like NeoCon, and warmly invites listeners to connect with her for ideas, support, or new features. This episode is a treasure trove of insights for anyone passionate about the future of business operations and design technology.ResourcesViewpoint Magazine - https://viewpointmag.com/Episode 131 - Uncovering Your Genius Spark with Rex Miller https://www.sidmeadows.com/episode131Episode 139 - Genius Spark Part 2 with Rex Miller -  https://www.sidmeadows.com/episode139Episode 142 - The Post COVID Workplace with David Stella https://www.sidmeadows.com/episode142Connect with Amy:Cyncly - https://www.cyncly.com/Email - amy.edington@cyncly.comInstagram - https://www.instagram.com/cynclyco/Connect with Sid: www.sidmeadows.comEmbark CCT on FacebookSid on LinkedInSid on InstagramSid on YouTubeSid on Clubhouse - @sidmeadows The Trend Report introduction music is provided by Werq by Kevin MacLeod Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4616-werq License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Dr. Tracy Brower is a PhD sociologist studying happiness, work-life fulfillment and the future of work. She is also the author of The Secrets to Happiness at Work. She is the vice president of workplace insights for Steelcase and a senior contributor to Forbes as well as Fast company and Newsweek. Tracy holds a PHD in Sociology and a Master of Management in Organizational Culture. LISTEN TO THIS EPISODE IF: You want to find more joy in your work You've ever felt disconnected or lonely at work You want practical tips on how to become a better leader You are interested in personal growth strategies to improve your performance Follow Dr. Tracy Brower: Instagram: @TLB108 X: @tracybrower108

The hosts switch up the regular news format this week in favor of another favorite developer topic: tech gear. All the extras that make web development that little bit nicer.If you were stranded on a desert island (that only had power and Internet), what tech gear would you bring that you just can't live without?Aside from MacBook Pros for all three hosts, there's a good variety of office chairs, adjustable desks, external monitors, keyboards, mice, headphones, microphones, and even cameras. Many of the recognizable brand names make an appearance like: Apple, Logitech, Elgato, Microsoft, Steelcase, and Shure.If you've ever wanted recommendations from folks actively using these products (and not getting sponsored to endorse them) then this is the episode for you.And of course, we want to know what you use as well, so join us in the Discord to share your own workspace setups, the gear you can't live without, and anything else you want to talk about.News:Paige's picks -Logitech MX Keys S keyboardTresanti Adjustable Height DeskCamo software to turn any camera phone into a webcamArzopa 15.6” Portable Monitor Jack's picks -Logitech Vertical Mouse (Lift)Elgato PrompterElgato Stream DeckShure SM7B MicrophoneDas KeyboardTJ's picks - Steelcase LeapMicrosoft Ergonomic KeyboardAirPods ProApple Magic MouseWhat Makes Us Happy this Week:Paige - The Hunger Games movie seriesJack - Hanging with Jason LengstorfTJ - Harry Potter movie series Thanks as always to our sponsor, the Blue Collar Coder channel on YouTube. You can join us in our Discord channel, explore our website and reach us via email, or Tweet us on X @front_end_fire.Front-end Fire websiteBlue Collar Coder on YouTubeBlue Collar Coder on DiscordReach out via emailTweet at us on X @front_end_fire

Tracy Brower speaks about happiness, work-life, and the future of work. Advisor and coach, the vice president of workplace insights for Steelcase, offers advice for engineering without regret.

Episode Summary:In today's episode, we explore key trends and innovations transforming the furniture industry. From AI-driven warehouse efficiencies to in-store customer engagement strategies, we cover a wide range of topics to keep industry professionals informed and inspired. Here's what you can expect in this episode:AI in Warehouse Operations:Efficiency Boost: AI technologies are revolutionizing warehouse operations by enhancing efficiency, improving inventory management, and cutting logistics costs.Key Insights: Adrian Stoch from GXO Logistics discusses AI's transformative impact, from machine learning to collaborative robots (co-bots) optimizing order picking.Organizational Shifts: Emphasizes the need for cultural change and new skill sets to fully leverage AI capabilities.Attracting Customers to Physical Stores:Digital Marketing: Strategies include social media marketing, over-the-top advertising, and leveraging various digital channels to drive in-store traffic.In-Store Experiences: Retailers use unique promotions, events, and personalized outreach to create compelling reasons for customers to visit physical locations.Memorial Day Promotions: Examples from Grand Home Furnishings highlight the effectiveness of strategic sales events.Exceeding Delivery Expectations – The Amazon Effect:Consumer Expectations: Discusses the "Amazon effect" and how it has raised the bar for delivery speeds and customer service in the furniture industry.Enhanced Logistics: Advances in AI and logistics help retailers improve delivery times and customer satisfaction.In-Store and Online Synergy: The importance of seamless e-commerce platforms and exceptional in-store experiences.Leveraging Sleep Studies for Better Product Offerings:Sleep and Loneliness: Insights from the SLEEP conference reveal the link between sleep health and loneliness, particularly among young adults.Screen Time Impact: Strategies to combat screen time effects with tech-free bedroom solutions.Targeted Products: Emphasis on products designed to address sleep disorders like sleep apnea and snoring.Steelcase's Net-Zero Carbon Emissions Commitment:Sustainability Goals: Steelcase's ambitious plan to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.Core Pillars: Focus on reducing carbon footprint, designing for circularity, and responsible material use.Industry Impact: CEO Sara Armbruster's call to action for collective efforts towards sustainability.Luxury Furniture Trends with Timothy Corrigan:Timeless Designs: Importance of investment pieces with classic silhouettes and durable materials.Performance Fabrics: Rising demand for fabrics that combine aesthetics with durability, especially for outdoor settings.Practical Elegance: Advice on balancing trends with timeless quality to offer luxury clients practical and beautiful furnishings.

(Werbung) Unsere Ausstattung am Open-Space-Arbeitsplatz: Schreibtische von Steelcase: https://wbs.law/449aGC9 Monitorhalterung von Durable: https://wbs.law/3w1DIHl Stühle von Steelcase: https://wbs.law/3xL7iBb Lampe von Luctra: https://wbs.law/3JycgUO Schränke von Steelcase: https://wbs.law/4d3EeW1 Werbung Ende Klick dich selbst durch die Kanzlei: https://wbs.law/rundgang Unser Zukunftsbild: https://wbs.law/zukunftsbild 2019 haben wir das Zukunftsbild unserer Kanzlei formuliert: „Es hat geschneit in Köln. Ein wenig Schnee verteilt sich auf dem Parkettboden unserer hellen, neuen Kanzleiräume. Diese befinden sich seit einigen Jahren in einem alten Backstein-Fabrikgebäude in zentraler Lage in Köln. Der Duft von Kaffee erfüllt das Atrium. Die ersten Kolleginnen und Kollegen sind schon früh da und sitzen an ihren offenen Arbeitsplätzen. Schränke sind kaum noch nötig, da wir vollständig papierlos arbeiten. (…)“. Mitte 2023 haben wir diese Vision mit unserem Umzug lebendig gemacht. Im heutigen Video zeigt Christian dir, wie genau das aussieht und wie das Team von WBS.LEGAL heute arbeitet.

With 37 years in the sustainability sector, Ken Alston shares his wealth of knowledge from advancing eco-practices in a global corporation to consulting on circular economy models.This episode zooms in on the pivotal questions, "Is Your Business Sustainable?" and "What defines Real Circularity?" Drawing from his expertise and co-authored book "REAL Circularity," Ken discusses the critical factors that underscore genuine sustainability in business. He also sheds light on the key areas of focus for any company serious about its ecological impact.Discover through Ken's insights how to innovate and implement game-changing sustainability measures. Whether you're taking initial steps towards greener operations or refining an established eco-friendly framework, this podcast is your guide to adopting a 'Real Circularity' mindset.https://realcircularity.com/https://www.linkedin.com/in/kennethalston/ More About Ken Alston:Ken has presented to audiences from 50 to 1,000 and worked with universities, start-up businesses to Fortune 500 companies, such as Waste Management, S.C. Johnson, Shaw, and Steelcase.                                                                                                  Ken is internationally recognized as a passionate speaker and sustainable circular economy expert with a persuasive style that has audiences nodding in approval and demanding more. In addition to the United States and Canada, Ken has worked extensively in Europe, Latin America, and the Caribbean, including in Belgium, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, France, the Netherlands, Peru, Panama, and the U.K. In 2015 he was chosen to lead a goodwill tour in Germany, presenting at several Earth Week events on behalf of the U.S. State Department.What do you think?If you love what you are hearing, don't forget to SUBSCRIBE and LEAVE A REVIEW.  I would love to hear your thoughts! Share with me your thoughts, comments, feedback or suggestions on topics/stories you would want to hear about in the future. You can leave comments in the REVIEW section of the podcast if you are listening on iTunes or send us a message on our website HERE.Follow Madison / Savile on LinkedIn, FaceBook and Instagram or sign up on our website for exclusive offers and updates.Follow me Diana Nguyen on LinkedIn.

Tracy Brower, PhD is Vice President of Workplace Insight at Steelcase and a Senior Contributor for Forbes and Fast Company where she shares her passion for studying work life fulfillment, happiness and the future of work. Mike Petrusky asks Tracy about the upcoming release of her newly updated book, "The Secrets to Happiness at Work", where she delves deeper into the role of work in our lives and how we can create conditions for happiness and fulfillment at work. Tracy believes that work can be a significant source of happiness as we are contributing to our community, purpose, and personal identity. The current popular narrative of work as a negative experience needs to be combated as we seek to find a balance between time spent in the office and time spent working remotely. Tracy offers advice about how workplaces can be designed for a variety of experiences, offering a range of settings matched with an inclusive and trustworthy culture. Mike and Tracy explore the “paradox of happiness” and share inspirational quotes and music that will encourage you to become a Workplace Innovator in your organization! Connect with Tracy on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tracybrowerphd/ Order Tracy's new book: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1728297265/ref=tsm_1_fb_lk Learn more about Steelcase: https://www.steelcase.com/ Watch the full video of milestone Ep. 300 on YouTube: https://youtu.be/TTK92bzCKjg?si=7Dw3Z7TZ-AJFyRmp Discover free resources and explore past interviews at: https://www.workplaceinnovator.com/ Learn more about Eptura™: https://eptura.com/  

On this episode, we're joined by Emily Gussert from Steelcase to get an update on their internship program. We hear recent feedback from converted interns, what has evolved within their programming and more.

Furniture Industry News Podcast Show NotesEpisode Title: Navigating Change: Insights and Trends Shaping the Furniture IndustryWelcome to "Furniture Industry News" brought to you by FurniturePodcast.com, the essential listen for furniture industry professionals seeking the latest in business, design, and market evolution. Today's episode offers a wealth of insights across various segments that are pivotal for anyone invested in the future of furniture. Let's unpack the highlights.U.S. Housing Market Trends:A surprising 10% surge in existing home sales in February indicates a vibrant rebound in the U.S. housing market, despite a slight year-over-year decline.Inventory levels and median home prices are on the rise, hinting at a complex dynamic affecting supply, demand, and pricing in the housing sector.Regional sales data reveals varied performance across the U.S., with the West leading in monthly sales increase.Retail Industry's Economic Impact:The National Retail Federation highlights the retail sector's crucial role as the nation's largest private employer and a significant contributor to the GDP.Small businesses emerge as the backbone of retail, emphasizing the industry's widespread influence on economic vitality.Credit Management in Furniture Manufacturing:The Furniture Manufacturers Credit Association sheds light on the pressing challenges of retailer closures and bankruptcy filings, urging suppliers to refine risk management strategies.A trend towards extended payment terms underscores the importance of liquidity and prudent financial practices in the current economic climate.Consumer Preferences in Furniture:Current trends show a strong consumer inclination towards sofas and sectionals, with younger demographics leading the demand.Preferences for motion functionality, fabric upholstery, and additional features like USB ports highlight the market's shift towards multifunctional and comfortable living space solutions.Port of Los Angeles Activity:A significant increase in processed TEUs at the Port of Los Angeles signals robust market confidence and a strengthening supply chain.This surge underscores the critical role of logistics and trade dynamics in supporting the furniture industry and broader economic health.Shifts in Ocean Container Rates:Recent fluctuations in ocean container rates present challenges and opportunities for the furniture industry, emphasizing the impact of global events on shipping costs and market prices.Manufacturing Sector Safety:A fire at CAC Seating, a Chicago-based furniture manufacturer, serves as a stark reminder of the importance of safety protocols and emergency preparedness in the manufacturing sector.Steelcase's Financial Outlook:Steelcase reports a mixed financial quarter but shows promising signs of recovery and growth, especially in the Americas, driven by large corporate customers' investment in modern workspaces.Kirkland's Strategic Repositioning:Kirkland's reports a positive Q4 performance, attributing success to strategic repositioning and a focus on customer engagement and operational efficiency.This episode of "Furniture Industry News" dives deep into the challenges and opportunities shaping the furniture industry, from market trends to consumer preferences and global logistics. For more detailed coverage on these stories, visit FurniturePodcast.com. Stay informed and ahead of the curve with us.Thank you for tuning into "Furniture Industry News." Join us next time for more critical updates and insights that empower your decisions in the furniture industry landscape. Keep innovating and stay informed.

