Fog or heavy mist can turn any vista into a haunting, mystical, and slightly unnerving occasion. Nothing can beat standing on the Golden Gate Bridge in the wee hours of the morning with the marine layer underneath you, the sky above casting a soft lavender, peach glow in the sunrise with this majestic bridge seemingly floating in midair. There is many an image out on the internet caught by a devoted photographer that brings life to this scene. I was most fortunate to experience it in person. No matter how well we think we know our environment, we do not. Unable to see clearly, we become noticeably more cautious as our memory no longer serves us. We are not sure precisely where anything is anymore, and we run the risk of accident, misstep or heaven forbid unable to find our way home. Our ability to gauge distance, judge the shapes and forms moving within the fog becomes hampered by these new conditions. Accessing our new surroundings in meaningful ways means narrowing our eyes to see shadows and forms that might guide us in hopes we can outwit these nebulous conditions. Stepping, driving, or moving carefully forward; more vigilant and prudent as we try against the odds to make decisions on what to do. It is here we find ourselves wrestling the power of the fog into submission. Unnerving yes! Unsure how long it will last – for sure! Seeing it as an opportunity? Not so much…. How many times have businesses, organizations and groups found themselves in a fog? How many times have we wondered how we got there; what do we have to do; how much harder must we work, focus, muster resources to slip out of the grip of the invisibility cloak surrounding our world? We may, at times quietly resort to a bit of panic and confusion as the tools we use to live our lives do not fit this murky, unseen cloud that blots out our view and removes are steady guideposts and markers. Yet, it would seem the very cloud of confusion provides an opportunity to stop, slow down, turn inwards for guidance and become more circumspect. Organizations spend money on retreats and experiences that remove themselves from the known and familiar to drive opportunity for new, innovative, and creative ideas, plans and strategies. The goal of these extractions is to change the scenery to allow something else to grow; to get away from same old same old. When we are in the LIGHT we don’t panic, we function well even if a bit predictably, but when the light changes or the views dim, we feel angst, uncertainty, and fear. It is here in the intersection of confusion, fog, and missing markers that we can step back and allow the vision to come into view and take shape a different way. The opportunity to look at the fog and the unseen and see possibility and options is one not to be missed. Meditation is one of the ways many choose to ‘blot’ out light and spend time in the blackness both for calm but also for wisdom. Meditation for business takes on a different shape. Instead of finding our seat, a business assembles the team; instead of closing our eyes, we reach for the writing instruments; instead of silence we share stories, ideas, with no objective in mind save the gratitude of simply being together and allowing the fog to be the interlude in the life of the organization. There is a tremendous value for organizations to take stock in times when fog, uncertainty and challenges arise, as inspiration can often flourish against this backdrop. Taking the time to document, white board or vision board what has been achieved to date is a great taking stock moment; remembering the how, the what, the where and when allows a map to materialize that can become a next step guide. Martin Luther King’s quote ‘You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step’ is a perfect analogy to finding yourself or your organization in a fog; not being able to see the whole staircase yet taking the time to step back and choosing one sure footed step forward. The Shedding of Light brings about Fog, yet it is in the fog that the light hides until the sun warms up the moisture allowing it to clear resulting in such beautiful bright, sunny day. Fog is a gift of circumspection and foresightedness, so, if you, your business, or your organization finds yourself in a fog, take advantage of it. Slow down, ponder, reflect, and document. One sure foot slowly put forth from these deep reflections will bring innovation, growth and if nothing else a notch on your belt called ‘resilience’. Grab a jacket, the fog can be chilly but oh so exciting. Dina O'Reilly is 4xi's Strategic Partnership & Growth lead; she is also our Project Management Office lead and Ghostwriter in Residence, providing BLOGS+ services to clients. To learn more, contact Dina at dina@4xiconsulting.com 4xi Global Consulting & Solutions is a team of talented leaders from both the client-side and service provider side, impacting the Human Experience (HX) for people at work, in education, rest, and at leisure. We believe in a people-first, experience-led philosophy. Whether client, employee, or guest – their experience is the fundamental foundation of success. We work with corporations, service providers, and innovators: Strategic Advisory & Special Projects (SPx) Headquarters Fractional Support On-Demand Evolving Experiences©: Employee (EX) & Customer Experience (CX) Design4Life©: Environmental, Physical, and Experiential Design Global Amenities Strategy: Design & Operations TRUE NORTH©: Strategic Partnership & Growth Explorers Innovation Directory: Gateway to Innovation Sustainability Simplified©: Supply Chain & Innovation Market Research Reports & Benchmarking DATAxi: Data Ingestion & Visualization Platform 4xi is proud to be Chair of WORKTECH Academy for North America and a member of its Leadership Advisory Board. 4xi is a Global Ambassador for WORKTECH Academy. San Francisco | New York | Philadelphia | Orlando | North Carolina | Seattle | Silicon Valley | Santiago | London | Lisbon | Tokyo

When it comes to driving success in the coming decade, Employee and Customer Experience will take center stage. But what drives those pillars? What foundationally mobilizes a team to deliver? It is about motivation, enablement, and recognition – foundational elements of building a community where everyone knows what is going on and feels connected to one another. Now is the time to double down on employee enablement and empowerment – through training, coaching, and development. Throughout the pandemic, most organizations skinnied back their training and development groups – a decision that seemed fiscally prudent while remaining strategically short sighted. That said, we are seeing a marketplace that is continuing to explore how they will train their teams into the future. I have been a professional speaker and trainer for 15 years and I have easily had over 50,000 in my audiences over the years. I have spoken to executives, front line retail employees, housekeepers, cooks, sports teams, travel professionals, universities, hoteliers, and even the federal government. I learned through practical application what works with audiences and what doesn’t – and I have transformed my style over the past 3 years based on the global pandemic and the flex from in-person to virtual to hybrid and then back to in-person events. I share this because if you are a speaker, trainer, or employee development professional reading this I want you to know that I’ve been where you are now, and I understand the demands you face. Everyone wants bite-size learning that is easy to understand, interactive, engaging, fun, highly educational, results driven, and delivered in no more than a 20 minute session. Here a 6 ways you can improve your employee coaching and development this year: 1. Think Coaching and Teaching Versus Training Training has this stigma of boring, check-the-box, mandatory classroom activities. Well executed training has the ability to motivate, inspire, teach, and impart skills. To achieve long-term success and retention with training, it must go beyond just sharing information. Those who take to the stage to train must embrace the spirit of teaching and sharing information. They must take pride in helping those in their classes or sessions learn something new and improve their skills. They must understand that there is much to be done following the sessions. If there is no post training follow up, and the teams never hear about what they learned from their leaders, then it will slowly fade from their memories. That is where coaching comes in. Leaders must coach teams in the moment to use the new skills they have acquired and challenge them to move from novice to mastery. As a trainer, creating job aids to supplement video or live training will help leaders keep information relevant and consistent, as well as hold their teams accountable. Examples of storytelling content from 4xis TRUE NORTH© Learning Academy. 2. The Content Must Be Relevant and Engaging Yes, we are going to talk about story telling now. Think back to a lackluster training session you had during your career – painful, wasn’t it? There is an obligation that a speaker has with his or her audience to not only share content that is relatable and digestible, but interesting as well. That means crafting personal stories that connects back to your content in a way that engages your audience’s emotional centers, while also being relevant to the matter at hand. It also means being prepared for your sessions by honing your presentation, knowing your content, and bringing a certain level of panache and showmanship. Also remember, your training isn’t a sermon, it’s a conversation. Sure, you have to share information, but don’t forget to let your audience interact through questions and activities about every 20 minutes. And before you lament that you deliver the same training session over and over again, remember: Celine Dion, Elton John, and Barry Manilow had Las Vegas residencies that lasted over 1,700 days (for the most part executing the same show) and received rave reviews up to the last performance. 