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<h3>“The role of a leader is not to come up with all the great ideas. The role of a leader is to create an environment in which great ideas can happen.” ― Simon Senek</h3>Have you ever wondered what "humble curiosity" means in the context of effective business leadership? I believe that humble curiosity is the key to unlocking the full potential of our organizations through the power of diversity of thought.Humble curiosity is about allowing unexpected voices and viewpoints into conversations, leading us to consider fresh, creative solutions. It's about merging diverse thoughts into our strategies and operations, pushing us beyond our usual boundaries.So, why don't more business leaders leverage this approach? The answer lies in balancing the 'curious' and the 'humble' parts. While leaders are often open to new ideas, it's the humility to listen to a wider range of advisors that's more challenging."Diversity of thought represents how your organization's team members, partners, and customers all hold unique storehouses of information."This diversity isn't just about different knowledge bases; it's about varied ways of thinking, influenced by each person's background, experiences, and life journeys. Embracing these differences allows us to escape our personal and collective echo chambers.<h3>Four Areas of Application</h3>1. Teams: When hiring, consider your team's collective experience, strengths, and gaps. Look beyond traditional candidates and value different perspectives.2. Operations: Create a work environment that nurtures diverse thoughts. Allow space for failure and encourage sharing of contrasting viewpoints.3. Strategic Partnerships: Engage with trusted external voices. Partners like Deloitte, Salesforce, and Launchpad Technologies Inc. can bring fresh perspectives to your organization.4. Customers: Anchor your decision-making around the customer experience. Understand and integrate your customers' diverse thoughts into your strategies.Diversity of thought is a goldmine of innovation and progress. As leaders, staying humble in our curiosity allows us to tap into this wealth of perspectives, enriching our organizations and driving success.&nbsp;

Humble Curiosity: Using Diversity of Thought to empower your organization

So, why focus on guest experience?In my career, I've had the pleasure of working for some of the most iconic retail brands in North America and have served many others as an industry advocate and service provider. A common thread shared by these brands is that the foundation of their business centers around the guest. From reception to the CEO, it has been ingrained that this relationship is what drives the company's success. As a result, it shapes what is measured, how it's measured, and what becomes a priority for the business.Over the years, I've heard countless debates about Guest Experience vs. Guest Service, with arguments often getting tangled in the semantics of individual transactions compared to guest loyalty built over time. I sincerely believe that what truly matters is simply how the guest feels. Therefore, obsessing about the impression that is left every time the guest crosses paths with our company is how we win both in the short and long term, and it's what I'm most passionate about throughout my career. Regardless of how frequently a guest experiences our products and whether the interaction is in person or digital, their perception (good or bad) is created. Even a long-term guest relationship can be lost in an instant, which makes creating consistency and putting our best foot forward with every impression essential. Remember, no matter what we think or what the intention is behind our message, the guest's perception is their reality. This perception then becomes the filter for how they view and assess our product, service, or value.We must always keep our guests at the heart of how we think, act, and evolve as a company. You may have heard me talk about our guest as "the most important voice in the company." To be successful, it requires discipline in egoless listening to what the guest is saying to us and becoming an expert in uncovering the elements within their stories that can clue us in toward innovation, improvements, gaps, or pain points with our products or experience. At the end of the day, if you are willing to tuck away your ego and engage with people, you can discover just how willing they are to give you the answers you need to achieve success. This can be the key to product selection, experience improvements, and relevant market opportunities. If we do this frequently and demonstrate that we've heard what has been said, we gain 'street cred,' trust, and loyalty from our guest, and the cycle of invaluable input continues.Overall, I've learned that if you follow these two golden rules of guest experience, you will excel:1. Meet your guests – by trying to see the world through their eyes, the insights you gain will create meaningful improvements.2. Ask your guest, "When have you had a challenge with our product or service?"&nbsp; - this simple question can unlock any gap that might exist between our company and our marketplace.So, listen closely to our values, goals, and desires, connect them to what the guests are sharing, advocate for them, and enjoy the opportunity to meet some amazing people along the way. This is how I fell in love with retail and where I understood how powerful it is to be in service to others through the products you make for them and the ways you choose to engage them.