Baird & Warner is the latest to be hit with a copycat lawsuit over commissions. Crain's residential real estate reporter Dennis Rodkin and host Amy Guth discuss that and other news from the local housing market.Plus: Rivian eliminating a shift at EV factory in Normal, furniture maker Steelcase leaving Merchandise Mart for Fulton Market, VillageMD laying off dozens amid Illinois clinic closures and Oscar Mayer debuts vegan hot dog with help from a Jeff Bezos-backed startup.

Steve Grzanich has the business news of the day with the Wintrust Business Minute. Steelcase furniture is leaving the Merchandise Mart and moving its Chicago showroom to the Fulton Market District. The company, based in Grand Rapids, MI., has leased 28,000 square feet at 811 W. Fulton. Steelcase will occupy the showroom there that was […]

Despite starting his design career in his 30s, Paul Riches has become a distinguished leader at MillerKnoll. Captured during a conversation between long-time industry friends at the CET Experience, Paul traces his winding path to design. From deciding against law school to touring with a heavy metal band, his journey demonstrates how saying "yes" can unlock unforeseen opportunities.Now a celebrated technological trailblazer, Paul helped push early dealer design software to the limits. He shares valuable insights on innovation, client expectations around speed-to-market, and why designers shouldn't fear AI. Tune in to discover Paul's unconventional trajectory and perspective on technology transforming the workplace.The Design Pop is an Imagine a Place Production (presented by OFS)Connect with Alexandra on LinkedInFollow The Design Pop on LinkedInLearn more about Alexandra Tseffos and The Design Pop

Join Jeanne as she sits down with Shannon Cohen, the CEO of Shannon Cohen, Inc., a boutique consulting firm that specializes in emotional intelligence, equity, and wellness. Shannon shares her self-care advice for leaders and why rest and replenishment is so important; how she embraces each new season and adapts accordingly; why she believes uniqueness is your best competitive advantage; and how her powerful 4-step system for facing challenges can change your life. Don't miss this episode filled with wisdom on wellness, leadership, and the transformative power of authenticity. Subscribe and be inspired to lead a more authentic and fulfilling life.About Shannon Shannon is the Founder and CEO of Shannon Cohen, Inc. a company that creates products, spaces, and experiences that invest in the emotional well-being of people who lead, love, and serve in transformational ways. Her company's clients include: Perrigo, Procter & Gamble, Meijer, and Steelcase. Shannon is the author of two books, “It's Normal to Shake as You Soar” and “Tough Skin, Soft Heart: A Leadership Guide to Growing Stronger, Better, and Wiser”. Her line of inspirational products have been featured nationally at Target, Meijer, and West Elm. Her Tough Skin, Soft Heart podcast is available on Anchor, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Stitcher with subscribers spanning 12 countries. Shannon is the Founder of the global Rockstar Woman™ Movement, serving thousands of women annually. For consecutive years, Shannon has been named one of the 200 Most Powerful Business Leaders in West Michigan and recognized as one of the 50 Most Influential Women in West Michigan by the Grand Rapids Business Journal. Shannon is an alumnus of the prestigious W.K. Kellogg Foundation Community Leadership Network Fellowship, 2023 recipient of the Grand Valley State University Distinguished Alumni Award, and honored with the 2023 “Woman of Courage” award from Michigan Women Forward. Shannon serves on several boards including the Corewell Health [formerly Spectrum Health] Foundation Board, GROW Board, GVSU Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation Board, and the Small Business Advisory Board for Congresswoman Hillary Scholten. Shannon is the proud mom of a 4th grader, and entering 15 years of “I do” with the love of her life! LI: ShannonCohen IG: @shannonmcohen X: @ShannonCohenInc Website: https://www.shannoncohen.com/

PhD sociologist studying work-life fulfillment and happiness, Dr. Tracy Brower joins us to discuss her book, The Secrets to Happiness at Work: How to Choose and Create Purpose and Fulfillment in Your Work. She is the vice president of workplace insight for Steelcase and a senior contributor to Forbes and Fast Company. Tracy is an award-winning speaker and has over 25 years of experience working with global clients to achieve business results. Tracy is an executive advisor to Like|Minded, Coda Societies and to the MSU Master Industrial Mathematics Program. She is an executive council member with Design Museum Everywhere and board member for the United Way. Tracy's work has been translated into 19 languages and she has been featured in TEDx, The Wall Street Journal, Work-Life Balance in the 21 st Century (book), Globe and Mail (Canada), InsideHR (Australia), HR Director (UK), T3N (Germany), Real Estate Review Journal, Fortune.com, Inc. Magazine, HBR (France) and more. Tracy holds a PhD in Sociology, a Master of Management in Organizational Culture, and a Master of Corporate Real Estate with a workplace specialization. You can find her on LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, Goodreads, Unsplash or at tracybrower.com. Tune in for this special broadcast on Wednesday, January 24 @ 6pm EST!

Previously Bostjan was Executive Officer, Director of Global Sales And Special Projects Compass Group, Commercial Director, Tupperware, Vice President UK and Ireland, earlier Sales Director Japan and Korea, Steelcase, Sales Representative Architecture & Design Tokyo.

Steelcase Inc's Q3 2023 earnings call, unedited

Randy Plemel is a design and innovation consultant specializing in solving hard and complex problems for people in elegant, and hopefully simpler ways. Randy has worked with a wide range of organizations in the public sector on democracy promotion, and the private sector on who their customer might be, including the Knight Foundation to reimagine the civic commons across eight cities, Bloomberg Philanthropies to cultivate city-based innovation in the U.S. and India, AARP to evolve their role in creating livable communities for all, and the City of Los Angeles and NYCHA to make cities better through design. He's also completed a range of new products and services with a diverse set of clients—including State Farm, Steelcase, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Tata, Citibank, Dr. Reddy's Laboratories, and Walgreens—on a variety of design challenges, from new digital communication tools, to blended digital and physical experiences, to entirely new retail strategy and concepts. Randy holds a BS in Architecture and Masters of Architecture from the University of Cincinnati. https://www.linkedin.com/in/randyplemel/ Expedition Works: https://expedition.works/ Journey With Purpose: https://jwp.news/founding/ Avery's Journey, Randy's Design Fiction exercise gives purpose to Generative AI tools rather than freaking out or fetishizing and drooling all over them. https://expedition.works/project/averys-journey Journey With Purpose Podcast https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/journey-with-purpose/id1697389263 (p.s. This ‘Better Bin' episode with Colin Kelly discussing how his ad-hoc, let's-see-what-happens submission to get the contract to design the new New York City public trash bin is awesomely inspiring. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/colin-kelly-better-bin/id1697389263?i=1000633101486)

Attention college administrators in Cleveland: The Office Furniture Warehouse (+1-216-431-2700) has a wide selection of second-hand office chairs from leading brands available at its showroom! Learn more by visiting https://theofw.com/ The Office Furniture Warehouse City: Cleveland Address: 4100 Payne Avenue Website https://theofw.com/ Phone +1-216-431-2700 Email info@theofw.com

CET Experience is Configura's annual user community conference. This year, CETx was in Scottsdale, Arizona and The Design Pop Podcast was lucky enough to get to speak to, interview, and mingle with the attendees of this incredible event. In fact, we were excited to get some time with a very special guest, Stefan Persson, Chief Executive Officer at Configura (maker of CET Commercial Interiors software). In this episode, Stefan walks us through his unique path to Configura and the exciting new changes coming to the CET program, such as integrating AI, updating the user interface, and releasing other new exciting features. Tune in to hear his insights on Configura's origins, values, and exciting plans ahead.The Design Pop is an Imagine a Place Production (presented by OFS)Connect with Alexandra on LinkedInFollow The Design Pop on LinkedInLearn more about Alexandra Tseffos and The Design Pop

According to HP's Work Relationship Index, only 27% of workers say they have a healthy relationship with their work. Their study surveyed over 15,000 respondents across 12 countries, showing that the work life balance is at a concerning strain. Is there a way we can change that to make employees more fulfilled? Today we are joined by Vice President of Workplace Insights for Steelcase & Author Tracy Brower, and Director of UC Strategy & Host of Connected! David Danto about the challenges faced in an employee's relationship with work.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