3. The Power of Fractional Work I may be a bit biased here, as on-demand training is a big part of my role. Even when I was leading CX for large organizations, I saw the value here. Your organization doesn’t necessarily need the same number of resources for training every day, week, or month. This means you need a couple of strategies in play to meet the demand. First, you need a team of professional trainers who are available to deliver content and train others to do the same. Second, you need those you can call upon to help within the organization when there is a need (think champions or train-the-trainer models). These are usually high-performing operations personnel who have a knack for communication. Finally, you need an exterior partner you can call on when things really kick up. When I was running corporate training departments, that often meant having contractors that I could call in for a daily rate as needed or even partnering with a consulting company who had a stable of professional trainers that I could use on demand. This is, of course, contingent on finding the right support you can count on for long term, fractional work. 4. Shorter Sessions and Content, More Often We can’t ignore the changing attention spans of learners, which is why Tik Tok and YouTube Shorts have become so very popular. That means a shift in how training is delivered to teams. It used to be commonplace to sit teams down for hours or days of training at a time, but that model has changed, particularly for front line teams and those who have active work routines. There is still a place for longer sessions and workshops, especially if you are breaking up content delivery with activities and interactions throughout the session. But the 20-minute training session and the 2-minute video are the sweet spot for engagement and retention, so take advantage of those numbers. Those in restaurants have valued the 10-minute pre-service huddle for decades, understanding that micro training can be powerful. That is also your answer to shrinking training budgets; you may not have funding for an hour of training, but what can you accomplish with the cumulative effect of 5 minutes of micro training per day? 5. Virtual Reality Training Continues to Evolve The advances in the Metaverse and more affordable technology such as the Oculus headset make Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) a potentially powerful club in the bag of a training organization. When you think about the ability to simulate surgery for a medical professional, repairing a car for a mechanic, customer interactions for a front line employee, or even preparing a dish for a cook, it becomes a low risk, low cost way to start the learning journey for on-the-job training moments. Even if true VR is too costly (and in some cases the software development can top $10,000), AR can be a cost-effective solution. Superimposing virtual elements into the real world via a smart phone or tablet can also aid in learning. Think about virtual labels outlining how to use a piece of equipment or scanning a QR code to learn more about a particular job task? 94% of employees say that they would stay at a company longer if there is investment in their learning and development. 6. Curate On-Demand Content Self-paced learning is very attractive to learners and online learning brings scale for large and dispersed organizations. The answer between live, in person, and LMS based training is not an either/or proposition – both are a necessary part of a learning strategy. Being able to access training on their schedule and perhaps even in asynchronous ways creates a sense of freedom that appeals to employees. Think about how you can house your content in a way that allows for easy access and accountability, while giving learners the freedom to use on their terms. This also means cataloging the content in a way that is easy to find, which allows employees to find the content they want as well as revisit topics on which they need a refresher. As a part of curating this content, engage the employee base to understand how they want to learn and what would bring the most value for them. Here is one bonus thought to consider around learning styles – don’t’ be held hostage by those who say they learn better one way or another (or need reports created in one way or another). To be sure, a blend of audio, visual, and kinesthetic learning is definitely more interesting and makes everyone feel more included, but our brains are capable of processing information in many different ways. We all have preferred styles, but that doesn’t mean we can’t learn in other ways. It is also important that learning and development professionals set coherent expectations. As mentioned in the opening, everyone wants a one-page comprehensive guide to a topic that can be read and digested in 60 seconds. Remember, it is okay for something to take 5 minutes to read or watch. It is okay to ask teams to read an email more than 2 lines long. And it is okay to create content that is longer than a Tik Tok video. That isn’t to say that you should write pages and pages of content to digest at one time or create videos that drone on for 20 minutes, but if a topic takes more than 2 minutes every now and again, that’s okay – a three-minute video isn’t the end of the world. You could also create a series of shorter videos, such as they do on LinkedIn Learning, to dive deeper into a topic. 2023 will be the year of development – as employees at all levels of the organization are looking for skills to make them better, faster, and more valuable to organizations. In some cases, you will spend money on training employees only to have them port those skills to other organizations – that is a part of the game. Better to have that problem that an undertrained workforce you can’t get rid of. Ultimately, growing a reputation as an organization that trains, develops, coaches, and upskills employees will create a buzz out there that will attract the best talent to your organization. Check out 4xi's Evolving Experiences© and learn how we can help you and your business. Tony Johnson is 4xi’s Chief Experience Officer and leader of the Evolving Experiences© practice. Before joining 4xi, he was the Customer Service Officer for Aramark, a global food and facilities organization. Tony is a Certified Customer Experience Professional (CCXP), award-winning speaker, and globally recognized employee and customer experience expert. Tony is the author of 3 books on leadership, employee engagement, and customer experience and hosts an industry-leading weekly podcast, Customer Service Academy. 4xi: Inspiring a brighter future, together. 4xi Global Consulting & Solutions is a team of talented leaders from both the client-side and service provider side, creating an impact on the Human Experience (HX) for people at work, in education, rest, and at leisure. We believe in a people-first, experience-led philosophy; whether client, employee, or guest – their experience is the fundamental foundation of success. We work with corporations, service providers, and innovators: Strategic Advisory & Special Projects (SPx) Headquarters Fractional Support On-Demand Evolving Experiences© - Employee (EX) & Customer Experience (CX) Design4Life©: Environmental, Physical, and Experiential Design Global Amenities Strategy, Design & Operations TRUE NORTH©: Strategic Partnership & Growth Explorers Innovation Directory: Gateway to Innovation Sustainability Simplified©: Supply Chain & Innovation Market Research Reports & Benchmarking 4xi is proud to be Chair of WORKTECH Academy for North America and a member of its Leadership Advisory Board. 4xi is a Global Ambassador for WORKTECH Academy. San Francisco | New York | Orlando | North Carolina | Philadelphia | Seattle | Silicon Valley | Dallas | Santiago | London | Tokyo

As we head into the holidays and look towards 2023, our thoughts and good wishes are with our colleagues, our team, our friends, and our clients - thank you for a wonderful year, and to many more to come. This time of year is one for reflection, and we think about all those in the world who are less fortunate - the sick, the homeless, the starving, the lonely. We also think about the brave men and women who are on duty - in our hospitals, keeping our streets safe, and those around the world who are upholding the freedoms that our parents and grandparents gave up so much for. We think about those who have lost loved ones. We think about the people in conflict. We think about those brave people in Ukraine standing up to the tyranny of an illegal and senseless war. We think about all people - we are all brothers and sisters, no matter who, where they come from, or where they are. We live in eternal hope, and this is our Christmas Wish: for Peace and Goodwill to All Humankind. From all of us to all of you - Have a very Happy Holidays. Simon, Barbara, and all the team at 4xi.

