Making the Fan

Salary increases and rewards have their place, but to inspire connection and tenure with your employees requires more. In this episode, David Millay and Dr. Scott Rigby, Founder and CEO of Immersyve and MotivationWorks, dive into self-determination theory, employees’ three basic needs and the obstacles employers must overcome to motivate their teams long-term.  

-----

Show Notes

2:41   Background on Immersyve 

4:35   Self-Determination Theory

6:33   Motivation Myths

10:00   The Need to Believe

14:12   The Need to Belong

15:21   The Need to Succeed

17:10   Connecting Purpose to Individual Tasks

22:34   Obstacles to Creating a Space of Belonging 

28:49   Overcoming Challenges to Succeed

30:53   Promotions vs. Skill Growth

33:38   The Fundamental Shift in Employee Engagement

38:59   Motivating Employees Working Remotely

42:09   “ROW” Workplaces

44:03   Countering Arguments Against Reward Structures

47:32   Rewards vs. Recognition

51:15   Scott’s Billboard

-----

For more information on the topics covered in this episode:

Immersyve 

How to Stop Engagement Benchmarks from Hurting Employee Engagement

Think Like Amazon: 50 1/2 Ideas to Become a Digital Leader by John Rossman

Connect with Scott via email or on LinkedIn | Twitter 

Connect with Host, David Millay:
Connect w/ David Millay on LINKEDIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidmillay/
Follow David on INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/david.millay/
Follow David Millay on TWITTER: https://twitter.com/DavidMillay

The power of community emerges when companies embrace the directional relationship members form not just with their brand, but with other members.  In this episode, Christina Garnett, senior marketing manager for offline community and advocacy at HubSpot, joins David to talk about the magic of tapping into common passions and making your fans the hero of the story. 

---

Show Notes

2:21  Community vs. Audience

4:47  The Road to HubSpot

8:59  Gleaning Community Insights from Gary V

11:54  Bored Ape’s Country Club

13:59  The HubFans Community 

15:20  The Hierarchy of Community Needs

18:44  Showing Raw Emotions

24:29  Categorizing and Rewarding HubSpot Fans

27:38  HubSpot Inbound Correspondents

31:48  Turning Internal Needs into External Opportunities

35:26  Bringing Your Fans Closer

39:41  Magic of Social Listening

43:14  The Little Moments That Matter

44:14  Ask Your Fans What They Want

-----

For more about topics covered in this episode:

HubSpot CRM Platform

HubFans: HubSpot’s Advocacy Program

Christina’s Hierarchy of Community Needs

Connect with Christina on Twitter

Connect with Host, David Millay:
Connect w/ David Millay on LINKEDIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidmillay/
Follow David on INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/david.millay/
Follow David Millay on TWITTER: https://twitter.com/DavidMillay

In the last two years, individuals have challenged the traditional scripts of career paths, a factor contributing to the Great Resignation. On today’s episode, we sit down with Paul Millerd, a solopreneur and author of “The Pathless Path: Imagining a New Story for Work and Life.”  Since leaving his corporate consulting career, Paul has studied the concepts behind burnout, work-life balance and the economic impact on the current job market.

This episode provides insight to employees willing to leave full-time jobs to explore and experiment and how you might be able to retain them and increase their value to your organization.

-----

Show Notes

3:02   Background to “The Pathless Path”

4:41    Wonder vs. Comfort

8:22    Conquering Fears

10:00    The Economic Reasons Why “It’s Not Worth It”

14:06     What is Work?