How we work could not be more important to the success of our companies. And more than ever, with the rising return to the office, the work environment is being reimagined to that end. So how can we redesign the spaces we work in to foster productivity, community, and growth? And how can we do that in a way that's more responsible to our planet that's suffering under the impact of the climate emergency? Kim Dabbs is Global Vice President of ESG and Social Innovation at Steelcase, a design and thought leader manufacturing innovative furnishings and solutions to help people do their best work in the many places where work happens. In this episode, she explains how we can all reimagine what and how we make to better serve the people in our companies and the planet we share, and how to join and accelerate a transformative movement that's turning business into a force for good. Kim Dabbs:  Kim Dabbs is a change agent and advocate who builds cultures of opportunity as the Global VP of Social Innovation and ESG strategy at Steelcase. She is leading organizational change projects around the world and has given talks on her specialties in social innovation, cultural transformation, and belonging at MIT, the Aspen Institute, the Drucker Forum, and the Guggenheim. She has received numerous recognitions in the process including a Joyce Fellowship, an executive residency at the d.school at Stanford and led a White House honored nonprofit organization that is a national best practice in both adult and teen learning models. Her personal experience and professional history of two decades creating, leading, and scaling cultures of belonging across multiple borders have given her unique insights into systemic change. As a Korean-born, American adoptee currently residing in Munich, Germany, she is currently focused on her research and writing on Belonging. Her debut book on this topic, launching in 2023, focuses on helping leaders and organizations with the tools to create cultures of belonging and create a more equitable and inclusive world. Resources: Learn more about Steelcase at: https://www.steelcase.com/about/steelcase/company/ Connect with Kim on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kimdabbs/ Visit leadwithwe.com to learn more about Simon's new book or search for "Lead With We" on Amazon, Google Books, or Barnes & Noble.  Lead With We is Produced by Goal 17 Media - https://goal17media.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today's episode, I chat with Amber Jones from Tangram Interiors about her company's move from California to Texas and how they foster innovation through their unique design process and showroom experience. Amber shares insights on staying ahead within the cyclical furniture industry through careful research and an emphasis on maintaining company culture during times of growth. We also discuss the challenges of managing virtual teams and leading with collaboration. Amber offers perspective on balancing work and family from Brené Brown and shares her wisdom on these topics. It was a thought-provoking discussion exploring transforming workspaces and ideas to enhance life beyond the job SHOW HIGHLIGHTS Amber Jones, the Vice President of Sales at Tangram Interiors, discusses the journey of moving their operations from California to Texas, and how they use unique tools like noise and digital maps to improve their showroom experience. She provides insights into the cyclical nature of the furniture industry, emphasizing the importance of staying ahead of the curve and fostering an environment of innovation within the company. Amber emphasizes the significance of maintaining company culture amidst expansion and managing a virtual team in a post-pandemic world. She highlights the importance of work-life balance, which differs from person to person, and shares Brené Brown's perspective on marriage and the importance of enjoying the people you work with while maintaining a balance with family life. The episode includes a fun chat about Amber's first job and her preference between Tex-Mex and Barbecue. Tangram Interiors creates innovative workspaces, making spaces where people can learn, work, and heal. They use technology and unique tools like noise maps and digital maps to improve their showroom experience. Amber believes in fostering a strong company culture, which she sees as vital when expanding into multiple offices. She emphasizes the importance of planning and research when entering new opportunities or meeting new people. Amber talks about the evolution of leadership styles and the challenges faced due to the pandemic. She highlights the importance of creating workspaces that allow productivity and foster collaboration. She discusses the potential of radical honesty in relationships and how it can foster growth and trust. She also talks about the importance of leading with a collaborative mindset and the need for self-awareness. The episode ends with a discussion on dreaming of a life in France and wishing Amber Jones the best of luck as she expands her business in Texas. LINKSShow Notes Previous Episodes About BoyarMiller GUESTS Amber JonesAbout Amber TRANSCRIPT (AI transcript provided as supporting material and may contain errors) Chris: In this episode, you will meet Amber Jones, vice president of sales at Tangram Interiors. Amber shares how Tangram uses innovative designs to create amazing places for people to work, learn and heal. Chris: So Amber, I want to welcome you to the podcast. Thanks for agreeing to join us. Amber: Thanks for having me. Chris: So let's talk about Tangram Interiors. I want you to at least start by telling the audience what is the company known for and what do you do. Amber: Yeah, so Tangram is a commercial interiors organization. Basically, we create amazing spaces where people learn, work and heal. So all of the interiors, from the flooring to the walls to the furniture, I'm just really creating spaces where people can go to work or go to learn in classrooms or education or, like I said, heal in hospitals and those types of environments that's great. Chris: How old is the company? When did it start? What was the inspiration for it? Amber: So Steelcase we are Steelcase dealership, which is a major mainline manufacturer, and so they've been around for a hundred years, and the Steelcase dealership that Tangram purchased was in 2000 in California, and so what brings us to Texas is that in 2021, we acquired a dealership here in the Dallas Metroplex, and so that is what's brought me to Texas via Tangram Interiors. Chris: Okay, so you're a transplant Californian, now Texan. I'm one of those. Amber: Yes, but you know I'm really enjoying this place and I you know it's not something that I would have like raised my hand and volunteered for, but honestly I feel so at home here, and I just know that the business world that we found ourselves in over the last two years is exactly where our business is supposed to be. Chris: That's great. Let's talk a little bit about that process of the move. What has it been like from your perspective? You know, moving a basically a California business I know it was by acquisition, but moving that California business to Texas, yeah. Amber: And so, what has it been? Chris: like. Amber: Interesting. You know, it's really it's. I want to say it was a challenge, but it wasn't. I think that the Metroplex is confusing in some ways in that it's large but there's a lot of really close knit relationships here and so we were able to bring on some really great people that had some really existing, really good, strong standing, existing relationships in the market, which helped us to position ourselves in the right way in the right place. But I definitely part of the reason for it and part of what made it so helpful and necessary is that the majority of our customers were looking at moving to Texas, and so when you start thinking about how can we do business in both states with you, it made sense for us to be able to send them away from California and then receive them as they arrived in Texas. So it was really, it was an obvious next step for us and when the position you know, when the dealership position opened itself up, it made sense for us to acquire them for sure. Chris: That makes sense. I can tell you, at least from the legal perspective. I've lost count of how many California companies we have represented and since, say you know, late 2000, early 2001, helping them set up shop in Texas. Amber: Well, it's interesting in that regard, you know. It's like where do you home them from right? Like, are you running your business as a California business that has an extension in Texas, or do you have a Texas business that has an extension in California? Or two independent companies. So, yes, some struggles, as we like learn to adjust about. You know where do we write the laws from as far as, like you know, labor laws, etc. Chris: So, yeah, I can tell you, most of our experience has been the we are doing Texas based entities, that basically converting the California entity into a Texas entity. Amber: There's a bajillion reasons why that makes the most sense. So, yeah, it's definitely the direction that we're heading in. Chris: So you've got this company. You create amazing spaces for your clients. What about for your people? I mean, I guess your showroom has to showcase your talent. So how do you go about designing your showroom and fostering, I guess, that creativity in the workplace for your employees? Amber: Yeah, so it's very important that we have spaces that reflect what we do. So we work in our showroom. So working showrooms are a little bit more interesting than just a regular like office place would be. Everything is pristine and there's lots of choice and control about how and where you work throughout the day. So maybe I'm coming in for a quiet day and so I would locate on the floor plan, on the digital map, as to where it's most quiet for the day in the space and then maybe that's where I want to work so that I have access to the resources, Whereas other days maybe I came into the office to have more of a social day. So I'm going to look on the kind of noise map for the space and decide where it's loudest and maybe that's where I'm going to go set up shop so that I can get that like extroverted you know full feel that I needed in coming into the office. So it's really exciting. I really it's almost like working in a zoo some days because there's just tours happening so regularly that it's. But it's cool because it gives us the opportunity to really use and show the product that we sell. Chris: So you mentioned two things that I've never heard of before. That was a noise map and a I forget the other one a digital map, I guess. So yeah, tell me a little bit about that. I'm just intrigued. So is that something that I guess that you offer your clients where you can and you use it there in the office to figure out what's? Amber: your debt on. So we have a technology arm of what we sell so furniture, technology, walls and we really feel like if you can plan a space that integrates the technology and the furniture together versus an afterthought, you're going to have a much better experience for your users. And so for us, we want we want anyone to come in all day and be able to work wherever they want. So part of that is that we are a view, sonic mood, sonic showroom, and that means that we have different zone maps throughout our space. So when you walk in, there's like literally a floor plan on a big digital screen and it shows you where it's loudest throughout the showroom and then where it's quietest, and then what the noise does and the little iPads is. It allows for you to adjust the soundscapes that pump into that area of the showroom to adjust to how much noise is happening there. I personally am a very loud human being, so we joke that color follows me throughout the showroom as I get louder and walk. But also that means that the white noise that's pumping into the space follows me, so that you can see that I'm talking, but you can't make out what I'm saying while you're on a video call across the room. So we really feel, as we get back, especially post COVID, to how many video calls that we're all having in our workplace. No matter what we do for a living, there must be something in your workplace that allows for you to have that hybrid experience and not have it be choppy. So there has to be a reason for you to leave your house Right and it has to be an office that works for you. And the office that we left pre-COVID, that we didn't do a lot of these video calls, didn't have to have the same things that the office today have, and we really feel like a lot of that is the addition of technology because of the communication that happens on screen. So much now. Chris: It's so true. I think anyone I know I can speak for myself but anyone that's been back in the office and we really came back to the office in May of 2020. Amber: Pretty quickly Very smartly, very carefully. Chris: Most people have their own private office here. Amber: Different experience. Chris: But the number of doors that are shut throughout the day for the reasons you just said to control the noise, because we're on Zoom or team calls can get frustrating because we are very open door policy, very great culture, but it's somewhat counterintuitive. So what you're talking about makes total sense to me. Amber: It's hard because it's like why am I leaving my home office, where I have everything set up and I don't have to drive, so that I can go sit in another private office in a conference in a big building where I had to drive in park, just to shut the door again? Like what am I getting from one or the other? What's the benefit to leaving the house? And so really the challenge is what's the pull? So we say you have to return to something better than you left. It can't be the same office. Chris: Yeah, that's great. So kind of on that topic and he's thinking about your company, the downturn. I mean, you're clearly in a business that requires personal interaction and connection. How did y'all manage through keeping the business going when your employees and probably your customers or potential customers did not want to be in person? Amber: Yeah, it's interesting. I would say that the vertical markets that we cover is one of the benefits of our organization, because when things got bad, hospitals still had a huge need, there was still healthcare requirements that were happening around. Covid Schools still needed to pivot and make changes, so there were still things that were happening in some of those other sections. But certainly furniture is something that people don't buy when they don't have to right, and certainly not when there's not people in the office, and so it was a weird time for sure. But I think that what happens in this industry, specifically with furniture, is it's very cyclical. You can look back at like the 2007, 2008,. Then you can look into like there was like this 2016. I mean, there's like times and moments in time where things like took a little bit of a dip, not as much purchasing was happening. I think those are moments in time where we can be strategic and really align ourselves with where do we see those next verticals growing? Right now, bioscience is huge. That's where we need to be focusing, as we move forward, some of the more opportunities to track the industries, versus just waking up and expecting the same type of business to be there every day, you know. Chris: Makes sense. So innovation's got to be a very important aspect for the well-being and growth of your company. What are some of the things that y'all do to instill or encourage innovative things to be fostered throughout the company and encourage your people to think and act innovatively? Amber: Yeah, so I guess two pieces. Obviously, it's very important that what we're selling is innovative. I think a lot of that is based out of absolute research 100% research-based organizations in Steelcase, and so they spend a lot of time trying to figure out what people need and why. And so when it hits the market and we're selling it, we've got so much history and so much research to back why we're bringing another chair or another table or another thing to the market. Otherwise it's just that right, another table and another chair and who needs those things. But I think internally within Tangram Interiors, we really are a super authentic organization. Anyone can walk up to my desk at any point in time. I don't work in a private office. None of us do. None of the executive leadership ever work in private offices, and really in all of our six offices, the only one that has a private office is the human resource team so that they can have the privacy of lockability. Past that I mean. Really there's no one within the organization that can't have an idea that could be implemented today. I think that's kind of the greatness of any organization is when you have that open door policy. Because there's not a door, they're never one right. It's like if you have an idea and it's something that is helpful to the progress of the organization, by all means, and I think those are things that we reward throughout the year. I mean, we have different focuses and different events, but we have a fact award. So we really want people to be focused, accountable, we want them to be strong culture, advocates that show strong teamwork and strong trust, and those are things that we are pillars of our success on a regular, daily basis, and when we talk about them and we look for those in employees, it is that we expect them to come up with ideas in their team meetings and we expect them to have the trust within themselves and the trust within us to bring those new ideas to us for implementation. So, honestly, I think this whole industry and this whole world is about change and choice and honesty. Like have an idea, let's chat. Chris: Yeah, let's talk about it, so OK. So you're touching on culture, one of my favorite topics. Amber: Mind you. Chris: So let's you know a couple, you know at least a couple of questions on that. For you, you know, one is I always ask all guests kind of, how would you define your culture? And I think for you a corollary to that is how has it migrated east from California to Texas, you know, have you maintained the culture that was built in the roots in California to the Texas office, or has there been some adaption to this new office in a new state, in a new city? Amber: Such good questions. Cultures is one of my favorite topics as well. So in California one of my roles there was on boarding all of the new hires and I think for me that was an opportunity to instill in them the culture that I found at Taingram and I really found it important that as they kind of graduated out of one on one training with me that they moved into the next portion of their organ, of their role in the organization. Really understanding the culture was the basis of it all, the foundation of who we were as a company, and so I think for me it was really hard to leave behind the culture that I feel like I was such a huge part of building in California. In fact, I remember standing in front of everyone here in Texas holding this piece of paper as we were about to like tell them that we just acquired their company, and I was so nervous and I think back now and it's like so funny to think that I was nervous in front of those people but because I didn't know what kind of culture I was walking into and I think it matters so much. So the longest way possible of answering that question is that I brought that culture with me and I spent the last two years trying to foster it here, and I would tell you that we absolutely are the same company in Texas that we are in California because of those kind of cross pollinations and making sure that we've got people flying back and forth from both locations and executive leadership, as well as like marketing and different sales people, and I think that we all have a lot to learn from one another that if we treat each other as like a bench for both cities as opposed to Dallas, tangram and California Tangram, just Tangram continue to have that culture be you know, exemplified in all of our offices. Chris: You really want you branch. I guess it could happen in one office. Amber: That's the thing, yeah. Chris: Yeah Well, once you branch out to more than one office, you really can't have the us versus them or you have a culture. It's just not a healthy one, Right? I mean yeah. Amber: Yeah, so it's actually. It's interesting we just did a company survey and we just got the results back and read them off to the whole organization verbatim for the way that they answered the questions with all of the comments and feedback, and it was such a delight to be able to read the results back to the organization and have results be in like the high 80s for how they felt about our culture and the way that we run our company and how they feel comfortable talking to us. Those are astronomically high percentages. I mean it felt like we should all clap. You know clap because genuinely that's not me or any of the other leadership, that is every single human being that wakes up and says they are part of 10 year materials every day. Chris: We all make sure Very impressive. I mean because you're right, I'm going to be proud of and usually yeah, okay. So we talked about this a little bit before we started recording. I'm going to ask you now so you can tell the story behind you are words to say start right, to finish right. Is that some type of pillar within the company? Or you know how is that? It's not there by accident, right? Amber: No, it's not. And I mean, I think with anything good goes planning, goes research. You know, I think we have a really great network in the people that we work with, and with every opportunity that hits the street, there's a way to go about doing it. That's the strong way, the smart way, that it starts with strategy, and so for us it's like you know, you can send off six emails while you're sitting in a meeting talking about a possible opportunity, or you can spend 10 minutes doing some research and figuring out who might be the warmest opportunity or person to connect. You do that right. There's ways to go about things. So I think, from an organizational standpoint, we look at it like take the time to do your research, to be prepared to show up and make sure that you earn the opportunity to win the business, versus just showing up, which is sometimes easier to do. Chris: Well, you mean it's always easier, or seems easier, to take the shortcut. But you're right being thorough and showing up there, there's no substitute for that. Amber: Sounds easier, until they ask you a question and you're like I don't even know what this