Any school child will happily share their biology lesson with you on how plants magically appear from little seeds into green shoots with water, soil, sun, and love. Long the windowsills of many a classroom lies the loving efforts of classroom children excitedly watching their little seeds poking through the soil towards the light. Complex chemical reactions are taking place that only those with advanced learning in botany and biology truly understand, yet in its simplest form it is just the evolution of how to engage with source, the environment, and locally available resources. In short, how to take what is around you and turn it into life – into creation. Within the chloroplasts of a plant cell, photosynthesis occurs in two main phases: light-dependent and light-independent reactions. Within plant cells, chloroplasts are specialized organelles that serve as the sites of photosynthesis. Sounds complex, but simply put, the little seed has parts that know how to take advantage of their surroundings, work with the collective and grow as they are designed to. These specialized organelles are much like organs in our body. Each has a duty to perform to keep the ‘whole’ in working order. Wouldn’t it be cool if we had little sites that could help us to grow and evolve – to move from dependent into independent? Well, we kinda do and don’t! We go from baby hood to youth to adulthood and there, as adults we stay. The growing, evolving, flourishing, or perhaps stagnating are stages, that we, the grown adults, do not necessarily go through as we do not come with a pre-set bundle of chemicals inside our organelles to guide us. We need environmental stimuli to trigger our adult organelles into action. This one fundamental difference is also one of our greatest gifts. In business, much like a garden, we are a wonderful collection of types, talents, and skills. Learning to grow and evolve from dependency to independency is the secret to a garden not just a single potted plant. Organizations are made up of people and so it would seem, like the plants around us we too need to be reminded that the ongoing dance between dependent and independent needs to be nurtured and measured. When I think of dependent teams and independent teams, I see an evolution of function into form or conversely the opposite, form into function. Processes, policies, and protocols drive dependency with outcomes becoming predictable, a prerequisite for success in many organizations. However, without vision, innovation, the flourishing of new ideas drains the coffers and market share leaving the hard-working dependents to become obsolete. We need both. We need independent thinkers and creators – we need those specialized organelles to blue sky ideas as without them we flounder in the vicissitudes of life. Our evolution is not stagnant but the ways in which we grow depends on our conversion from potential energy into kinetic or from light into sustenance. Plant science encompasses 'Botany' from the Greek word βοτάνη (botanē) meaning pasture or fodder, yet also involves keen observation of plant growth and characteristics plus the ongoing investigation into the relationship between plants and their environment. Notice the key word here! Relationship. It is in in the vein of relationship that the fine balance between roles, collaboration, dependents, and independents that true growth occurs. Relationship is how the value proposition is shared, for without it, creation falls short. The story of photosynthesis is in essence all about transition; it is about leveraging resources; it is about collaboration and unique skills being used to create a ‘whole’ plant. While the complexities of chemistry are the realm of the plant world, the complexities of ‘interactions and relationship’ are the domain of the human world. We must interact well to grow, flourish, profit and contribute to the collective. Organizations, people, and leadership have a lot in common with the humble seedling undergoing photosynthesis. In a sense the seedling is where the light and dark meet – nutrients from above, the sun and from underground (water soil) or where the twain meet is where growth takes place. The dependent and independent reactions, the two key components of the growth behavior are, in essence, the how we too, can become mature enough to enter gracefully into a state where Inter-dependency, the pinnacle of maturity or self-actualization is born. But let’s be real here! The wonders of development be they plant, or organization is not linear nor is it 100% guaranteed. Not all plants or people can transition smoothly or even at all through each category, but with good leadership each ‘phase’ (person) can have a role within the organization and can contribute to the success of the ‘whole’. ‘Grow where you are planted’ is a great expression to highlight that sometimes we need to take stock and use what we have to become more than the sum of our parts. The evolving or homogenizing is part of both the world of the dependent and independent thinkers. How can we take what we have and grow it further? How can we reinvent what we have into a version 2 or release 5? How can we take our IP, products and services and improve upon them to gain more sales, adoption, members, or licenses? Sometimes the key is not looking outside but leveraging the resources already in front of us. Photosynthesis, an internal series of reactions that take place in sequence to trigger growth and evolution. The benefits and tremendous value arising from these transitions feed the planet from the tiny to the enormous; from the warm blooded to cold. The food chain for all of us lies in the power of little organelles to take sunshine from ex-terra (sun) to terra firm (soil+water) and turn it into nourishment. If a tiny seedling can achieve so much, think what we can do when we transition ourselves from dependent to independent and beyond? Enjoy the transition – the journey is so worth it! Dina O'Reilly is 4xi's Strategic Partnership & Growth lead; she is also our Project Management Office lead and Ghostwriter in Residence, providing BLOGS+ services to clients. To learn more, contact Dina at dina@4xiconsulting.com 4xi Global Consulting & Solutions is a team of talented leaders from both the client-side and service provider side, impacting the Human Experience (HX) for people at work, in education, rest, and at leisure. We believe in a people-first, experience-led philosophy. Whether client, employee, or guest – their experience is the fundamental foundation of success. We work with corporations, service providers, and innovators: Strategic Advisory & Special Projects (SPx) Headquarters Fractional Support On-Demand Evolving Experiences©: Employee (EX) & Customer Experience (CX) Design4Life©: Environmental, Physical, and Experiential Design Global Amenities Strategy: Design & Operations TRUE NORTH©: Strategic Partnership & Growth Explorers Innovation Directory: Gateway to Innovation Sustainability Simplified©: Supply Chain & Innovation Market Research Reports & Benchmarking DATAxi: Data Ingestion & Visualization Platform 4xi is proud to be Chair of WORKTECH Academy for North America and a member of its Leadership Advisory Board. 4xi is a Global Ambassador for WORKTECH Academy. San Francisco | New York | Philadelphia | Orlando | North Carolina | Seattle | Silicon Valley | Santiago | London | Lisbon | Tokyo

You Got a Meeting! Are you ready? Where the rubber hits the road... The life of a business development executive is one filled with goals, targets, demands and the constant deterrent to success - distractions. Ponder, if you will, the average week of a professional B2B Business Development Executive (BDE)? Consider how many hours a BDE engages in conversation with a prospective client. Let’s say they have five meetings during a week, each for one hour. In a forty-hour work week this translates to five hours or 12.5% of time devoted to making a connection, having influence, and perhaps forming a partnership. Layer on top of this a close ratio of 35% and it quickly becomes apparent just how important having a successful meeting is. In short, the more effective meetings you have with prospects, the better your chances of finding a good fit and creating a mutually beneficial partnership. For B2B Business Development, networking and prospecting are the essential ingredients to success because they are the pathway to securing meetings and interactions. This cannot be overstated. Be it making phone calls, approaching people at industry associations; researching relevant market information; sending emails; connecting on social media; marketing, it is dogged consistency, discipline, and perseverance that results in getting a meeting on the calendar. Despite the wonder of our virtual world, to ultimately develop a partnership, you must have face time; you must build relationships. When you finally secure a time and a place you must be ready to ‘show-up, ready, willing and able’ - WINGING-IT IS NOT AN OPTION! Let’s get you ready or perhaps just refresh your memory on the cornerstones that will help you reach your goals. 