Making Belief Practical—From Hiring to Customer Experience

Introduction: In Part 2, we get into the how. Matt walks through what belief looks like in action—from hiring people who align with your culture, to defining values in ways people can actually use, to building customer experiences that transform relationships. This is packed with real stories from Apple, Nordstrom, and other brands that got it right, plus Matt's CADET framework that changes how you think about every interaction.

Summary: We tackle the practical side of building belief-driven cultures. Matt shares how to hire for cultural fit and belief (not just skills), and walks through his experience scaling Apple retail from 10,000 to 25,000 employees without losing their DNA. We dig into why values are meaningless without tangible definitions, the power of storytelling in creating shared understanding, and the CADET framework for customer experience. Matt also explains why incentives must align with desired behaviors, using real examples of what happens when they don't.

Key Highlights:

• Apple hired for people who loved the brand and wanted to serve, not for product expertise—then trained them
• Values need tangible definitions: what does "kindness" look like, sound like, feel like in your specific organization?
• The CADET framework: Connect, Assess, Deliver, Exceed, Transform—and why you can't skip steps
• Incentives and behaviors must align, or your culture breaks down (the e-commerce returns example)

Key Takeaways:

• Hire for belief, train for skill. Look for alignment with your mission and values first, then build competence.
• Define your values in observable terms. Don't just say "kindness"—describe what it looks like in action and what it doesn't look like.
• Use storytelling to build culture. Get your team to share transformational experiences, then identify the common threads.
• Deliver flawlessly before trying to exceed. Master the basics (stated needs) before attempting to wow people with extras.
• Remove barriers to desired behaviors. If you want certain actions, make sure your incentive structure supports them, not fights them.

Next Steps for Listeners:

• Pick one of your company values. Can you describe it in specific, observable terms? If not, gather your team and define it together using stories.
• Review your last few hires. Did you prioritize skills or cultural alignment? What would change if belief came first?
• Walk through a customer or employee experience using CADET. Where are you trying to "exceed" before you've "delivered"?

Connect with Matt on LinkedIn.