company does. Chris: Yeah. Amber: And then you feel silly for an hour and a half in front of that person in person. Like I would rather do the research, find a computer to be prepared to not sound silly. Chris: So do you do some training around that? How do you instill that into your new hires? Amber: Yeah. So I mean I think like the true answer is that we're really good at using our AI and our tools that we have. There may be a little bit big brothery, but I think that there's a mentor that we have within our organization that always says that our network is equal to our network, or, sorry, our network is equal to our network. And it's true. We know so many people within the 400 people that work at Tangeram that there's no reason that we shouldn't be able to have a warm introduction to people that are chasing business in our markets, Whether that's our partners, whether those are GCs or those are, like you know, architect or design firms that we work with. There's got to be somebody that can make a warm introduction rather than you just like going and knocking on someone's door. Nobody likes that. Chris: Yeah. Amber: And so, I think, just be smart, use the tools that we have and use the resources that we have and be thoughtful and it you know we all get cold calls every day. What do you do with most of them? Ignore, yeah, you can tell what the difference is. So like, do you want to be the one that gets ignored, or how do you go about doing it a little bit differently, and it's generally because someone sends you an email that said you know, chris, you should meet Amber. Chris: That's actually how this happened, right? Someone sent an email and said right, so there's. So you know that you touch on a topic that I do like to talk about it, because there's there's always learning. So what do y'all do at Tangram to try to, you know, build and maintain these important relationships with customers, with your partners, with your stakeholders? I mean, they're all so important. So what are some of the things that y'all maybe talk about and try to put into practice to make sure you're building and maintaining those relationships? Amber: Yeah, good, I mean, I think there's kind of there's a million different ways, but I think there's three kind of pillars, if you were to boil it down. One, it's the social touch. Right, let's have a drink, let's go to dinner, let's just get to know each other as people because, truthfully, everybody wants to hang out and do business with people that they know right. Chris: People know what they like, that they like and then, ultimately, they've learned to trust right, exactly right. Amber: So, but the flip of that and it's a double edged sword is that nobody likes to do business with someone that goes out and has a bunch of drinks and doesn't wake up the next day Like no one wants to do business with the party animal either, right? So we say that when you're doing your social touches and you're entertaining and you're getting to know someone as a human being, then you also need to follow that up with. You know, research, information, like what are you doing to add value to what they're doing in their life or their job? And so for us, the ability to bring what other organizations are doing to the table for other companies that are in like situations is a huge benefit for us. So maybe you're a I don't know a science, I don't know. Let me think of something good. Maybe you're in the industry entertaining industry and you are trying to figure out what to do with your new space. Well, we've got five other companies that are in the same industry. So we'll pull together a round table and you guys can talk amongst yourselves about how you, what you're doing to bring people back or what you're doing. That's a little bit different. So I think it's utilizing our resources. It also helps to be able to prove that we've got some customers in that market or that industry right, that vertical, and we know what we're doing in that vertical. Let's bring those people together. So it's again, it's utilizing our network to really help teach each other and in doing that you become a trusted advisor. I think that's it, and consistency, right, just showing that over and over again and not when there's work. Just to say happy birthday, or I thought about you. How's your Tuesday going? Chris: Yeah, be genuine. Amber: The thing that we all want right that they say no one checks in on the strong people Like. Sometimes it's nice to just get a message that says hope, you have a great day. So I mean, I think that's the simplest way of just being human and authentic, but it is so underplayed in this world. Chris: Sad but true. So let's go back to, maybe, the office space. Yeah, I think there's obviously so much that's been discussed from the, you know, the work remote hybrid. Now you start seeing companies are mandating back in the office, so maybe you can talk some about what are some of the trends that you're seeing in, you know, in office space design concept, etc. That companies are asking for or coming to you with to try to create that environment. As you said earlier, that will make it compelling for someone to leave home to be back in the office. Amber: Yeah, I mean I would say number one there there's a lot less private offices that there used to be. If there are private offices, they're on the interior core of the building so that the light can be exposing to all of the stations and the other employees throughout the office space. We're seeing a lot of greenery being added to spaces and lots of areas that should make you feel like you have choice around where you work. So lots, a lot of maybe two employees to one desk type of environments, less dedicated desks so that you can walk in and say you know, today I want to work over in this corner in this little nook, or today I want to work at this desk. Those are the kinds of things that we're seeing a lot of. I think every single area has so much technology that we might have also started forgetting about the analog just whiteboard right. The ability to just pick up and just brainstorm versus having to create a flow chart on a PowerPoint right. So one doesn't cancel out the other. The need for both is still there, and so I think, when you're talking about these kinds of different spaces, when you get to the office it's like are there team breakout rooms that maybe I have whiteboards and monitors and desks that move around and I can set it up for my team for the week and then set it up for another team the next week. So just lots of things that are mobile and allow for the most amount of spaces to work harder than just with one purpose. Chris: Okay, yeah, so just kind of the flexibility. Amber: Massive right now flexibility and technology that's on casters, so it's also mobile right so everything is moving and I think part of that is realizing that, like that, when COVID hit and everything was fixed, it was like how are we going to rearrange, you know, when things then automatically went to casters and it was like we can move around wherever so that you really can't allow yourself to set up for the day the best that works for your goal, for the day at work. Chris: I like that. So I'm going to kind of change subjects a little bit. Amber: Would you like that though? Like, would you like if you didn't have to go into your office? Like, would you feel comfortable working out into the open floor plan? Because you just said you guys all go into your private offices when you get there and but you like having the doors open. If you found yourself in an open environment, do you think it would change the way that you work? Chris: I don't know. It's a great day. I like, well, see this one. I like coming into the office, I like the flexibility of, you know, working remote when it makes sense or when I can, and like to your point, there are some days when, at least given what I do, I get lots of interruptions throughout the day and if I need to not be interrupted, you know I may not come to the office to, so I can focus for four or five hours or whatnot. Amber: Isn't that interesting. And it's so funny because I don't know that I would have said that five years ago. Like if I have a focus day, I'm going to stay home. Chris: Yeah. Amber: Also to think about that, like, what it works for you might not work for the 30 year old mom. Right, they need five hours to focus. They can't do that at home, they're going straight to the office, right, and I have. Chris: We have some young mothers here that will tell you. They come to the office and please don't make me go home to get work done. The other thing that I'll say to you as an aside, that it is part of the younger generation which, unfortunately, I guess I'm not but earbuds while they work, listening not just to music, but they'll be listening to crime podcast or things, and I'm like how are you doing that and still focusing on what you're doing? I, you know, I don't know. Amber: Outwild. Yeah, so I think that's funny. We learned that while we were all in the same storm we were all in very different boats. Right, what your boat was and the size of your boat at home was very different than other people's with kids and talking to people's with kids and toddlers and kindergarten, and yeah, I got to the office and was like, oh, I want to drink hot coffee here in silence. This is heaven. But yeah, the micro or the multitasking and getting a lot of stuff done, it's interesting when we used to see the head, the earbuds that were more like hey, this is my cue to say that I'm doing heads down, quiet work, so don't interrupt me. I'm doing some furniture pieces that allow for you to like kind of pull out and it's a storage piece, but it basically, when it's out, it's the equivalent of your buds and like don't, I'm working, I'm in heads down road right now. For those of us that don't have the private office ability to shut the door. Chris: I think you know to you're asking about our space and it's hard because when we're not, that I mean everyone up here is kind of in a cone of confidentiality with our clients, business. But to be in a, you know, in a private, close space, to be able to have a conversation without a bunch of other people in open space, is, you know, kind of what works in our environment, in our industry related to law. Yeah, yeah, and the and I, you know I would work remote even before Kobe hit, you know, because it's just the nature of what I do and it's what I do and the demands. But I do believe the flexibility is a good thing. We also think we work and what we do, and it may be true for you, when we can collaborate together and, like you said, get on a whiteboard and actually brainstorm something together, you just can't do that on video. And the other thing that I know you're aware of that there's lots of been written you lose that social, there's a social piece that happens kind of before or after in between meetings. That when you're on scheduled zoom and you're going to the next and next, you lose. And that's to me really where culture gets built. Amber: Yes, it's the how is your weekend, which sometimes is grading, because it's small talk, but then it's like then learning that they like X and oh, me too, and right, and it creates a whole another conversation which then leads to brainstorming. And right, I mean like the Googles of the world created a 15 minute line on purpose in their cafeteria so that people from different buildings across the campus would cross pollinate intentionally while they waited for their food. It's exactly the same idea. It's like how do I get these people to stop and talk to other people within the office If they're never here? How do they create a relationship? There is no culture created on a web camera. Right, there's not just a bunch of people themselves in the camera. Chris: That's right. You're distracted by backgrounds and or or I was literally conducting an interview earlier this week via video and the person that was interviewing for the position had a dog barking and finally it was like it has to be, everyone else is on mute, right and but they didn't finally like 20 minutes in. They finally said you know, I'm sorry, my dog, but I was like, oh my gosh. Amber: I would be so mortified. I had a very awkward one early on where there was a naked moment. We'll leave it at that. And yeah, it's been a wild ride. These zoom backgrounds and so, anyway, blurring is best, if nothing else is the lesson. Chris: So let me talk a little bit about you and what the question is kind of you as a leader, how would you describe your leadership style? Let's say this as a today, but how has that evolved? Because I know where you are today is probably not where you were five plus years ago, because we all evolve as we go. Amber: Yeah, I try to be super authentic. I try to be the boss I always wanted to be, which I think if you do it like that, then it kind of keeps you human. I never try to ask anyone to do something that I wouldn't be willing to stay and do with them, and I think that comes with the history of starting in this business and working my way through it, so that there's not really any job here that I don't know how to help with. But I think the ability to know that I'm not just kind of hollowing down from the mountain top and willing to like roll up my sleeves and do it with you Gosh, how have they changed? I think that before I would have had things I would have wanted to say and I would have thought long and hard about how to say them, and I think over the years I've learned that rapid, radical honesty is play. So rather than spending a week and a half trying to come up with the exact way that I might say something that wouldn't offend someone and then dredge it all back up again, I'd rather just address it, talk about it. Hey, this didn't feel right. A better way to do that might have been this had this you know effect and you might not have realized that when you were doing it. Here's a different way. I think if you can address those things instantaneously, even though it might be a little raw in the moment, I think that for me that is really allowed for there to be a lot of growth and honesty in my relationships for people that work with me. Chris: I like that. Amber: And that statement right there people that work with me. That's the other piece the people that work with me. I think something happens when you get into a certain leadership place where you're like the people that work for me and I will never be that leader the people that work with me. Chris: It's a team mentality 100%. I think that's a very it may sound subtle to some, but I think it's a very big distinction and how your mindset is. If you could, if you approach it with the we versus the I and actually in a genuine way, that will your, the people you work with will feel that and sense that, and I think the way they respond to you is exponentially better. Amber: Yeah, you know it's funny because I had a conversation with a colleague recently that said you know, you might be too close to some of the people on your team. And it was funny because in the same way that I'll take the rat, I'll give the radical instant criticism. You have to be able to receive it as well. And I think I took it the other way. I swung the pendulum so hard and I cut all of these really strong relationships that I had made in a business way and kind of turned them into friends and started to try to draw this line. And it took me about six months to realize that I was very sad without those people in my world and I wanted to open back up again and be the person that I had been before. So back to the leadership piece. I think it's important for me to say that while I'm also willing to receive feedback, I'm also not willing to accept it all as fact. Good, that's all of it is stuff that you have to be able to process through and realize what you want to keep and what you want to discard, and then what you want to implement right. And so for me, I tried it and it didn't work and it was like nope, I'm going to go back to this other way. And I think that is what growth is is the willingness to change and change back. Chris: Sure, and I think, being self aware right Absolutely. I think that's that can apply in so many ways. I think to the willingness to try something different, the willingness to be honest about it, whether it's working or not, and it's okay as an example, it's okay. Well, that decision ended up not being right, so let's go back. Amber: For me. Right, it didn't work for me and that's good that it works for others. I think I appreciate that boundary. For other people it's. That kind of work life balance is a funny it's a funny conversation. For me I think that it's a joke, frankly, like some days we spend 90% of our effort and energy in the office and we only have 10% left at home. Sometimes it's like I can give 50 feet and you know it's not an issue. Some days I have got to deal with my familial obligations and it's going to maybe only be a 25 day for the work life and the business life is going to get the rest of it and I think that when you work yourself into an organization that you're happy and comfortable with, that, it allows for me as a leader to have that type of balance, but it also allows for me to provide and allow that type of balance to the people that work with us. Chris: Yes, but we can do a whole episode on work the myth of work life balance. You know it's to me the word balance is probably the worst word you could use for that. I think it's work life integration. Amber: Exactly. Chris: Yeah, it's a way you know there's no you know, and that it all changes depending on your stage of life as well. We used to have work-life balance in our core values. We changed that because what we realized is that's not really a corporate culture, it's more of a personal value or culture, right, because it depends on life. If you're in your late 20s versus your late 40s, your world is different and the way you balance things is going to be very different. Amber: Greatly different. It's so ironic that you say that we have. We used to have some meetings with new hires where we would tell them you know, this is kind of what's been working for their lives, some of the upper leadership and management and early on those 20-somethings we're hearing, if you just make all of your work friends, your own friends, then you'll be fine, which, they heard. Lose your friends because we're going to take over your life, right, and it's like that's not what we're saying. What we actually mean is that you will find a balance there where you do genuinely enjoy hanging out with people that you work with or people that you do business with, and you will find a balance in that and that's a little bit of the integration, but also that you'll be able to give and take where and when you need throughout the day and week. So yeah, it's a. The word balance, I just think in general, is hilarious. It's a funny word, but I do think it's great that we all keep trying. Chris: Well, that's the point, right. As you said, every day's a little different. Do you find the way to make it work and integrate both? And so, yeah, some days are 90 work, 10 families, some are 90 family, 10 work and everything in between. Amber: Yeah, it's funny Brené Brown talks about like in marriage it's not 50, 50,. Like she walks in at home and is like I got 70 today and he's like cool, I got your other 30. And it works like that and I feel like that very much in the office and I think if, if we could all just be honest and stop calling these workplaces families right. Like this is not our family. These are the company that we work for and we enjoy very much the people that we work with, but we all have families at home and you know it's important that they feel as much love as the people that we enjoy working with on a regular basis. And you know it's going to wave and it's going to ebb and flow, but I think that's part of what life is. Chris: That's so true. Okay, this has been really great conversation. I love the hearing in which all are doing to help companies you know, move forward, be innovative in their space. I want to turn now the last minute or so. Just some fun stuff to know about you. So tell us what was your first job. Amber: I ditched school at 14 to go get lunch at Subway and I left with a job. Chris: So, but instead of ordering a sandwich, you got behind the counter. Amber: I ate my sandwich. And then that on car sued offered me a job and I left at 14 as a Subway sandwich artist. My mom was not very pleased that she had to drive me to and from the subway on multiple times a week, but it was a great first job. I loved it. Chris: Okay, did you stay with school? Amber: Yeah, oh, of course yes. No it was an after school job. Chris: I got you. I got you All right. So you're new to Texas. But I ask all my guests do you prefer Tex-Mex or barbecue? Amber: Oh my gosh, I can't even say Tex-Mex, like I feel like I need there to be Mexican food here. So we're just going to default to barbecue, for sure, absolutely. Chris: So you have not adjusted to Tex-Mex. Amber: You know what? I'm 40 years, a Californian, and I don't know that I ever will. I was laughing because they were doing the best tacos in Texas. A little blurb the other day on the news and I was like they're in the wrong state for the best taco competition. This is not where they live, but I'm sorry, I do love your eyes as barbecue. Chris: That's okay. That's okay, we'll forgive you. We will agree to disagree on that. Amber: Okay, all right, you have bomb queso, though I'll give you that. Chris: Okay, we'll meet you, you all, don't have queso in California. Amber: Not like you guys do. You have it at like every Mexican restaurant. It's not a thing there really, oh sure. Chris: I mean, I think the first real food both of my daughters had like at a week old was queso. Amber: We started early. Chris: Yeah, so okay, If you could take a 30-day sabbatical, what would you? Where would you go? What would you do? Amber: Ooh, that's an excellent question. I feel like I would probably go just get an Airbnb in France and just spend a couple of weeks just living life there, cruising around on the bike, traveling with my family, working, painting, just being. I think we spend so much time following a calendar. I would love to just kind of float and see what happens when we're creative without the schedule. Chris: That's where. Amber: I come from and we don't do enough of it. Chris: Sadly, you're right, Amber. This has been awesome. It's been a pleasure, you know, hearing your story, tangram story. Thank you for all the insights you've provided and just wish all the best of luck as you grow your business here in Texas. Amber: Thank you so much, chris, we appreciate it. Chris: All right, take care.