4 Overarching Objectives for the Initial Meeting: Evaluate if mutual “fit” is evident. Lay the groundwork for rapport and trust. Gain knowledge through meaningful conversation. Agreement to meet again (if “fit” is evident). PREPARE Professionals prepare, FULL STOP. To honor your client or prospect, to show up at a meeting with specific intent, you must be prepared and rehearsed. There is no excuse for not researching the prospect, the organization, and the latest industry trends. Be it in electronic or written note form, document what you learn and refer to it before the meeting. That good ole’ cheat sheet worked when we were students at college, and it works now. List the questions you want to ask. Be ready. The sheer act of preparedness gives confidence and speaks volumes to the prospect as your demeanor shows you have taken the time to get to know ‘them’. Leaders and prospects need to know you care enough to do your homework, to arrive prepared, to honor the time they afford you and respect their time constraints. If you don’t prepare and waste their time, you won’t get any more of it. As an aside, having a plan for how you want the meeting to unfold is also a good idea to have in your back pocket so to speak, but remember that the unexpected will happen – be flexible and nimble enough to go with the flow when it does. Being fully prepared means that the unexpected will not throw you off your game. Lean on your instincts and emotional intelligence to ensure a successful interaction. Finally, take a moment to reflect on your own organizations mission, vision, and values. 'Know thyself' is a profound statement and in this context ensures you know how to recognize a good fit versus just business for your organization and for you. UNDERSTAND YOUR CLIENT’S POINT OF VIEW As you prepare for your meeting, invest time reflecting on the role, title, responsibilities, significance and even the demands of the prospect and how they fit within their organization structure. Consider the day in the life of your prospect, their day-to-day priorities, and how you might be able to support them. This enables you to get a start on how you can connect and build rapport. Most people want to know you’re interested in their role and that you are empathetic with their day-to-day challenges. This is human nature, and part of how we interact. It is smart to understand your prospective client’s point of view. Always remember, the prospect is the STAR of this screenplay, not you. THE MEETING Being prepared helps lessen anxiety and elevates confidence for most of us. Be natural and authentic. Use emotional intelligence to read the situation and empathize with the other person. Avoid coming across as overly anxious, or too eager to talk about your company. Most importantly, relax and enjoy interacting with another person. Remember, you are here to ‘listen’ first and ‘speak’ second. Small Talk: It is fine to begin with non-business small talk but only if the prospect seems receptive. This is how you become “human”, friendly, approachable. It’s a fact that people do business with people they like and trust. However, if your prospect is not immediately receptive, adjust and ask one of your open-ended question to allow the prospect to begin sharing with you. Ask Questions: Move to the professional by asking a question about their organization. Have these prepared in advance. This is all about honest curiosity. Such an approach conveyed with respect, sincerity and humility opens the other person up, and gives them the floor for a minute. It is the foundation for building rapport and trust. Ask questions to help you to gain information that you don’t know about their organization, their challenges, how they behave, what they value, and what is their purpose and mission. This will help you assess if you will be a good “fit”. Good business is more important than a single sale because good business results in advocacy, repeat or growing business and retaining the client for the long term. While the focus on this meeting is not to 'sell’ but to learn, you may be asked questions about your product/service. Responding with knowledge instills confidence - after all, the expert in your product. Also keep in mind, if you don’t know your own organization’s purpose, mission, vision, and values – you’ll have a great deal of difficulty determining “fit”. Listen & Ask More: Use your authentic curiosity to guide the conversation with follow-up questions. This is not an interrogation. Be genuinely interested or trust will not develop, and the meeting will end quickly. Listening actively is essential. Make eye contact, lean in, avoid distractions, ask for clarity. Takes notes – it shows how important what they say is to you! Avoid telling: without being asked. Telling tends to convey power positioning in a conversation. It implies the other person doesn’t know what you know. There are effective ways to make a point without telling – which comes down to how you verbalize what you know. TELLING EXAMPLE “It is proven that employees are more successful if their manager checks in on them daily during their first week of employment.” SHARING EXAMPLE “I recall reading an article where new employees were shown to be more successful when they were interacted with by their manager daily during their first week of employment. I’ll see if I can find it and send it to you if you would find it useful.” Your choice of words and tone matters. Fielding Questions: Hopefully, curiosity will compel them to ask you a question. This is a good sign. Don’t respond excitedly, pounce or oversell by launching into flowery answers. Focus your response on the solutions you deliver, not the features of your service or product. Sharing your experiences can open the door for the other person to ask you questions. Their time: Be respectful of the prospects time. Acknowledge when you’re coming to the end of the meeting. If it was productive, and you believe your organizations are a good fit, ask for another meeting. If not, thank them for their time and ask if they know someone else you should talk with. TAKEAWAY: Most people like to tell their story when asked. They want to be heard and understood. This is a natural human trait. Giving the other person this opportunity through asking genuine questions is a gift of sorts and helps begin a connection. The goal is to develop rapport and trust, the two most essential ingredients of a lasting win-win partnership. Recap immediately: the best time to collect your thoughts, review your notes and recap the discussion in your mind is immediately following the meeting. Sit in a quiet place and think about what was said. Make a list of any follow-up items and act upon them. Jot notes about a follow-up email which is best to be delivered within 48 hours. SUMMARY A meeting is an opportunity to learn about the prospect, their organization, and their situation. You may uncover areas where you can help, or you may not. Not all prospects are a fit, or ready for your solution. Provided you have developed an Ideal Client Profile, seeing the “fit” will be easier. The art of collaborative solutioning in a B2B environment is building rapport, trust, enjoying mutual discovery, filling challenge gaps, and creating a win-win partnership. In short, people buy from people they like, who are authentic and credible. To be authentic and credible just means that you have taken the time to earn the respect of your prospect by exercising genuine curiosity and demonstrating current knowledge of their marketplace. If you build relationships; if you attend meetings with openness and interest; if you don’t sell but offer insights that can help your prospect, you will create lasting partnerships with less stress or strain. In today’s world, B2B Business Development Executives behave as strategic consultants, and problem-solving partners. They are not hard driving “closers”. So, when you’re fortunate enough to secure a meeting, your behavior in the conversation should be one of curiosity, collaboration, listening, and learning. ABOUT THE AUTHOR ED SNOWDEN Strategic Business Consultant Sales Growth and Client Retention Ed has over 45 years of progressive growth in leadership responsibility at two Fortune 500 management services and hospitality companies: ServiceMaster and Aramark. At both organizations he was regularly promoted based on his performance and was awarded several awards in both sales and operational roles. As Vice President of Operations, Ed provided leadership for a hospitality team of over 500 people and an operating budget of over $60MM which he successfully renewed for five years. He has extensive experience in a multitude of business capacities including strategic account management, sales, and growth leadership. As Vice President of Strategic Partnerships, Ed was responsible for cultivating professional relationships for the company’s largest healthcare clients in North America valued at over $350MM annually. In that role he assisted in the writing of a living Strategic Account Management Playbook. At 4xiGlobal Consulting, Ed co-authored the TRUE NORTH© Strategic Learning Academy centered on creating a new mindset for developing and retaining the best business partners, winning better, retaining better business. You can contact Ed directly at edsnowden@4xiconsulting.com or visit our website to learn more about 4xi, who we are, what we do, and how we inspire a better future, together: www.4xiconsulting.com 4xi Global Consulting & Solutions is a team of talented leaders from both the client-side and service provider side, impacting the Human Experience (HX) for people at work, in education, rest, and at leisure. We believe in a people-first, experience-led philosophy. Whether client, employee, or guest – their experience is the fundamental foundation of success. We work with corporations, service providers, and innovators: Strategic Advisory & Special Projects (SPx) Headquarters Fractional Support On-Demand Evolving Experiences© - Employee (EX) & Customer Experience (CX) Design4Life©: Environmental, Physical, and Experiential Design Global Amenities Strategy, Design & Operations TRUE NORTH©: Strategic Partnership & Growth Explorers Innovation Directory: Gateway to Innovation Sustainability Simplified©: Supply Chain & Innovation Market Research Reports & Benchmarking 4xi is proud to be Chair of WORKTECH Academy for North America and a member of its Leadership Advisory Board. 4xi is a Global Ambassador for WORKTECH Academy. San Francisco | New York | Orlando | North Carolina | Seattle | Silicon Valley | Santiago | London | Tokyo