17:39    The True Cause of Burnout

21:06    Purpose is Personal

26:19    Defining “Enough”

31:10   The “Script of Success”

33:09    Defining Success in Creative Work

38:08    Rewriting the Script as Leaders

42:39    Defining Output

44:44    Paul’s Billboard

-----

For more on the topics we covered in this episode:

Learn more about Paul’s journey and research -

Book: The Pathless Path

Podcast: Reimagine Work

Writing: Think Boundless

Connect with Paul on LinkedIn or Twitter

Google’s 80/20 rule

Connect with Host, David Millay:
Connect w/ David Millay on LINKEDIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidmillay/
Follow David on INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/david.millay/
Follow David Millay on TWITTER: https://twitter.com/DavidMillay

In this episode, we are joined by Amie Kiehn, Social Leader and Head of Community for Gondola.  During Amie’s time with the Carolina Panthers, she cultivated a brand personality across their social media platforms with a voice known for its wit and snark.  Rather than just focusing on events, Amie and her team connected with fans by listening to the community and experimenting with creative content and comments on other viral posts. 

We cover everything from brand personas, content calendars (or lack thereof), understanding the creative process and "work-life balance."

Show Notes

3:56       Punking Her Way Into Social Media 

8:31       Humanizing the Panthers’ Social Voice 

13:16    Prioritizing Social Content and Saying No

17:15     What Content Calendar?

19:49     Just Try It!

32:43     Misunderstood Aspects of the Creative World

35:08     Content Creators are Your Brand Ambassadors

40:28     That Elusive “Work-Life Balance”

46:32     Parting Advice: Managing Creatives

For more on info on topics covered in this show:

Carolina Panthers social media (Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube | TikTok)

Gondola - Show Off the Content You Make

Connect with Amie on Twitter | LinkedIn

Shout out to Neil Larson, Detroit Lions (Twitter | LinkedIn)

Connect with Host, David Millay:
Connect w/ David Millay on LINKEDIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidmillay/
Follow David on INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/david.millay/
Follow David Millay on TWITTER: https://twitter.com/DavidMillay

It’s not every day we are turning to global debt collection companies for inspiration.  Today’s episode features InDebted CEO Josh Foreman.  Josh had a vision for creating a customer-centric debt collection agency and the organization has more than 2,000 5-star reviews on Google.  While we dig into some of the strategies and tactics that led to those reviews, this conversation largely focuses on the employee experience.  In September 2021, InDebted moved to a 4-day, 32-hour work week.  We provide a full roadmap for implementing the asynchronous work schedule in your organization.

Show Notes

2:51   Background on InDebted

4:39   Meeting Your Customers Where They Are

5:52   Staying Up on Consumer Trends

7:23   Giving a Debt Collector Positive Reviews?

9:38   Leveraging Technology to Deliver Customer Service

11:42    Differentiating InDebted’s Employee Experience

14:15   Piloting the 32-Hour Work Week

16:37   Countering the “Decreased Productivity” Argument

18:39   Setting Company Goals

21:43   Asynchronous Work

24:24   Balancing 32 Hours and Getting the Job Done

28:21   Pulse Checks

33:14   The Great Attraction

37:47   Remote Working Stipends

42:41   Parting Advice

-----

For more information on topics covered in this episode:

About InDebted 

Connect with Josh on LinkedIn

Loom: Async Video Messaging

Connect with Host, David Millay:
Connect w/ David Millay on LINKEDIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidmillay/
Follow David on INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/david.millay/
Follow David Millay on TWITTER: https://twitter.com/DavidMillay

To become the digital leader and business disruptor Amazon is today, the company has firmly operated on 14 leadership principles.  First and foremost, they are driven by customer obsession.

This week, we are joined by John Rossman, managing partner of Rossman Partners, author and keynote speaker.  John spent nearly four years as an Amazon executive, responsible for launching and scaling the merchant integration team and Amazon Marketplace business, which accounts for more than 50% of all units sold on Amazon.com. Since leaving, he has helped organizations understand the strategies and core principles that propelled Amazon to success.

Before you think “this isn’t applicable, I don’t have Amazon’s staff or budget", the tangible tactics can be applied to help businesses of all sizes excel.