Dr. Tracy Brower is a sociologist studying work life fulfillment and happiness. She is the author of two books: The Secrets to Happiness at Work and Bring Work to Life by Bringing Life to Work. She is also a contributor for Forbes.com and Fast Company, and a Vice President of Workplace Insights with the Applied Research + Consulting group at Steelcase. Dr. Brower explains why employees feel unfulfilled and what brings them happiness at work.

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In this episode I interview Kim Dabbs,  Global VP of ESG and Social Innovation at Steelcase. Dabbs  discusses the career path into ESG, outlining the. value of ESG and Social Innovation programming and goals to stakeholders, and her organization, To Belonging. 

Send us a Text Message.Tracy Brower, PhD, visits Why I Left to discuss work life fulfillment and happiness. She is a sociologist and author of "The Secrets to Happiness At Work," and "Bring Work to Life by Bringing Life to Work." Shes also a contributor for Forbes.com and Fast Company.Given the movement in the job market, clearly people are looking for something different. So, I invited Tracy to join the show and share tips on how people can leverage happiness in their current or future work environment.When shes not writing, Tracy is the Vice President of Workplace Insights for Steelcase, an organization leading the way in designing spaces to help people work, learn and heal.Enjoy!Stay connected with our GuestConnect with Tracy on LinkedIn and visit tracybrower.comBuy Tracys Books on AmazonSupport the ShowKey topics discussed (Timestamps):03:00 How work and community connections are everywhere.06:00 The inspiration behind Bring Work To Life.09:00 Important questions on creating great work experiences.15:00 How work expresses our talents and capabilities.18:00 The Great Resignations impact on workplace happiness.21:00 How the Secrets to Happiness At Work creates autonomy for people to choose the right working conditions.27:00 How people get a sense of belonging?33:00 Closing thoughts and resourcesVisit Us: Why I LeftSubscribe on: YouTube, Apple Podcasts, & SpotifyRSS feed: Why I Left RSSFollow us:Instagram: @OfficialWhyILeftLinkedIn: @WhyILeftFacebook: @OfficialWhyILeft#WhyILeftPodcast #GreatResignation #PodcastShoutout to our crew: Why I Left Logo: Ei8htz.B Runs Chicago BetterHelp Online Therapy - Get 10% off your first month and get matched to a therapist. 10% off first order at APodcastGeek.com Visit APodcastGeek.com, sign up, and use code BA10 to get 10% off your first order.Buzzsprout - Let's get your podcast launched!Start for FREEDisclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.Support the Show.

Tracy Brower, PhD, visits Why I Left to discuss work life fulfillment and happiness. She is a sociologist and author of  "The Secrets to Happiness At Work," and "Bring Work to Life by Bringing Life to Work." She's also a contributor for Forbes.com and Fast Company. Given the movement in the job market, clearly people are looking for something different. So, I invited Tracy to join the show and share tips on how people can leverage happiness in their current or future work environment.  When she's not writing, Tracy is the Vice President of Workplace Insights for Steelcase, an organization leading the way in designing spaces to help people work, learn and heal.  Enjoy! Stay connected with our GuestConnect with Tracy on LinkedIn and visit tracybrower.comBuy Tracy's Books on AmazonSupport the ShowKey topics discussed (Timestamps):03:00    How work and community connections are everywhere.06:00    The inspiration behind Bring Work To Life.09:00    Important questions on creating great work experiences.15:00    How work expresses our talents and capabilities.18:00    The Great Resignation's impact on workplace happiness.21:00    How the Secrets to Happiness At Work creates autonomy for people to choose the right working conditions.27:00    How people get a sense of belonging?33:00    Closing thoughts and resources Visit Us: Why I LeftSubscribe on: YouTube,  Apple Podcasts, & SpotifyRSS feed: Why I Left RSSFollow us:Instagram: @OfficialWhyILeftLinkedIn: @WhyILeftFacebook: @OfficialWhyILeft#WhyILeftPodcast #GreatResignation Wear Many Hats: Interviewing Executive Business PeopleInterviewing leading executive business people to Inspire others...Listen on: SpotifyThis episode is brought to you in part by Gaspard Tovar Consulting. Inspiring others, providing clarity to the financial aspects of life, and helping you achieve your financial goals.Gaspard Tovar Consulting Gaspard Tovar Consulting, LLC: Helping manage your finances so you can focus on your business.Buzzsprout - Let's get your podcast launched! Start for FREEDisclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.Support the show

