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As we all take this time to relax and express gratitude for the many things in our lives that are worth giving thanks for, even in this crazy time, it's my pleasure to replay one of the most special podcast shows we've had this year, which was with the incredible author, keynote speaker, and businessman, Tom Peters. Tom Peters is such an impressive thought leader and, also, just a really good human. In our conversation, we talked about the importance of leadership, humanity, and enabling people to live their best life.

As we know, the hospitality industry has been hit particularly hard by the pandemic, so it was interesting to hear how Aisling Hassell and her Airbnb team developed a plan to support the “people, process, and product,” during these challenging times. Aisling shares some insights as to how Airbnb, a global organization, galvanized employees and Airbnb hosts to work together on solutions that would allow the company to continue to operate while keeping people safe. Aisling Hassell is the former VP of community support for Airbnb.

In this interview, I am joined with none other than Simon T. Bailey. Simon is a breakthrough strategist who goes beyond feel-good content and provides real-life deliverables that truly impacts lives. He has also authored 10 books, his latest being Be the Spark: Five Platinum Service Principles for Creating Customers for Life. Simon drops a bunch of gems for us in this interview so get ready to take some notes!

Patti Phillips, CEO of Women's Leaders in College Sports, chats with me about the need for diversity in leadership, and she shares the experience she’s had while working in sports, an industry that’s notoriously male-dominated, and the need for more age and ethnicity representations in leadership positions. Additionally, Patti talks about how her team, who relies heavily on in-person meetings and interactions, has been able to lift one another up during the pandemic.

It was a pleasure for me to interview Chelsie Rae Lee, the Chief Revenue Officer at SnackNation for the second time on my podcast. Though Chelsie Rae Lee is the company's CRO, she’s also responsible for the sales team, customer experience, and customer success. Chelsie and I chat about how she’s worked with her teams to shift business operations during the pandemic, while also being employee and customer-focused. She stresses the importance of communication with customers, the need to create new metrics in the COVID business model, and the value of transparency when it comes to employee experience during these uncertain times.  

In today’s conversation with Dr. Oleg Konovalov, who is a thought leader, keynote speaker, author, business educator, and consultant with over 25 years of experience operating businesses, we discuss some of the concepts in his latest book, Leaderology, which tie back to what I like to call, leadership bravery.  

How do you build a new customer-focused initiative within an established public sector? Barbara C. Morton, who joined the Department of Veterans Affairs in 2016, was brought on board to be the organization's first-ever Deputy Chief Veterans Experience Officer and has been working diligently to bring a human-centered-design approach to her CX strategy. She shares how her vision in creating a veterans-focused experience has helped improve client relationships and satisfaction. 

In today's conversation with Guy Kawasaki, entrepreneur, author of 15 books, marketing expert, and Silicon Valley venture capitalist—we discuss some of the tactical ways that entrepreneurs and CEOs can navigate leadership during the uncertainties of the pandemic. This includes shifting business models, trying new things, and most importantly, simplifying processes for both your customers and employees.

“I see leadership as a deeply human endeavor,” says Alain Hunkins, speaker, leader, and author of the new book, Cracking the Leadership Code: Three Secrets to Building Strong Leaders. In today’s episode with Alain Hunkins, we discuss some of the easy-to-understand and implement concepts in his book and how great leadership is really at the core of customer experience. We’ll explore his three concepts of connection, communication, and collaboration, which work in tandem to cultivate a united view of the life of customers and employees. 

In today’s show, we’re joined by the New York Times Bestselling author and guru, Seth Godin, who's written over 19 books. He's the founder of Akimbo, and author of the popular, marketing-oriented, Seth's Blog.  Seth and I have a great conversation about leadership as he breaks down some of the "alphabets of humanity" from his book, V is for Vulnerable: Life Outside the Comfort Zone. We discuss how some of the principles from this book can be used to guide and grow an organization with humanity and purpose.

I think you'll find today’s conversation with Dutta Satadip, the Global Head of Customer Success and Operations at Pinterest a valuable one, especially as the use of digital media will continue to increase due to the pandemic. Dutta takes us through the many ways in which he’s been able to lead the customer-focused work at Pinterest. Though the company is primarily B2C, it also functions as a B2B, and Dutta shares how they enact data-driven behaviors to improve the platform so that it’s more valuable for both customers and advertisers.

“It is no longer just about the product. It is all about the customer experience, the way we make customers feel when they use the product. That makes a huge difference,” says Yamini Rangan, HubSpot's first Chief Customer Officer. In today’s conversation, Yamini and I discuss the importance of storytelling and of unifying teams within an organization to work towards a common goal. She also shares some of the ways in which HubSpot has handled the disruption of COVID-19.

In this conversation with Leslie Stretch, CEO of Medallia, Leslie and I chat about what he's been seeing from his conversations with hundreds of CEOs. Now that we've had to rapidly adjust to a new way of life, technology is helping us reshape the world and the future. As Leslie said, “it’s digital disruption at massive scale,” and this disruption has an impact on customer experience. It affects how we interact with customers and clients, how we communicate with them, and how we can gather feedback.

“The more complicated your system is, the less your customers are going to trust you,” says Robbie Kellman-Baxter, author of the new book, The Forever Transaction. In today’s episode, Robbie and I chat about leveraging powerful growth strategies around elevating members through subscription-based models. With over 25 years of experience working with well-known and emerging brands, Robbie has become an expert on this approach to membership and customer relationships.

Should we stop considering people skills a soft skill? In today’s conversation with Tom Peters, an incredible businessman, thought leader, and co-author of In Search of Excellence, we chat about the impact that good hiring can have on your organization. We discuss that this is an unprecedented time for leadership and that those who can succeed, are those who care about people and have built a team of employees who also care about people and work with integrity.

I’m so pleased to share this conversation that I had with Horst Schulze, Founder, Chairman & CEO of the Capella Hotel Group, and Co-founder & Former COO of The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Co. and author of Excellence Wins. Horst and I discuss the steps leaders can take during this pandemic to help ensure that their businesses survive. We also explore the ways these actions can spread optimism and hope throughout their organization while retaining employees and showcasing humanity. This is a great conversation with some extremely timely advice you can use to help you navigate as a leader who moves with purpose.

In today’s extremely interesting conversation with Rick Evans, the SVP and Chief Experience Officer for the NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, you’ll hear some of the tactics and strategies that Rick has employed at this esteemed hospital to improve the patient experience and to increase HCAHP scores.  

In today's episode, Julio shares how he organizes complex operations into simpler formats but does so in a way that encourages business growth. He understands the importance of creating and executing strategic plans while also being a storyteller. It is this combination of right and left brain skills that he attributes to his success.

How does your organization keep its "special sauce" as it grows? This is the challenge that Daniel Brousseau, senior vice president and head of client experience at City National Bank, experienced while leading the bank's new CX transformation. In this episode, Daniel shares that City National was acquired by a bigger bank and was therefore expected to grow. He was stepping into a role that hadn't previously existed, but also into a company that was extremely client-focused and supportive of improving the customer journey. 

What can we learn from disrupters like Airbnb which have introduced the sharing economy into the business landscape? This new business model has impacted customer experience expectations even beyond tech platforms. In today's conversation with Joseph Michelli, we discuss his latest book, The Airbnb Way. In this book, Joseph looks at how Airbnb has been able to thrive, based on 5 key concepts that can be applied to any industry.