Beyond Transactional: Crafting Authentic Connections with Retail Guests

Blurred interior of colorful modern women lingerie and underwear store in USA. Female mannequin in panties and bras on display in shopping mall. Defocused bokeh light. Customer shopping, vintage tone

Retailers need to not only adapt to but also anticipate changing customer behaviour as we move into a new reality.The COVID-19 pandemic dealt the retail sector a series of massive blows, greatly reducing in-store foot traffic and forcing a technological revolution virtually overnight. Even with retail stores now reopened, the pandemic has likely changed customer behaviour permanently. As consumers, we all became accustomed to staying home, buying products online, and getting them delivered or picking them up curbside. The pace of customers’ expectations for seamless movement across growing digital and in-store pathways continues to increase, and companies are racing to match that demand with consistency in their brand experience.In this post-pandemic “next normal” reality, how will retail business not simply recover from the past two years, but beat out the competition and thrive? Here are five strategies that will make retailers stand out from the crowd, stay ahead of the technology curve, and keep their customers buying—both in-store and online.1. Offering a next-level “phygital” retail experienceCOVID has accelerated the demand for an enhanced “phygital” store experience—also known as “bricks and clicks.” This strategy seamlessly blends brick-and-mortar stores with online and immersive shopping. In 2022 and beyond, this will include many 5G-powered elements such customers interacting with store content via their devices or using navigation tools and apps while shopping, or immersive product displays enhanced by augmented or virtual reality. “All this can be shared with family and friends across social networks,” Butch Cavello, Vice President of Direct-to-Consumer Retail at Samsung, told delegates at the recent iQmetrix Industry Address. “All this is happening today, and it also helps retailers with rich, real-time data on what consumers are engaging with.”2. Leveraging customer data for personalized shoppingSpeaking of data, it’s more crucial than ever that retailers capture and leverage customer data—whether those customers are buying online and leaving a handy trail, or whether they are purchasing in-store. Customers now expect a highly personalized experience, and to have their wants and needs anticipated by their favourite retailers. For example, many shoppers will wait to buy new clothing items until they get items recommended to them via their social media feeds, based on what they’ve previously bought or browsed online. Retailers can no longer sit back and expect the customer to come to them, and they must bring relevant, targeted products to the right customers to win that sale.3. Cracking the same-day delivery conundrumThe vast majority of retailers are prioritizing plans for same-day delivery services,&nbsp;<a href="https://chainstoreage.com/survey-retailers-have-big-plans-same-day-delivery" data-mce-href="https://chainstoreage.com/survey-retailers-have-big-plans-same-day-delivery">according to a global survey by Chain Store Age</a>. And customers expect to be able to get their new cellphone, for example, the moment that they need it. While deep-pocketed companies such as Amazon are leading the charge with services like Prime offering same-day delivery, other retailers with fewer resources are finding inventive ways to make such services happen. This includes non-food retailers partnering with one of the many food-delivery services that have emerged in the past few years, such as Uber Eats or Door Dash. This makes the retailer’s products available on those apps, and deliver them in the time it takes for a courier on an e-bike to get to the customer’s door.4. Resolving the product-availability challengeThe supply chain disruption will continue to affect the retail industry in a big way. Few consumers are aware of why product availability might be limited, even fewer will care about that reason—they simply want their product when they want it.&nbsp; Retailers must figure out ways to serve those customers in as short a time as possible, or risk losing them to the proliferation of alternative online retailers who will promise their exact product is only a click away. For retailers who have limited items in stock, employing omnichannel solutions such as buy online, pick up in-store or dropship can help here.5. Extending the end-to-end customer journey Looking ahead beyond 2022, customer expectations will continue to grow and the burden will fall on the retailer to provide continually evolving, enhanced experiences—both physical and digital. What’s more, the end-to-end experience is changing, with the shopping journey starting much further upstream in terms of online product research by the customer, added Samsung’s Cavello. “And it goes all the way now to post-purchase. Customers expect brands and retailers to know and understand them and their needs, and be there for them.”First published in <a data-mce-href="https://techcouver.com/2022/02/22/5-ways-for-retail-businesses-to-thrive-in-a-post-pandemic-world/" href="https://techcouver.com/2022/02/22/5-ways-for-retail-businesses-to-thrive-in-a-post-pandemic-world/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-mce-selected="inline-boundary">Tech Vancouver, February 2022</a>

Articles & Press

Humble Curiosity: Using Diversity of Thought to empower y...

Beyond Transactional: Crafting Authentic Connections with...

5 Ways for Retail Businesses to Thrive in a Post-Pandemic...