After Donald Miller's parents got divorced, his father completely disappeared from his life. For years, Donald blamed himself for his father leaving. His guilt manifested in the form of teenage rebellion: breaking into people's houses, shoplifting, and defying his religious values. However, he turned his life around when his youth minister David Gentiles asked him to write columns for the church newspaper, which sparked his passion and talent for writing. Now, Donald is a bestselling author and the CEO of two companies. He spends his days helping high-dollar brands refine their storytelling strategy. In this episode of YAP Classic, you'll learn about how to harness the power of storytelling and what ingredients make a great story.  Donald is widely considered one of the most entertaining and informative speakers in the world. His audiences are challenged to lean into their own story, creatively develop and execute the story of their team, and understand the story of their customers so they can serve them with passion. Don's thoughts on story have deeply influenced leaders and teams for Pantene, Ford/Lincoln, Zaxby's, Chick-fil-A, Steelcase, Intel, Prime Lending, and thousands more. In this episode, Hala and Donald will discuss:  - The four major characters in almost every story   - Why storytelling is such a powerful tool  - What several brands get wrong about telling stories   - Opening and closing story loops  - Never stop talking about the problem your brand is trying to solve  - Steps to establishing yourself as the guide for your customers  - The seven things that happen in every story  - Elements of a great call-to-action  - Why you should follow up with your customers - And other topics… Donald Miller is the CEO of StoryBrand, an agency that has helped more than 10,000 organizations clarify their brand message, and Business Made Simple, an online platform that teaches business professionals everything they need to know to grow their business and enhance their value on the open market.  Donald also hosts the Business Made Simple podcast and is the author of personal essays and books about faith, God, and self-discovery, including the bestsellers Building a StoryBrand, Marketing Made Simple, and his most recent, Hero on a Mission. He lives and works in Nashville, Tennessee with his wife Elizabeth on their estate, Goose Hill.  LinkedIn Secrets Masterclass, Have Job Security For Life: Use code ‘podcast' for 30% off at yapmedia.io/course. Resources Mentioned:  Business Made Simple: https://www.businessmadesimple.com/ StoryBrand: https://storybrand.com/ Free 5-Minute Marketing Makeover: http://www.5minutemarketingmakeover.com/ Business Made Simple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/business-made-simple-with-donald-miller/id1092751338  Donald's Books: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=donald+miller+books&gclid=CjwKCAiAxvGfBhB-EiwAMPakqpWbtWazcyT3D0-zfAf9X4SjIddsk--yAwjo-TiLrkyUwizHRplq-xoCdf4QAvD_BwE&hvadid=580628975667&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=1017108&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=e&hvrand=11272388198254768624&hvtargid=kwd-1038300247&hydadcr=8238_13500835&tag=googhydr-20&ref=pd_sl_1a89j6lr3o_e  Donald's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/donald-miller-storybrand/ Donald's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/donaldmiller/?hl=en  Donald's Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/donaldmillerwords/  Donald's Twitter: https://twitter.com/donaldmiller?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor  Sponsored By:  Elo Health - Go to https://elo.health/ and enter code YAP for 50% off your first month More About Young and Profiting Download Transcripts - youngandprofiting.com   Get Sponsorship Deals - youngandprofiting.com/sponsorships Leave a Review - ratethispodcast.com/yap Watch Videos - youtube.com/c/YoungandProfiting Follow Hala Taha LinkedIn - linkedin.com/in/htaha/ Instagram - instagram.com/yapwithhala/ TikTok - tiktok.com/@yapwithhala Twitter - twitter.com/yapwithhala Learn more about YAP Media Agency Services - yapmedia.io/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dr. Tracy Brower is a PhD sociologist and vice president of workplace insights for Steelcase. She is the author of The Secrets to Happiness at Work and Bring Work to Life, as well as a contributor to Forbes.com and Fast Company. Traci and Tracy sort through information on workplace happiness and how the workplace meets important needs in our lives for happiness, meaning, and belonging. Not everyone wants to be friends with their co-workers but we do get an important sense of identity and belonging from our work that cannot be overlooked. Episode Timeline [00:09] Intro  [0:58] Meet Tracy [4:19] Human connection and feeling of community is critical for our work. [7:19] The workplace is an important place of stability and identity that is important to our well-being.  [14:19] Comparison goals like wealth and status don't lead to happiness. [17:08] List of the top 5 happiness producers in our lives. [25:08] What leads to workplace burnout? [34:27] Friendship, friendliness, and trust in our workplace relationships.  [43:06] Closing [43:32] Outro Resources Mentioned The Secrets to Happiness At Work (Book) Bring Work to Life (Book) Standout Quotes the thing that I'm thinking about work is just how critical it is that we appreciate it as part of a full life, not the only part of our life, but part of a full life.” (Tracy) I think we can get into this almost like a vicious cycle of I don't feel connected, I don't feel as valued, therefore, I don't connect as much, and I don't feel as valued.” (Tracy) “Whenever we get our roots disconnected from our community, we have a psychological reaction to that from a deep attachment place, from a psychological place in us. For some of us, what happens is we do have to find a villain in that narrative.” (Traci) “One of the things that's correlated with happiness is focusing on the community, focusing on what I'm giving. More generosity is correlated with happiness, and more self-focus is negatively correlated with happiness.” (Tracy) Sometimes we think of purpose with a capital P, and if I'm not changing the world. But really, it's just the thing that we do well. We wake up in the morning and do well for the people that we care about and for our work community and our broader community.” (Tracy) Usually, the best team bonding happens through task where we're rolling up our sleeves together and working on a new initiative or solving a problem.” (Tracy) Connect: Find | Sidewalk Talk  At sidewalk-talk.org On Instagram: @sidewalktalkorg On Twitter: @sidewalktalkorg   Find | Traci Ruble At Traciruble.com On Instagram: @TraciRubleMFT On Twitter: @TraciRubleMFT On Facebook: @TraciRubleMFT   Find | Dr. Tracy Brower At www.davidbedrick.com On Instagram: @tlb108 On LinkedIn: @tracybrowerphd On Twitter: @tracybrower108   SUBSCRIBE TO THIS PODCAST On Apple Podcasts On Google Podcasts On Spotify On YouTube  

Toyota critica la electrificación total / Industria pesquera vs. eólica / Galaxy S23 muy bueno y muy caro / Bizum rompe récords / Un pez se gasta el dinero de su dueño Patrocinador: Aunque el Gobierno haya eliminado las ayudas, en BP siguen los ahorros de 10 céntimos por litro utilizando la tarjeta MI BP, que puedes instalar como aplicación en tu móvil, y en cuestión de segundos empezar a ahorrar y acumular puntos. — Te dejo el catálogo de regalos y privilegios como los descuentos en Amazon. Toyota critica la electrificación total / Industria pesquera vs. eólica / Galaxy S23 muy bueno y muy caro / Bizum rompe récords / Un pez se gasta el dinero de su dueño

Tracy Brower, PhD is Vice President of Workplace Insights at Steelcase and the author of two books, “The Secrets to Happiness at Work” and “Bring Work to Life”. She is a sociologist studying work life fulfillment and happiness while writing as a contributor for Forbes.com and Fast Company. A frequent guest on the show, Mike Petrusky welcomes Tracy back to discuss the state of the workplace in 2023 and the most important areas that workplace leaders should be considering in the New Year. They explore the value of connections and community for human beings and take a journey through the research and personal experiences related to human thriving at work. Mike and Tracy offer practical advice and musical inspiration for facility management and corporate real estate leaders interested in creating great employee experiences for their organizations. Connect with Tracy on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tracybrowerphd/ Learn more about Steelcase: https://www.steelcase.com/ Find Tracy's books and other resources for leaders: https://tracybrower.com/ Discover free resources and explore past interviews at: https://www.workplaceinnovator.com/ Learn more about Eptura™: https://eptura.com/ Connect with Mike on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikepetrusky/  

We had a great discussion with Mary Brown, Culture Consultant at Steelcase, a leading Furniture and Home Furnishings Manufacturing company that helps people do their best work by creating places that work better. When considering team performance and productivity, few elements are more important than workplace culture. Using consultation, collaboration, co-creation, and change management, Mary provides guidance towards building the organizational cultural transformation. She leads the discussion by asking "What can we do to build an inclusive and dynamic hybrid workplace culture?"We agree that workplace culture can make or break the employee experience. Thank you, Mary, for your contribution toward making it more rewarding and enjoyable!

We discussed a few things including the state of hard tech accelerators and the startup enviroment.Panelists included:Ela Jaworski, cofounder and CEO of XN Health, a HAX-backed venture (Newark).Laate Olukotun, cofounder/Chief of Product & Experience Design, InnerStill (NextFab, Philly)Justin Kosmides, cofounder and CEO of Vela Bikes, a tenant of Newlab (Brooklyn).Ela is passionate about bringing novel, promising new technologies to the market where she has over 9 years of experience researching and developing novel laboratory techniques and medical treatments. She is currently the co-founder and CEO of XN Health, a medical device startup developing a novel therapy intended to facilitate the weaning of mechanically ventilated patients by preventing and combating the progression of diaphragmatic atrophy. Prior to this venture, she helped develop a simple and affordable Next-Generation Sequencing library synthesis technology called ClickSeq and subsequently founded ClickSeq Technologies.Laate has designed and developed websites, apps, physical products, spaces, and experiences for a range of organizations including Steelcase, NextFab Foundation, and Mayo Clinic. He holds a BA in Economics from Yale University and a Master of Design from the Institute of Design at IIT. He runs the design agency Lollygig. He is also the Chief of Product & Experience Design and Co-Founder of Innerstill – a minority-owned, women-led enterprise launching wearable electroceutical products for restoring a sense of calm and increased feelings of wellbeing and inner fitness.Justin decided to pursue his passion for biking after a decade in the investment banking industry and tap into the changing world of mobility and electrical vehicles. Starting and scaling a brand during covid brought a long list of challenges but all of those have resulted in a resilient brand.