A wise man once told me, “Do what you love, and life (and work) will be much more pleasurable (and likely more effective).” – it’s with these words, through both hard times and good I have seen how in life this rings true. I think back and look around me today and am grateful to be in a business that I love - working with people and organizations with the purpose of advancement, challenging the status quo, creating impact, and making a real difference drives me each and every day. Recently, I stumbled across a new TV show, Rogue Heroes, based on the book by Ben Mcintyre - it tracks the rise of David Stirling, founder of the Special Air Service in North Africa during World War II. I of course knew of the man, the legend, and the story in general terms, but what I didn’t realize was the extent of the pioneering nature of his small group that ultimately created the most elite fighting force in the world. What struck me was that it wasn’t the fight itself that was the driver - it was challenging the status quo, reinventing the norm, and disrupting to create new ways of doing things resulting in change and impact – the ultimate disruptors, and yes, they loved what they did! ”From this context, I realize that what we do today is the same – we’re not just looking at new ways to approach things for the sake of doing so, we’re doing it to make a difference and drive impactful change – that’s what we do in business today, isn’t it?” I look at my friends and colleagues at 4xi. I think about Georgina Miranda, who just this morning I heard from – she was in the far depths of the Amazon rain forest as part of her latest adventure and crusade to understand the people of the world, diversity, inclusion, different cultures, and how we can all take responsibility and protect our planet for future generations to come. It is her passion that has changed so many lives (and organizations), and how she drives and impacts change. Helene York recently returned from Japan, her wedding anniversary didn’t get in the way of progressing her passion for all things sustainability, meeting with folks, visiting businesses, learning from others around the world, using her influence to educate, and facilitate change. ”Pursuing your passions is important in the work context but also personally, work itself doesn’t always accommodate sometime the more artistic sides of our personalities, and it’s critically important for all of us to express ourselves.” Tony Johnson, 4xi’s Chief Experience Officer loves what he does – creating enterprise strategies and execution for organizations seeking to advance their human experience, employee, and customer experience – but he is a man of many passions beyond his profession, his business books, and his keynote speaking, he’s a qualified drone pilot, and a budding mixologist. With his creations (from left to right): Bloody Mary 2.0, White Christmas, Apples & Oranges, The Slimer, Cherry Vodka Limeade, Mcgillicuddy’s Bourbon Fernet, and Dubonnet & Gin. I have always understood the value of creating release opportunities for creativity beyond work and have always encouraged it too. A personal friend and fellow industry professional, Eric Drake found his creative release through music commencing a ten-year journey in chronicling his music through a series of releases called SUIT. I had the great pleasure to collaborate with Eric and pen the lyrics to one of his tracks on SUIT 1, and enjoy listening to SUIT 2 and 3 on Band Camp, one of my favorites, All I Ever Wanted. Clearly, we all have our different passions, from fashion, to gardening, to music, travel, and food, but Ann McNally, 4xi’s operations, coaching, and growth expert turned her passion into a business use case leveraging the 4xi platform in the creation of Criterion Benchmarking about to be launched in early 2023. Criterion is a membership-based survey and insights platform designed to anonymously share data between peers to provide learning outcomes. Then on to my own passion, writing. A decade ago, I first contemplated writing a book of short stories, the subject, unsung heroes, and in 2018 released my first historical fiction novel (under the pen name, Willy Mitchell, my grandfather’s name), Operation ARGUS. Nearly 5 years later, I have just released my latest work, book number 6, SS Indigo, Twelve’s Company, a murder mystery where 12 strangers are invited to a mysterious Caribbean cruise. It's been a journey, a lot of dedication, investment in time, using my free moments on planes, trains, in hotels, airports, and Saturday mornings, but the sense of achievement is great, the sense of the legacy I have created even greater, and the opportunity to memorialize these stories on behalf of others, priceless. So, the moral of the story is, whatever your passion, life (and work) will be much more pleasurable (and effective) if you can apply it in such a way that you can feel purpose, that you’re making a difference, creating memorable moments, impacting the lives of others, and above all, having fun! Never discount the impact fun and distraction can have on your quality of life and your productivity at work. These kinds of activities not only satisfy our need to be creative and stretch ourselves but provide a powerful catalyst for quality work. When you can disconnect, recharge, and engage different skills it recharges your passion and your enthusiasm. Do what you LOVE: Pursue Your Passions Simon Elliot is Managing Partner and co-founder of 4xi Global Consulting & Solutions and is focused on a people-first approach to enable optimum Human Experiences for people away from home: at work, in education, at rest, or at leisure. Simon believes that Experience Matters! applies in many different ways and is the fundamental foundation of a successful business, no matter the business. Simon is a global citizen, having lived, worked, and traveled to over 45 countries and six continents, and believes in the power of human potential. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Directors, a Member of the Institute of Leadership & Management, and the North America Chair of the WORKTECH Academy. Simon lives in the San Francisco Bay Area. 4xi Global Consulting & Solutions is a team of talented leaders from both the client-side and service provider side, impacting the Human Experience (HX) for people at work, in education, rest, and at leisure. We believe in a people-first, experience-led philosophy. Whether client, employee, or guest – their experience is the fundamental foundation of success. We work with corporations, service providers, and innovators: Strategic Advisory & Special Projects (SPx) Headquarters Fractional Support On-Demand Evolving Experiences© - Employee (EX) & Customer Experience (CX) Design4Life©: Environmental, Physical, and Experiential Design Global Amenities Strategy, Design & Operations TRUE NORTH©: Strategic Partnership & Growth Explorers Innovation Directory: Gateway to Innovation Sustainability Simplified©: Supply Chain & Innovation Market Research Reports & Benchmarking 4xi is proud to be Chair of WORKTECH Academy for North America and a member of its Leadership Advisory Board. 4xi is a Global Ambassador for WORKTECH Academy. San Francisco | New York | Orlando | North Carolina | Seattle | Silicon Valley | Santiago | London | Tokyo

The button doesn’t get pushed; the lever doesn’t get pulled; the hammer doesn’t strike, and the problem does not get sorted until someone, somewhere, knows to act. In a world where speed is king, resolution times are measured in minutes, not hours, and every first impression can change an outcome, the Speed OF Fix is paramount. Notice, it is not ‘Speed TO Fix but Speed OF Fix. Why does a preposition make such a difference? The speed TO fix something is just that – how long does it take you to repair something from the time you know it needs fixing? From mopping up spills, replacing a lightbulb, and using a carpet cleaner on a stain, the speed to fixing something is in the labor and activities it takes to make it happen. The Speed OF Fix is something far more important! It is the value! It is the foundation of the formula that drives an outcome, not the measurement from commencement to the end of the job. In short, you can assign time to a function, but a VALUE remains constant, and it is the difference between guaranteed outcomes and winging it. In business, we focus on maximizing or minimizing time (depending on your point of view), reducing the time it takes to make things happen, or even reducing the number of people it takes to impact ‘how’ much time it takes to ‘fix’ something. By way of example: A single housekeeper in a hotel can handle up to 15 rooms a day (if they are not suites). So, 15 rooms over 8 hours or 32 minutes per room. Five housekeepers working on the same floor, however, can clean those 15 rooms in 1.5 hours – quite the gain in ‘Time’ but with increased cost in manpower. The Speed TO fix lives in the world of time and cost, which is, of course, very important but only when ‘FIX’ is a scheduled event. Let’s consider value and time within the framework of responsiveness, not just the time to fix it. "If we limit our view of the world to the lens of time without value, we lose sight of what really counts. Value arises out of the time it takes to ‘know’ you have to act. It is the ‘knowing’ that makes all the difference." The Speed OF Fix changes everything. A tool that can give you faster response times; a tool that creates value, not just a ‘fix’ opportunity, is the difference between a fix-it and solve-it kinda moment and creating true value across the timeline for all the stakeholders. Auditing, checking, and improving quality in any facility, business or office means being ahead of the curve. Taking note of what needs to get done and sharing it with the correct personnel takes time, but if we invert the process and ensure ‘all’ personnel see it all ‘at’ the same time, we have ignition. No longer are we in a world of time and space but one where we are all owners of the event, the fix, and the solution process. Much like a home alarm system that both scares the intruder, wakes the owners, and calls the police, a tool that allows auditors, technicians, staff, and managers to see at the same time means the distance between finding and commencing a fix is almost immediate. The Speed OF Fix changes everything. Auditing tools are often labor intensive; they require data to be sent or shared and OF ten at end-OF -of the day or in batches that may miss the mark to notify the right person at the right time. MyFieldAudits takes away the constraint of time; it takes the notion of Speed OF Fix to heart and creates a way to bring all stakeholders to the same place at the right time to be on top of the time between notice and start – that space called ‘VALUE.’ The value of time is not in its measurement but in its responsiveness; in its visual acuity; in its nimbleness, and haste to bring resolution, solution, or fix something that might impact customer quality; customer happiness, or put the environment at risk. Compliance is always in the background of business, as without it, we cannot know how we are doing and against what standards. Compliance drives success factors for everyone involved and comes with bragging rights and pride. How do you think about and manage compliance in your company or business? What do you do to stay ahead of the curve, to make time your friend, not your enemy? How do you leverage your teams, staff, and leadership to be part of the solution or part of the fix without delays or struggles? With MyFieldAudits at your fingertips, the Speed OF Fix makes taking care of business almost instantaneous. No matter the audit element, the time to fix makes staying on top of day-to-day operations virtually, physically, or remotely easy and literally in the palm of your hand. MyFieldAudits: See more than ever before. INNOVATION PARTNER SPOTLIGHT At 4xi, we've built our Explorers Innovation Directory of carefully curated Innovation Partners, all driving positive impact in the Away from Home market: workplace, education, healthcare, senior living, and leisure. Check out MyFieldAudits Would you like to have real-time visibility to your business in your pocket? See data, information, and insights, including images of operations and video - all on your mobile device? Having this level of unprecedented visibility allows for nimble fixes and quick reactions to issues or challenges and also opportunities for recognition when things are going smoothly. MyFieldAudits makes knowing what is going on in your business in real-time a reality and helps you see more than ever before. MyFieldAudits has transformed the audit process into a truly useful tool to drive success at all levels of your organization - a hand-held application that makes keeping on top of the details across multiple locations easy and effective. Now you can ‘see’ each operation in real-time. Knowing what is happening in the moment with the resulting quick-fix options at your fingertips is a key differentiator. Extensive and detailed oversight ensures your clients receive the highest quality of care and service at all times. With this knowledge and insights at your fingertips, you can drive efficiency, compliance, and productivity and consistently deliver upon your commitments to quality and service outcomes across multiple facilities diminishing the challenges and complexity of managing dispersed operations. MFAs work with foodservice partners, businesses, universities, care establishments, and hotels in public places like museums and airports to help leaders and operators have a clear and real-time line of sight to every aspect of their business. MyFieldAudits ensures you can see your business in the palm of your hand. Dina O'Reilly is 4xi's Strategic Partnership & Growth lead; she is also our Project Management Office lead and Ghostwriter in Residence, providing BLOGS+ services to clients. To learn more, contact Dina at dina@4xiconsulting.com 4xi Global Consulting & Solutions is a team of talented leaders from both the client-side and service provider side, impacting the Human Experience (HX) for people at work, in education, rest, and at leisure. We believe in a people-first, experience-led philosophy. Whether client, employee, or guest – their experience is the fundamental foundation of success. We work with corporations, service providers, and innovators: Strategic Advisory & Special Projects (SPx) Headquarters Fractional Support On-Demand Evolving Experiences©: Employee (EX) & Customer Experience (CX) Design4Life©: Environmental, Physical, and Experiential Design Global Amenities Strategy: Design & Operations TRUE NORTH©: Strategic Partnership & Growth Explorers Innovation Directory: Gateway to Innovation Sustainability Simplified©: Supply Chain & Innovation Market Research Reports & Benchmarking DATAxi: Data Ingestion & Visualization Platform 4xi is proud to be Chair of WORKTECH Academy for North America and a member of its Leadership Advisory Board. 4xi is a Global Ambassador for WORKTECH Academy. San Francisco | New York | Orlando | North Carolina | Seattle | Silicon Valley | Santiago | London | Tokyo

Gait is essentially a pattern of walking using the coordination of muscles to propel a body forward into a rhythm called a stride. And, goodness knows, we all want to take what happens in our lives in stride – how we do that is in the story! Across the world and in varying disciplines, the terms differ – a trot for an English rider is a jog for a Western rider; a saddle horn on the Western saddle is a pommel on an English saddle, and so it goes. Cadence matters, as does form, function, saddle types, and mindset – reigning versus dressage; team penning versus polo or barrel racing versus point-to-point – all so very different yet still so very much the same. "It seems to ride a horse has a myriad of ways and means as it would seem who we are, how we think, and what we want from our horse drives how we ‘stride’ forward with our mighty steed." When we are in flow – when we are in stride, the movement of horse and rider is poetic, graceful, and smooth. There is nothing more beautiful to watch or to experience than someone being at one with such a magnificent animal and both creatures enjoying themselves as a team. The how to create team is in the Gait. Stabilize your back and post. An interesting learning exercise for any rider is to realize that the inherent bouncing up and down that comes from trotting without posting means the pressure on the horse's back is high and quite painful for the rider atop to boot. When you take a moment to feel the horse, steady your back, drop your heels, and rise softly in unison with the horse, the trot becomes comfortable and easy for both rider and horse. It is in the feeling of one to the other that the ‘gaits’ become one. From the smoothness of the gait arises the rhythm and from rhythm arises the stride. The ease by which a horse and rider can shift from a trot to a canter and into a gallop hinges on the gait, becoming one in the infancy of their first movements together. "Rhythms of life are much like a rider and horse – the more we tune in and adjust, the easier the ride becomes, and perhaps more importantly, the easier it becomes to ‘stride’ through the rocky times, the difficult climbs, and dark rainy nights." Gait is the foundation of riding as it is for life. We must first find our gait – practice our rhythm, and then, only then, can we truly stride. Teams and businesses are no different. Psychologist Bruce Tuckman came up with the memorable phrase "forming, storming, norming, and performing" in his 1965 paper, "Developmental Sequence in Small Groups. This wisdom is as true today as it was in 1965. We must find our gait – we must adjust to our surroundings, be they horse, venue, or people, before we can find our rhythms. Perhaps the ‘forming’ in this regard is the finding of the Gait. They say familiarity breeds contempt, but perhaps it is more about familiarity without adjustment breeds contempt. Partnership and team are all about learning, understanding, accommodating, and acceptance – the foundation of that learning comes from your knowing your GAIT! Business today with the ever-changing landscape, newly coined phrases from Great Resignations, Quiet Quitting, DE-platforming, and fluffernutter (quite partial to peanut butter and marshmallow cream sarnie !) mean we are in constant flux; constant change and constantly under stress to ‘adjust.’ If we have learned to feel, then we now own our GAIT, and as such, we are far more likely to have already exercised our rhythms and learned to adjust. We are, so to speak, already in ‘stride,’ and it is that stride that will support us as we navigate through these times and beyond. A business will survive, and so will you, but appreciating, defining, and understanding your Gait will be instrumental in how quickly you can begin to gallop! Enjoy the RIDE! Dina O'Reilly is 4xi's Strategic Partnership & Growth lead; she is also our Project Management Office lead and Ghostwriter in Residence, providing BLOGS+ services to clients. To learn more, contact Dina at dina@4xiconsulting.com 4xi Global Consulting & Solutions is a team of talented leaders from both the client-side and service provider side, impacting the Human Experience (HX) for people at work, in education, rest, and at leisure. We believe in a people-first, experience-led philosophy. Whether client, employee, or guest – their experience is the fundamental foundation of success. We work with corporations, service providers, and innovators: Strategic Advisory & Special Projects (SPx) Headquarters Fractional Support On-Demand Evolving Experiences© - Employee (EX) & Customer Experience (CX) Design4Life©: Environmental, Physical, and Experiential Design Global Amenities Strategy, Design & Operations TRUE NORTH©: Strategic Partnership & Growth Explorers Innovation Directory: Gateway to Innovation Sustainability Simplified©: Supply Chain & Innovation Market Research Reports & Benchmarking 4xi is proud to be Chair of WORKTECH Academy for North America and a member of its Leadership Advisory Board. 4xi is a Global Ambassador for WORKTECH Academy. San Francisco | New York | Orlando | North Carolina | Seattle | Silicon Valley | Santiago | London | Tokyo