-----

Show Notes:

2:44    Background to John’s Books

6:02    Debunking the “I’m Not Amazon” myth

9:14    5 Primary Lenses to Apply Digital Frameworks

12:09   Speed vs. Agility

14:44   Applying Amazon’s Leadership Principles to Decision Making

17:33   Customer Obsession

18:09   Are Right, A Lot

20:18   One-Way Doors vs. Two-Way Doors

21:12   Have a Backbone, Disagree and Commit

24:04   “Best Customer Service is No Customer Service”

28:55   The Empty Chair at the Table

32:21   Amazon Prime is a Loyalty Program that Doesn’t Feel Like One

34:49   Dive Deep

38:48   Amazon’s Annual Planning Process

43:55   Achievable vs. Stretch Goals

45:09   Deliver Results

46:33   Uncontrollable Outputs vs. Controllable Inputs

49:21   Objectives and Key Results

-----

For more info on topics covered in this episode:

John’s Books

The Amazon Way on IoT: 10 Principles for Every Leader from the World's Leading Internet of Things Strategies

Think Like Amazon: 50 ½ Ideas to Become a Digital Leader

The Amazon Way: Amazon’s 14 Leadership Principles

Subscribe to John’s newsletter - The Digital Leader Newsletter and check out his website, The Amazon Way

Connect with John via email 

Other Books Recommended by John:

Measure What Matters by John Doerr

OKRs vs. KPIs

Connect with Host, David Millay:
Connect w/ David Millay on LINKEDIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidmillay/
Follow David on INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/david.millay/
Follow David Millay on TWITTER: https://twitter.com/DavidMillay

Recently, we hit 100 episodes of Flip the Switch.  In this bonus edition, David Millay and Katie Rudy issue superlative awards to their favorite takeaways and break down the trends, experiments, and leadership lessons that have influenced their work with EngageMint. 

*We’re a little off on some numbers in the episode but we have them all linked here*

Most Fun: 

Jesse Cole - Ep. 14 Fans First | Ep. 44 A Culture of Experimentation

Rachel Jacobson - Ep. 65 High Speed, High Tech and High Growth

Taught Us the Most:

Peter Sorckoff - Ep. 82 Studying the Subconscious and Emotions of Fandom

Nick Lawson - Ep. 17 Sponsorship that Engages, not Distracts

Most Nervous to Record:

Scott O’Neil - Ep. 88 Being Present, Authentic and Intentional

Quint Studer - Ep. 34 From Patient Experience to Fan Experience

Jared Spataro - Ep. 38 Modern Work and Digital Experiences

Lee Cockerell - Ep. 55 Leadership Lessons from a Disney Legend

Most Personal Episodes:

Mike Millay - Ep. 30 The Business Behind ESPN Wide World of Sports Part One | Ep. 31 Part Two

Rob Temple and Rick Jones - Ep. 59 Finding the Right Sponsorships for YOUR Fans

Most Underrated Episode (seriously, listen to this one!)

Steph Smith - Ep. 50 Designing Effective Remote Work Teams

Single Frameworks That Impacted Us the Most:

Think of Stadiums Like “Town Halls” - Nick Sautner Ep. 72 Enhancing Stadium Experiences Beyond Game Day

“What Would Joy Do?” - Steven Van Bellegham Ep. 48 The Future of Customer Experience

“Premium service doesn’t always require a premium price” - Barry Jacobson Ep. 25 Premium Service vs. Customer Service 

“The shortest customer service speech” - Shep Hyken Ep. 56 Amaze Your Customers and Fans 

Advice That Sticks Out That We Don’t Do:

“Drive in Silence” - Troy Dannen Ep. 80 - College Leaders | Leading with Conviction and Empathy

Write Thank You Notes - Jesse Cole 

Episode We’ve Talked About the Most:

Zoe Scaman - Ep. 57 How Fandom is Evolving

Connect with Host, David Millay:
Connect w/ David Millay on LINKEDIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidmillay/
Follow David on INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/david.millay/
Follow David Millay on TWITTER: https://twitter.com/DavidMillay

When we think about the fan experience today, it’s not just about their experience at a live event but how they interact directly and indirectly, how they engage and connect with your brand emotionally 24/7.  