Big Tech is gang-tackling the NFL: First Amazon won Thursday Night Football, now Apple owns the Super Bowl Halftime Show. Camera icon Polaroid just pivoted from cameras to speakers, but the real product it's selling is an emotion. And Steelcase is #1 in office chairs for your butt, but it needs offices to get fun fast for it to survive. $AAPL $AMZN $SCS Follow The Best One Yet on Instagram, Twitter, and Tiktok: @tboypod And now watch us on Youtube Want a Shoutout on the pod? Fill out this form Got the Best Fact Yet? We got a form for that too Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Augmented reveals the stories behind the new era of industrial operations, where technology will restore the agility of frontline workers. In episode 24 of the podcast (@AugmentedPod), the topic is: Emerging Interfaces for Human Augmentation. Our guest is Pattie Maes, Professor at the MIT Media Lab.In this conversation, we talk about augmenting people instead of using or making smart machines, AI summers and AI winters, parallels between AI and expert systems and why we didn't learn our lessons, enabling people to perform better through fluid, interactive, immersive and wearable systems that are easy to use, how lab thinks about developing new form factors, and much more.After listening to this episode, check out MIT Media Lab as well as Pattie Maes's social profile:MIT Media Lab: @medialab (twitter) https://www.media.mit.edu/ (web)Pattie Maes: https://www.media.mit.edu/overview Trond's takeaway: Augmenting people is far more complex than developing a technology or even experimenting with form factors. Instead, there's a whole process to exploring what humans are all about, discovering opportunities for augmentation and tweaking it in dialogue with users. The Media Lab's approach is work intensive, but when new products make it out of there, they tend to extend a human function as opposed to becoming just a new gadget.Thanks for listening. If you liked the show, subscribe at Augmentedpodcast.co or in your preferred podcast player, and rate us with five stars. If you liked this episode, you might also like episode 19, Machine Learning in Manufacturing, episode 7, Work of the Future, or episode 13, Get Manufacturing Superpowers. Augmented--industrial conversations. Transcript: TROND: Augmented reveals the stories behind a new era of industrial operations where technology will restore the agility of frontline workers. In Episode 24 of the podcast, the topic is Emerging Interfaces for Human Augmentation. Our guest is Pattie Maes, Professor at the MIT Media Lab. In this conversation, we talk about augmenting people instead of using or making smart machines. We discuss AI summers and AI winters, the parallels between AI and expert systems and why we didn't learn our lessons, enabling people to perform better through fluid, interactive, immersive, and wearable systems that are easy to use, and how the lab thinks about developing new form factors, and much more. Augmented is a podcast for industry leaders and operators hosted by futurist Trond Arne Undheim, presented by Tulip.co, the frontline operations platform, and associated with MFG.works, the industrial upskilling community launched at the World Economic Forum. Each episode dives deep into a contemporary topic of concern across the industry and airs at 9:00 a.m. U.S. Eastern Time, every Wednesday. Augmented — the industry 4.0 podcast. Pattie, how are you today? PATTIE: Hi. I'm doing great. Thank you. Thanks for having me. TROND: Oh, sure. I'm very excited to have you. And in fact, I just feel like the audience should get to know you. I know a lot of them do because you have become an innovator that has a stage on TED. And obviously, a lot of people at MIT know you. But I wanted to just recognize that you were one of the early PhDs in AI, right? 1987 is not a time when -- PATTIE: Yeah. [laughs] TROND: Is that what we call the second wave of AI? It's certainly not the -- [laughs] PATTIE: The grandmother of AI, yeah. [laughs] TROND: You're not a recent convert to this topic. That's for sure. PATTIE: So yes, I actually studied artificial intelligence long before it was such a big deal or the big deal that it is right now. But actually, soon after doing my Ph.D. in AI, I became more and more interested in a related problem, the problem of not artificial intelligence but intelligence augmentation, or how can we make people more intelligent, more productive, support them in making better decisions? So soon after my Ph.D., I veered more in that direction. TROND: Well, and that's what we will talk about because you have indeed been on the MIT faculty for 30 years exploring these topics in various kinds of bifurcations. And you have been the advisor to scores of startup founders also. And, of course, people might think that goes through the territory at MIT, but the numbers are really still staggering, and also the performance of some of those startups, including Tulip, which we'll talk about, but also many other startups and many other innovation projects that didn't quite make it to startups. But they still created a lot of attention around the world for the promising demos or the things they suggested about what the future of technology might look like. So I would like first to just recognize that you've achieved, I guess, the amazing feat of not just innovating a lot yourself, but you must be an amazing innovation mentor. And you certainly have inspired a lot of people that I personally know in AI, and in human augmentation, and beyond. And I wanted, first of all, just to see if I could have you reflect a little bit on your journey, which I imagine...well, first of all, it's a nice wordplay from Belgium to Boston. PATTIE: Yeah, so I came here after my Ph.D. actually, and of course, wanted to be in the place in the world where the most exciting research was going on in my area. [laughs] And so initially, I ended up at the AI Lab, but I soon after actually accepted a job at the Media Lab. And what really attracted me there was that the lab is very application-driven. We're very interested in really working towards things that can be deployed in the real world, that can make a difference in the real world, that can be through for-profit startups. But sometimes that is actually in other ways by just freely giving away tools and technologies or maybe starting a not-for-profit to really disseminate something and make something accessible to larger groups of people. So I've always been very attracted to the practical aspect and trying to make a difference really with the work that we do. And as a result, several companies have been created out of my research group. TROND: Was this something you set out to do? When you were in Belgium, getting your degree at the Vrije Universiteit in Brussels, were you thinking I am going to go to America and become an innovator? Was that in your mind? PATTIE: No, I think a lot of that sort of happened accidentally, actually. And one reason I think why I'm interested in practical applications and real-world deployment is that I was never really interested in the technology for the sake of the technology. I'm not one of these people who gets really excited about purely just the technology, the algorithms, and so on. I want to make my life easier and other people's lives easier. And that has always been what motivates me and my work. TROND: And that gets us to intelligence augmentation. Because I guess in some sense, the Media Lab is all about that topic to some extent. And I wanted to also address the fact that not only are you doing the work in your lab, but I think at least for the last few years, you've had the academic responsibility across the lab, and you have shepherded the lab, arguably, through one of its more difficult times. So surely, you have also experienced innovation and the tricky things that show up with innovation across a plethora of fields. But generally, people at the Media Lab are hired, I guess because they think about application. What is it that is so different when you...so let's just start with that. When you start with a human in mind from the get-go, what is the difference that makes? PATTIE: So I think; indeed, our philosophy is always to be, like I said, application-driven. And what that means is that we take a closer look at the ultimate target users and their place or where they live or work, and how the technology could make a difference there and could change things there. So rather than starting from the technology and trying to maybe optimize some algorithm that does X, we actually work closely with target users. We really study their lives today to understand what the pain points are, what the opportunities are for technologies to make a difference and support them in being more effective, more productive. TROND: But you have experienced both sort of AI summers and winters. Is one of the reasons that AI [laughs] tends to get into trouble that it always is very myopic about the technology focus, or is it a more complicated reason why there are these summers and winters? [laughs] PATTIE: Well, I think that that is indeed a primary problem. So yes, there have been several AI summers and winters. Probably a lot of your listeners are young enough that they don't realize that there was another hype cycle for AI that happened sort of in the '80s and '90s with the emergence of expert systems, so-called expert systems. These were not based on machine learning and neural network techniques but instead were typically based on rule-based systems. But they were very sophisticated. They had typically a lot of knowledge built in about a particular problem like, say, making a certain diagnosis, or doing some planning, or what have you. So the systems in laboratory settings were very impressive and were often outperforming experts at doing some scheduling problem, or planning problem, or diagnosis, or recognition problem. But what happened when they were put into the workplace or when people tried to integrate them into the real world was that they basically encountered all sorts of obstacles. One of the obstacles was that people wouldn't necessarily trust the machine, the expert system. They didn't quite know how to work with it or where to fit it into their workflow. They weren't always able to get explanations for why the machine was making a certain decision. It was very hard to correct the knowledge of the system and give it new information or to update its information if it wasn't correct. So there wasn't really a lot of transparency, a lot of controllability, interpretability. And that ultimately was the downfall of expert systems. And so yeah, at that time, just like now, there were many startups, millions of dollars pumped into all of this. The conferences and exhibits were extremely popular, and all of that died down. And we entered an AI winter where suddenly there was very little interest from the real-world businesses in AI. Now, of course, we are in another summer, in another hype cycle. And I am actually very worried that we are making exactly the same mistakes because most of the AI systems that are being developed are being developed very much not in the context of where they ultimately will be used or not with the collaboration of the people who ultimately will use these tools. And so we will encounter exactly the same problems of trust and transparency, and controllability, and interpretability. So, in my work, I've always been emphasizing a different approach. And I like to not call it artificial intelligence but rather maybe augmented human, or augmented intelligence, or maybe human-centric AI because our approach is one where we start out by studying what people are already doing in a certain work environment, whether that is a manufacturing floor or a doctor in the hospital, and so on. And we actually work together with them or think about how we can support the people that are there to do their work better, to be more effective at their work. And so it's a totally different way of looking at a problem. We try to optimize for the person and the technology together to perform better. We don't try to optimize for the algorithm or the system to become better without thinking about how that system will be integrated into our real lives and real-world scenario. TROND: Well, this is super interesting. I want to go into a couple of examples of things that you have done with your students and otherwise in a second. But first, why have we not learned collectively this lesson? I mean, what is it? I mean, is this something you think is happening across the board with technology? Or is it even just specific to this machine learning AI environment that we...are we so tempted by the potential impact of the use cases that we're just getting carried away into the algorithms'depth and then forget the user? Or why haven't people said this is not good enough? PATTIE: I think that it is actually a broader problem with development of digital technologies. All of the technologies that we use today whether it is maybe AI systems or whether it is social networking services and so on, they mostly have been designed and built by engineers, by teams that just consist of engineers and not people that come from very different backgrounds, for example, more social humanities backgrounds, et cetera. One of the reasons that I was very excited to join the Media Lab as opposed to a computer science department is that it is very interdisciplinary. And we really recognize and try to emphasize that interdisciplinarity is extremely important in innovation, in creating things that ultimately will be successful and will be able to make a positive difference basically and a positive impact. So that means involving not just engineers but also designers, people who can really think about making things fluid, seamless about how it integrates into workflow, and so on. But also people from humanities backgrounds, and social scientists, and so on. So I think it's important to have that broader perspective to make or to create technologies that ultimately are desirable and ultimately really improve our lives. TROND: But, Pattie, take me inside of a week in the Media Lab. Because when you describe it this way, it sounds almost so intuitive and simple that I'm wondering why people need to travel to the Media Lab to learn this. Because if it was just simple to just hire a team with different skills, and it will happen, there surely is some other type of magic ingredient. What does a week look like in your lab? How do you draw out the kind of creative energy...maybe it's helpful if you take Arnav Kapur's AlterEgo, which most people know as just that video that went viral. And they're like, imagining the future of computing with just this device where he's not even speaking, but he's kind of just basically controlling, it would seem, the computer with his jaw. Now, fantastic video; how does something like this come out of your lab? PATTIE: So we are a very open laboratory. So, in addition to attracting creative, entrepreneurial people and really cultivating a very interdisciplinary team, we engage a lot in conversations, in discussions with others, with the outside world, which is actually pretty rare still for people in universities. [laughs] So, for example, we have member companies. We have a consortium of companies that fund the Media Lab, and they, pre-COVID at least, come and visit on a daily basis. Every day we have at least ten different companies visiting to see the work, to engage in discussions, to give us feedback. They don't direct the work, but they can be critical. They can see opportunities for where to take it, and so on. And we engage in a very iterative type of style of work, where we quickly prototype something. Like in the case of AlterEgo, it looked pretty ridiculous the way it was glued together with some cardboard and other things that we could find in the lab. [laughs] But we create these very early prototypes that are very clunky, don't work very well. But those make a certain future more visible. They envision what is possible or make it more concrete. And then we invite a lot of feedback from all of these visitors, from all of these people with different backgrounds. And they see opportunities for oh, maybe I would use it this way. Or maybe it's really exciting in that application domain, or I see this or that problem with the technology. So that's really the technique that we pursue, attract a very diverse team of highly creative entrepreneurial people but from very different backgrounds, and engage in a lot of team innovation, and do very iterative types of design, making prototyping, and then getting feedback from really everyone, not just these companies that come and visit but our own families, and of course, the target users of the technologies that we build. So that's the secret sauce, so to speak, [laughs] or the secret to how Media Lab innovation works. TROND: Take us back maybe to 2012 or something. And in the lab, you have two bright people; one is Rony Kubat, who also had a background from the Computer Science and AI Lab at MIT, but then had already come over to study with you. And then you had Natan Linder, who had industry background and had been already head of a Samsung lab in Israel. Now the two of them show up during their masters, I guess, and then ultimately PhDs but masters, I guess, in this context, and they start developing something. Can you tell me a little bit about those early days, early conversations you had with them about what each of them were doing, and your reflections on to what extent some of the early work they did with you how that transpired into what now, 2014 I believe, turned into Tulip Interfaces? And now, in 2021 went on the Gartner calendar, essentially, as a manufacturing execution system. And more broadly, aspirationally, it's a frontline operations platform that can transform the way that workers are working at the frontlines, augmenting them and really changing manufacturing as we know it today with a kind of a no-code system. So this was like fast forward 2012 to 2021. Where were they back then? What was it that you taught them specifically? What were they working on? And how did you work together? PATTIE: What motivated this work initially was this whole realization, in 2012, that we were living in these two parallel worlds, and it's still very much the case. [laughs] We live in the physical world, and then there's this whole digital world with information about all the things around us in the physical world that we are engaged in and so on, the people we're meeting with, and so on. And we realized that or we were frustrated really that these two types of experiences were not connected. For example, if I pick up a book, I can look at the pages, the beautiful pictures in the book, read the back cover to see what people have to say about it. But ideally, at that moment, I will also have access to the rating on Amazon and what others have said about that book or not because that's extremely relevant at that moment when I'm considering whether that book may be an interesting book for me to read. So we were very interested in creating experiences that are more integrated, where our physical lives are more integrated with the digital information that exists about everything around us and all of our actions and experiences. So we experimented with different types of augmented reality systems to bridge that gap and to make the digital information and services available in the physical world. So that's really where the work that Natan and Rony did and what led to Tulip where that started. They were experimenting with building systems that have an integrated camera and projector so that the machine can see what is happening and can project relevant information onto whatever it is looking at. So