Jennifer Brown’s second edition of ‘How to be an INCLUSIVE Leader’ expands on her first book by including more examples and even more ideas and guidance. The story of diversity, equity, and inclusion is so much deeper, more profound, and more complex than most of us realize, and yet, is equally a story of love, acceptance, recognition, and appreciation for the very diversity that makes us ‘each’ unique. We each have a ‘Voice’ – let us use it for inclusion and love. The book is educational and helps identify that is OK not to have all the answers; that being in stage 1 in one aspect, yet stage 4 in another is all part of the journey. The book makes learning and growing into an inclusive leader non-judgmental and without blame; the book allows everyone, no matter where they came from, to grow into Inclusivity and open their eyes to a wonderful new way of being. "Intersectionality is a word I had not heard before, but its very construct allows for ALL to meet and intersect in understanding, acceptance, and growth no matter how many aspects of them they bring to the table of life." Jennifer’s book is a guide, a tool, a method, and for that very reason, needs to be out and about; it needs to be dog-eared with pages furled as it is used so much as a reference guide, an instrument of learning and of more importantly, of becoming. This is a book that can and perhaps should be given to every new member of staff in their welcome pack. I highly recommend the book for both the neophyte and the experienced diversity leader as both will take away more understanding, wisdom, and, more importantly, how to truly embrace and lead ‘inclusivity. This guide will teach you to always look at how to grow, how to gather, how to tell stories, and how to share – We are ONE – we always were – we always will be – this book provides the pathway to that absolute truth. Dina O'Reilly is 4xi's "Blogger in Residence," strategic growth leader, and head of 4xi's Project Management Office (PMO) practice. About the Author Jennifer Brown is an award-winning entrepreneur, speaker, diversity and inclusion consultant, and author. As the successful founder, president, and CEO of Jennifer Brown Consulting, headquartered in New York City, Jennifer is responsible for designing workplace strategies that have been implemented by some of the biggest companies and nonprofits in the world. She has harnessed more than 14 years of experience as a world-renowned diversity and inclusion expert through consulting work, keynoting, and thought leadership. Jennifer has spoken at many top conferences and events such as the International Diversity Forum, the Global D&I Summit, the Forum for Workplace Inclusion, the NGLCC International Business & Leadership Conference, the Out & Equal Workplace Summit, Emerging Women, as well as at organizations such as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the NBA, Google, IBM, and more. She is the bestselling author of; Inclusion: Diversity, The New Workplace and The Will to Change and a new book, How To Be An Inclusive Leader: Your Role in Creating Cultures of Belonging Where Everyone Can Thrive. Jennifer is the host of the popular weekly podcast, The Will to Change, which uncovers true stories of diversity and inclusion. She is also the proud recipient of several accolades, having been named Woman of the Year by Pace University, Social Entrepreneur of the year by the NYC National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO), one of the Top 40 Outstanding Women by Stonewall Community Foundation, and NYC Controller Bill Thompson’s LGBT Business Owner of the Year. She has also been a finalist for both the Wells Fargo Business Owner of the Year Award and for Ernst & Young’s Winning Women Program. As a successful entrepreneur, Jennifer has been featured in media such as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Harvard Business Review, AdWeek, Bloomberg Businessweek, Forbes, Inc., CBS, and many more. 4xi Global Consulting & Solutions is a team of talented leaders from both the client-side and service provider side, impacting the Human Experience (HX) for people at work, in education, rest, and at leisure. We believe in a people-first, experience-led philosophy. Whether client, employee, or guest – their experience is the fundamental foundation of success. We work with corporations, service providers, and innovators: Strategic Advisory & Special Projects (SPx) Headquarters Fractional Support On-Demand Evolving Experiences© - Employee (EX) & Customer Experience (CX) Design4Life©: Environmental, Physical, and Experiential Design Global Amenities Strategy, Design & Operations TRUE NORTH©: Strategic Partnership & Growth Explorers Innovation Directory: Gateway to Innovation Sustainability Simplified©: Supply Chain & Innovation Market Research Reports & Benchmarking 4xi is proud to be Chair of WORKTECH Academy for North America and a member of its Leadership Advisory Board. 4xi is a Global Ambassador for WORKTECH Academy. San Francisco | New York | Orlando | North Carolina | Seattle | Silicon Valley | Santiago | London | Tokyo

It’s important, now more than ever, that your associates understand, fully embrace, and support the purpose of your business. Millennials and Gen Z employees have taken over the workforce, and they are incredibly loyal to brands whose purpose resonates with them. Unfortunately, the opposite is also true. If your company's purpose comes across as bland, weak, uninspiring, or irrelevant to your associates, you can be sure you’re leaving a crippling amount of latent potential, productivity, customer satisfaction, and revenue on the table. Hubert Joly, the former CEO of Best Buy, defines purpose as the intersection of four important things: 1) What human needs are you trying to address in the world? 2) What are you uniquely good at? 3) What are you passionate about? 4) How are you going to make money? It’s an unfortunate reality that many companies define their purpose as it relates to a multi-stakeholder landscape. But this abstract, uninspiring, and irrelevant “purpose” (which I submit to you is not a purpose at all) does not relate to a frontline associate. If your frontline associates don’t see your organization as addressing an actual human need in the world if they don’t feel “good at” or passionate about helping accomplish that purpose, and if they don’t see a pathway to financially supporting themselves and their families by addressing that purpose, you can bet you’ll have painful turnover, low employee NPS scores, disengagement, poor productivity, and suffering customer satisfaction. So what do we do about it? Here are some practical steps for you to consider. Explore a more powerful and inspiring company purpose. Communicate that company purpose with your associates directly. Use town halls, corporate communication, and frontline leadership conversations. Daily, repeatedly reinforce that company purpose in your daily team huddles with every employee, everywhere, and every day. That last step is key. Most companies do a reasonably good job of the first three steps but thoroughly drop the ball with the fourth. Horst Schulze, the legendary founder of Ritz Carlton, writes in his book Excellence Wins, “If you intend to be a leader, you need to keep reinforcing what makes your company number one. Otherwise, it will slip.” That’s why Horst calls the ten minutes in the daily (not occasional, weekly, monthly, etc.) team huddle “the most important in the entire shift.” Are you having consistent, daily team huddles? Are your leaders talking about the right things, at the right time, that drive the right behaviors in your organization that drive the right results? How do you know? If you’re like most service industry companies, you don’t, and that leaves a massive gap in current versus potential team member performance at a daily level. So to recap, do you have an inspiring company purpose? Do your frontline associates know what it is? Are you communicating it in such a way that it is reinforced daily by frontline leaders with every frontline employee? This is a major gap for most companies, so if you see an opportunity to improve this critical element of your business, don’t fret. Unisyn has been involved in literally thousands of frontline culture transformation and digital transformation initiatives, driving company purpose to the frontlines of organizations just like yours. We not only understand the challenge but have tangible, pragmatic experience helping mid-market and enterprise companies rapidly improve frontline team culture and performance. We’d love to hear from you. Joel Onyshuk Co-founder Unisyn: Your Best Team Everywhere Unisyn, Inc., the Service Industry solution to unlocking frontline leadership consistency and frontline associate engagement, received the award for "Most Innovative or Forward-Thinking Product/Service" from SHFM. Judges were a panel of operators as well as conference attendees who voted on a number of innovations and solutions, including those promoted by PepsiCo, Coca-Cola North America, Ecolab, Impossible Foods, Keurig Dr. Pepper, Panasonic, Red Bull North America, and many other household names. Based in Tampa, FL., Unisyn's mission is to "Put your best team everywhere" by empowering your frontline teams to bring your mission to life everywhere and every day. According to Gallup, 70% of the variance in team engagement is determined solely by the manager, and Unisyn is the first and only solution to address this unique, global challenge for Service Industry companies with distributed teams. Explorers Innovation Directory At 4xi, we've built our Explorers Innovation Directory of carefully curated Innovation Partners, all driving positive impact in the Away from Home market: workplace, education, healthcare, senior living, and leisure. 