This episode, we are joined by rising star Zhaneé Anderson from the University of Texas creative team.  Throughout the conversation, David and Zhaneé touch on creating for different brands and audiences, developing emotional engaging stories and infusing personal styles into content.  

-----

Show Notes

3:12   Learning About a Brand’s Voice and Audience

8:01   Balancing the Workload and Time Management

9:44    Managing Content for the UT Brand vs. Individual Teams

12:45    Creating Content for Specific Audiences

15:43    Everything’s Content

18:35    Providing Access through Social

21:59    Striking Compromises and Deciding What’s Feasible

23:50    Emotion > Quality Content

26:57    Using Content to Drive Real Conversations

35:23    Infusing Personal Creativity into Content

39:15    Moving Beyond The “Intern Running Social Media”

41:31    Zhanee’s Billboard

-----

For more information on topics covered this episode:

Check out some of Zhanee’s work: 

Texas’ Real Conversations - Black History Month

Texas Women’s Soccer: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram 

Connect with Zhaneé on Twitter | LinkedIn

Our other Longhorn podcast:

Ep. 2 -  How Emotional Connections Lead to Economic Outcomes w/ Drew Martin

-----

Want more from EngageMint? Sign up for our weekly newsletter.

Connect with Host, David Millay:
Connect w/ David Millay on LINKEDIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidmillay/
Follow David on INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/david.millay/
Follow David Millay on TWITTER: https://twitter.com/DavidMillay

A perfect fit for our 100th episode, guest Joe Moglia brings best practices and leadership insights from a unique career in football and the private sector.  Joe spent 16 years as a coach, became a business leader for Merrill Lynch and TD Ameritrade and served as CEO of TD Ameritrade for 7 years, before heading back to the football field to be head coach at Coastal Carolina.  He currently holds the titles of Chair of Athletics and Executive Director for Football for Coastal Carolina.  This episode covers his “BAM” leadership philosophy, the current state of college athletics and how it can better align with the business world.  

–

Show Notes

4:02  What is an Executive Director for Football?

6:23   Joe’s “BAM” philosophy

9:16   Enforcing Standards & Accountability

16:28   Providing the Right Incentives

19:20   Creating Non-Traditional Incentives

21:56   Operating the NCAA like Corporate America

30:38   Designing a new Athletic Department

34:23   Responsibilities vs. Titles

37:55   Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivations

39:55   Adapting Leadership Styles to Learning Styles

47:26   Prioritizing Workloads

52:10   Joe’s Favorite Mentors

55:31   Learning from Failure

58:54   Joe’s Billboard

—-- 

For more leadership insights from Joe Moglia, visit Moglia.com and check out his books:

Coach Yourself to Success: Winning the Investment Game

The Perimeter Attack Offense: The Key to Winning Football 

Connect with Joe on Twitter or LinkedIn

Connect with Host, David Millay:
Connect w/ David Millay on LINKEDIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidmillay/
Follow David on INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/david.millay/
Follow David Millay on TWITTER: https://twitter.com/DavidMillay

It’s Super Bowl week and 70,000 fans will fill SoFi Stadium for that “bucket list” experience. The average sports fan may not witness a World Series, College Football Playoff or Super Bowl in person.  In this episode, David Millay and Katie Rudy discuss some of their favorite sporting events and how a focus on hospitality, premium spaces, concessions offerings and pregame shows can turn an ordinary game into an extraordinary experience.  

-----

Have a topic you want us to go in on?  Reach out to us on Twitter @DavidMillay or @Katie_Rudy

Connect with Host, David Millay:
Connect w/ David Millay on LINKEDIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidmillay/
Follow David on INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/david.millay/
Follow David Millay on TWITTER: https://twitter.com/DavidMillay