that people can get, for example, relevant reviews when they're looking at a product that they want to buy. So we actually developed all sorts of prototypes to illustrate this vision of this integrated augmented reality. For example, at that time, together with Intel, we built up an example of a store that has the two integrated, that has physical products; I believe it was cameras. And then there was a projector system that would recognize what camera you were looking at or picking up, and it would give you additional information about it. So it would point out the features by actually pointing at the different buttons on the camera and what was so special about them, et cetera. We also built an augmented desk for a learning context, for an educational context. And in all of these cases, we worked with partners, for example, for the education context to think about how this augmented reality could be used in the context of schools. We worked with Pearson, who's the leading developer of course books and school books, and so on. We then also worked with Steelcase on how this augmented reality technology could be used on the manufacturing floor. How could it help people in real-time by giving them feedback about what they were doing, maybe giving them real-time instructions projected onto their workspace, or maybe alerting them that something wasn't done right or a step was forgotten, and so on? And that work with Steelcase ultimately and with some other sponsors as well like GSK, for example, which does drug development, all of that led to the spin-off to Tulip being created as a company that can really realize that whole vision of an augmented manufacturing place where you can have real-time information provided. But you can also track the whole manufacturing floor in real-time and have very detailed data, and analytics, and intelligence about which steps may cause more errors or which steps in the process, say, take a lot of time, and so on. So you have this real-time insight also into the manufacturing floor that we've never had before. TROND: It's fascinating that you picked this...that they picked this example and that you are kind of explaining it now. Because I want to give people the right sense of what it takes to produce an innovation that turns into a commercial, true product because I saw a version of the product you were explaining now in 2014, in the fall when I was at the Startup Exchange. And I was one of the first in their then Tulip lab with seven employees. But that demo of something that had a camera and a sensor only this spring turned into what Tulip called their vision product. And it's only now coming to market. So here is arguably some of the brightest people working with you, a very experienced mentor, working from 2012 to a demo in 2014. But then they had to take all kinds of other things to market first, and only now, in 2021, is this coming out. I find that an incredible timeline and path. PATTIE: Yeah, it's surprising to me as well, although I have seen it happen multiple times. We think that technology moves really fast. But then, in practice, for an invention like this to ultimately make a difference in the real world typically takes ten years or more. I have had that experience with other technologies that we've invented in the past. Actually, an earlier technology that we invented in our lab was recommendation systems that recommend a book to you because you also liked these other books or because people who also liked the books that you buy also bought this book that is being recommended to you. We invented that technology in '94 [laughs] when browsers were just available. And we were talking a lot to Media Lab member companies about how exciting this would be and how it would personalize the whole online experience if you could get these recommendations from other people like you. And there was excitement among the member companies, but they were at that time saying, "Well, we're not sure that people are ultimately going to feel comfortable giving their credit cards over the internet to buy something. So it seems very exciting, and it's a great vision, but we don't see this happening." [laughter] That was companies like Blockbuster [laughs] and other companies that now are bankrupt, maybe because they didn't take this seriously enough. [laughs] But so because these larger companies were a little bit skeptical about this whole vision that we were portraying of online commerce and recommendations and so on, we started a company ourselves called Firefly in '94 and ultimately sold it to Microsoft actually in '98. But we were just way too far ahead. We were too early. And most people weren't ready to buy things online. Most companies weren't ready to partner with us. And we actually sold a company in '98 at a time when briefly, everybody thought that internet commerce was dead, was not going to take off. A year later, [laughs] our company would have been ten times as much or worth ten times as much as what we sold it for. So, unfortunately, we sold it at the wrong time when there was a lot of pessimism about...and it's hard to believe that now, [laughs], especially now during COVID, that everybody pretty much buys everything online. But yeah, back then in '98, that was not at all clear. And we were too early, basically. So in my experience, it always takes at least 10 to 15 years, even for a technology that seems ready to be deployed to ultimately make a difference in the real world. TROND: Well, the digitalization of physical infrastructure like you started with is a different thing, though, and even more complicated than the trust to buy something online, which I guess is vaguely related to you have to trust that something abstract is actually going to have a consequence. But Rony and Natan told me that they even basically slept over in factories and studied these workers for days and weeks on end, and I guess Tulip is still studying workers. It's not immediately obvious what is the contribution on the factory floor, is it? I mean, it's not as easy as to say, "We have this fancy digital thing that we're going to give you." But why is it so much more complicated? PATTIE: Yeah, I think it's always complicated. [chuckles] And it is important to really understand the context, the actual context of where some technology is going to have to fit in. I remember very well when Rony and Natan were visiting the factories, and they would come back with amazing stories, to our minds, very primitive ways in which everything [laughs] was being done at that time, still a lot of use of paper records, for example, for collecting information. So it was a big gap that had to be bridged [chuckles] really between the vision that we had of this totally connected manufacturing place with all of this real-time data, real-time instructions and advice, being able to also modify things and edit this whole digital layer or digital support system in real-time by the people on the floor, and the managers, and so on. There was really a big gap from that reality of paper-based systems in a very low-tech context to that vision that we had of this smart manufacturing floor. TROND: And how far are we getting with this, and how quickly will it go now? Would you say that this has been a decade of exploration and a lot of these things have been sorted out? Or would you say some quick wins happened, and then some of the slower things they are just slow? Any kind of technology will take the time it takes to fully understand how you can contribute. I guess I'm asking this in the context of another technology that a lot of people are putting a lot of hope in these days, especially perhaps during COVID, you know, robotics on the manufacturing floor and maybe the merging of AI or machine learning and robotics. How do you see these things? How disruptive will any kind of digital device, or software system, or augmented system that should benefit workers how disruptive can these devices and systems become? And have we hit some sort of momentum, or is this still going to be kind of case-by-case basis, and the hype is just not going to be true in this domain? PATTIE: I think we have to accept that progress necessarily is slow. [laughs] I mean, I think the potential is there. But in my experience, really reaching that potential involves learning a lot of hard lessons along the way, but progress is being made. It's just not as quick as we would like it to be. And I think the same will be true for this vision of smart manufacturing, including the use of robotics, which is even more challenging because you have moving parts, [laughs] which means that things break down quicker and that there are also more safety constraints and so on as well. But yeah, progress will continue to be made. And I think it's very important for companies to engage with all of these new technologies, and to do experiments, and to start integrating some of these new technologies in their workplace, or you end up like the Blockbuster [laughs]example that I gave earlier where they said, "We'll deal with this later or when it becomes more important," and then they were bankrupt. TROND: Well, it strikes me that you're not going to give me timelines because it depends on so many things. But if you look at the future of, I guess, cognitive enhancement more generally or certainly these immersive and sometimes wearable systems that you have been building for 30 years, you have an interesting role because you are, of course, inspiring a lot of hype just because the products you build are so fascinating, and they seem so simple. But you are also combining this with being very careful about the predictions that are surrounding it. So tell me a little bit about what the future holds for these things. I mean, are we to expect more of these fascinating devices coming on market, or are you exploring a lot more of those in your lab right now? PATTIE: Oh yeah. TROND: Where is it at the moment on the experimental stage? PATTIE: There's never a shortage of interesting new ideas for us to work on. I always have way too many or more than I have students to work on them. [laughs] But one area that we are exploring in the lab right now is we want to go beyond systems that help people with providing information. The focus on digital technologies, whether it is laptops, or watches, or smartphones, has been primarily on communication and also the system giving you information. And with the work that we talked about so far today, the focus was on giving them that information integrated into whatever they are doing so that they don't have to try to juggle between the physical and then the digital information that may be relevant to whatever physical stuff somebody is doing. But we're trying now to go beyond systems that give you information and are interested in looking at how digital devices can help people with issues such as attention, motivation, memory, learning, grit even, creativity. We think that given that all of us are now sort of forever after cyborgs, we always have technology with us. We have our smartphones never far [laughs] away from our body. Many of us wear a smartwatch as well. And so we have this opportunity now to use these systems to help people with a lot more than just giving them access to information. The systems increasingly have sensors integrated that can sense what the person is doing, where they are, maybe even what their heart rate is, and whether they are maybe a little bit anxious at the moment or not, or maybe the opposite. Maybe they're too sleepy; they're not engaged. So increasingly, systems will have a better sense like that of the state of a person, the cognitive state of a person, and will help the person with being in the state that they want to be in. For example, we've been building glasses that have built-in sensors for sensing brainwave activity as well as for sensing eye movements. And that pair of glasses it's called the AttentivU project. It can actually give you feedback about your own attention level. Are you being highly attentive right now? Or are you being distracted? Are you fatigued? And so on. And we use that information to help a person to be aware of the fact maybe that a driver of a truck should be taking a break because they're too fatigued, or it can help a person who's listening to a lecture be more attentive because the system can tell them when their attention is waning. So we think that this is an exciting new direction to really go beyond just giving a person information about whatever job they're doing, or whatever they're working on, or are thinking about, or doing, but going beyond that and helping them with those skills that are really important for being successful in life that all of us struggle with, and that all of us keep having to work on. TROND: Fascinating. That's fascinating. I want to ask you what is your goal with all of these activities? Because you are an innovator, but innovators are always motivated. Good innovators are always motivated by something. What is it ultimately that you have been trying to achieve over these years? PATTIE: I really want to help people. [laughs] I did study computer science and artificial intelligence. But my goal is not to create smarter, more capable machines or algorithms. I ultimately want to help people with machines, with AI. I want to enable them to live their best lives and to grow and learn and ultimately become the person that they would like to be. TROND: So you have a very optimistic view on a future that a lot of people are scared about right now. Some people might be scared about AI. They might be scared about what they're seeing around them. How do you maintain this very optimistic vision? Is it because you feel like you have agency? You get clever students come in and work on your ideas. I guess I'm just trying to say that usually, I would ask people what is the best way to stay up to date and kind of model what you're doing? And the obvious thing would be they should try and come and apply and come to your lab. Now, some people will achieve that, not very many, right? It's a small space, so there are limits. PATTIE: [laughs] [crosstalk 43:43] TROND: The other advice would be to pay to get to the Media Lab and become a corporate sponsor; that seems to be another avenue. But do you have any other less obvious ways that people can emanate some of this spirit that I think you...because you're sharing an entire approach to how to understand technology, how to develop technology, but also a vision of what technology should be doing for us. You kind of have a philosophy. You told me a philosophy with a small p about technology. How should people try to learn more about it, engage with that kind of philosophy? PATTIE: Yeah, I do think it is the role of the Media Lab to be optimistic really and to see the potential of emerging technologies in improving people's lives. That is really sort of our unique focus among all university research laboratories. We look at emerging technologies, and we try to be positive thinkers or optimistic thinkers in terms of how those technologies can ultimately empower people to improve their own lives, their communities, and their environment, the natural world around them as well. We try not to be naive, [laughs] in that quest at the same time. And we are very much aware that all of the powerful technologies that we work on can be abused, can be used in very negative ways as well. But I think that that is ultimately not a reason not to engage in these endeavors. Basically, we try to invent the future that we want to live in, [laughs] or that's really what we are working on. And we try to be inclusive in that process by, again, not just involving the students and researchers in the lab but really the target communities like people on a manufacturing floor and how do they want to work with AI, and robotics, and augmented reality, et cetera? So we basically involve the target users, companies that are involved in a particular sector, and so on as well. And so yeah, I think that there are many opportunities really for people to be involved. I would also like to say that, especially now with COVID, all laboratories have become much more open and, for example, lecture series, showcases, virtual open houses, and so on. There are no limits to how many people can attend because it's all [laughs] online anyway these days. So it's actually nice that that has opened up the laboratory more and makes it possible for more people to get involved, to be part of conversations, to listen to talks, see demonstrations, and so on. TROND: That's fascinating. And I think just in closing, you mentioned this acronym that's typically used in psychological studies, the WEIRD acronym, Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, and Democratic. And it seems to me that that is a very, very specific user group, but it is far from the only one. So maybe in closing, my last question would be, how does one, you know, because others might be developing technology on other continents or other places. How do you avoid this bias of jumping into a lane that other people have created that is this lane? It's maybe demos from Western labs. It's use cases in highly industrialized factories or whatever it is or created for the New York Fifth Avenue consumer market. Those are not the only technologies we should be building. So how do we do it otherwise? PATTIE: Yes, I fully agree. And meanwhile, today, I talked about my work. And my work is indeed mostly focused on the Western developed world and technologies that might be available here. There's a lot of work happening at the Media Lab with other communities, both within the United States, less fortunate communities, maybe than the ones that many of my technologies are designed for. There's a lot of work, for example, with people in Africa on use of different technologies. So we try to...maybe we cannot develop technologies for everyone, [laughs] but we try to be explicit about who some technologies are designed for and not assume that they would generally be usable. And we try to work with the target communities that they are designed for. And definitely, we're not exclusively working with or designing technologies for the Western, richer world. TROND: Well, thank you so much, Pattie. This has been very enlightening. It turns out that advanced technology is complicated and slower, but perhaps more sustainable when it's developed that way. And that's an interesting lesson. Thank you so much. PATTIE: Thank you. It was a pleasure. TROND: You have just listened to Episode 24 of the Augmented Podcast with host Trond Arne Undheim. The topic was Emerging Interfaces for Human Augmentation. And our guest was Pattie Maes, Professor at the MIT Media Lab. In this conversation, we talked about augmenting people instead of using or making smarter machines and enabling people to perform better through fluid, interactive, immersive, and wearable systems that are easy to use, developing new form factors, and much more. My takeaway is that augmenting people is far more complex than developing a technology or even experimenting with form factors. Instead, there's a whole process to exploring what humans are all about, discovering opportunities for augmentation, and tweaking it in dialogue with users. The Media Lab's approach is work intensive, but when new products make it out of there, they tend to extend a human function as opposed to becoming just a new gadget. Thanks for listening. If you liked the show, subscribe at augmentedpodcast.co or in your preferred podcast player, and rate us with five stars. If you liked this episode, you might also like Episode 19: Machine Learning in Manufacturing, Episode 7: Work of the Future, or Episode 13: Get Manufacturing Superpowers. Augmented — industrial conversations. Special Guest: Pattie Maes.