4xi Global Consulting & Solutions is a team of talented leaders from both the client-side and service provider side, impacting the Human Experience (HX) for people at work, in education, rest, and at leisure. We believe in a people-first, experience-led philosophy. Whether client, employee, or guest – their experience is the fundamental foundation of success. We work with corporations, service providers, and innovators: Strategic Advisory & Special Projects (SPx) Headquarters Fractional Support On-Demand Evolving Experiences© - Employee (EX) & Customer Experience (CX) Design4Life©: Environmental, Physical, and Experiential Design Global Amenities Strategy, Design & Operations TRUE NORTH©: Strategic Partnership & Growth Explorers Innovation Directory: Gateway to Innovation Sustainability Simplified©: Supply Chain & Innovation Market Research Reports & Benchmarking 4xi is proud to be Chair of WORKTECH Academy for North America and a member of its Leadership Advisory Board. 4xi is a Global Ambassador for WORKTECH Academy. San Francisco | New York | Orlando | North Carolina | Seattle | Silicon Valley | Santiago | London | Tokyo

As a Western society, we are steeped in the belief that being a high performer means doing more all at once. We’ve been conditioned to attach enormous value to being endlessly busy, and we conflate being busy with being important. We’re expected to wear the long hours we work and the lack of downtime as a badge of honor. We’re told we have to spend serious money on apps, tools, and software to help us get more done and spend hours of our time researching how to be more productive, how to do more, create more, and produce more. In short: our society has developed an obsession with increasing output. However, it’s a fetish with myriad drawbacks. Because this obsession with outputs isn’t just causing us to miss out on family time, it isn’t just causing us to check emails during vacations and on the weekends; it’s actually reducing the quality of the work we produce, harming our ability to work collaboratively, and leading us towards chronically elevated stress levels and eventual burnout. Our culture may tell us that productivity is about how much we do, but there’s a big difference between output — the amount of work we do — and outcome — the results of the work we do. And if we want to focus our attention and efforts on building effective organizations, high-performing teams, and meaningful results, it’s time to start prioritizing outcomes over outputs. Outputs vs. outcomes: what’s the difference? Outputs are the effort you exert and are entirely within your control to produce. Outcomes, however, are the result of your effort — they represent impact and value to your customers and stakeholders. Let’s look at some examples. Output could be… Building a bridge. Hanging a picture frame on the wall. Paddling hard in a boat. Whereas outcomes would be… People getting to the other side of the river. Smiling every time you see the happy family photo. And the outcome of paddling hard? Well, that depends — and it’s why this is such an important concept to explore. "Outcomes are contextual. They depend on the value you want to create and the requirements you have to meet." In the case of paddling hard, perhaps the value lies in delivering cargo to people waiting downstream. Perhaps the value is to get exercise. It could simply be about enjoying the scenery on a different part of the river. The problem is, when we’re expected to focus on output, we tend to overcomplicate processes, we focus on the wrong solutions, and often, we create outcomes that fall short of the value we planned to deliver. "Too often, we focus on answering the question: How will we do it? Instead of considering the more significant questions: Why does this matter? and How will we recognize success?" Let me show you what I mean. Crossing the river: why we need to stop focusing on the bridge. Take the building a bridge example from above. I first started considering what bridges can teach us about outcomes when I saw Henrik Kniberg teach the world about alignment and autonomy at Spotify. Imagine you and your team are on the banks of a deep, fast-moving river, and you’ve been tasked with leading your team safely to the other side. With a mindset that’s fixated on output, you’ll likely adopt the first strategy that seems both logical and doable; namely, you’ll decide to build a bridge. What if you shift your focus to the desired outcome instead? Are there other easier, cheaper, more efficient ways to cross the river? Perhaps a boat or even finding a natural crossing where the river narrows and a small leap is all it will take to safely reach the other side. It might well be that building a bridge is the best option, but when you focus on outcome vs. output, you’ll be 100% certain that you’re spending your energy and your efforts in the most effective way. However, there’s another layer to this shift of focus, returning to the question: what is the actual problem we are trying to solve? Why does your team need to reach the other side of the river? Is there a danger they need to escape or a valuable resource they want to collect, like food or precious minerals? Could it be that the desired outcome has nothing to do with crossing the river and everything to do with seeking safety, food, or riches? And if so, how will that change your approach to the nature of your outputs and the requisite resources and energy expenditure? "Productivity and outcomes depend on knowing why you’re doing the work — and knowing why and what the outcome needs to be is entirely a leadership responsibility." A useful outcome will also answer the question, How will we know when to celebrate? In other words, it will pass the Champagne Test —the success criteria will be clear enough that everyone will know exactly when it’s time to pop the bottle open to celebrate. It doesn’t matter how many bridges are built if no one is able to cross safely to the other side. Equally, it doesn’t matter how many bridges are built if there’s no food, no riches, and no safety to be found on the other side. With ever-increasing demands on our time, ideas to pursue, and problems to solve, organizations cannot afford to spend all of their time, money, and people on being busy, on logging more hours just for the sake of it, on producing more because more simply feels better. Organizations cannot remain loyal to a status quo created and defined by a societal obsession with outputs. After all, if all anyone is doing is churning out more work, you may have profitable quarters, but you undoubtedly run the risk of mistaking being busy for being productive and settling for mediocre outcomes. So let’s change the narrative. Let’s explore what happens when we shift focus from what we’re doing to why we’re doing it. And let's all center our efforts on true productivity, Champagne-worthy outcomes, and designing organizations that positively impact the world, quarter after quarter, year after year. Real Flow: Break the Burnout Cycle and Unlock High Performance in the New World of Work: Your organization is capable of higher performance than you imagined possible when you shift to Real Flow. Business leaders have seen it before. Teams that should be achieving great work with ease are caught in a wild frenzy of competing priorities. Gradually their people suffer burnout, innovation evaporates, and time and energy are wasted on the wrong problems. Thanks to this organizational multitasking, their organization is flooding from the pressure to do it all. But there is an unexpected solution to achieve high performance once again. Organizational agility expert Brandi Olson brings front and center what happens when an organization chases too many priorities simultaneously. Featuring extensive interviews with organizational leaders, Real Flow demonstrates the principles of flow that will create the environment teams need to achieve and sustain high performance. Integrating cognitive science, organizational agility, and lean principles, this is your guide to delivering exceptional value and enabling people to be happy, healthy, and engaged in their work. Discover: The costly link between competing priorities, multitasking, and burnout and why no amount of vacation, self-care, or team-building activities will solve it. How to embrace the ecosystem paradigm and the direct impact it has on an organization’s ability to adapt, change, and thrive. Strategies to remedy the burnout problem that don’t involve doing less, expecting less, or shrinking the to-do list. How to redefine performance to maximize human potential for the long term over the short term and what that will do for your teams. The essential practice of limiting work in progress to improve the flow of value, plus the radical effect it has on solving the challenges your organization is facing. Leaders don’t need to choose between good work and their teams’ well-being. Leading a high-performance organization depends on happy, healthy people. Read Real Flow and cultivate an evidence-driven approach to design a high-performing, agile organization, improve employee retention, and stop burnout for good. "Insightful and pragmatic about the realities that companies face every day.... This book helps you put simple but effective strategies in place: outcomes over outputs, less is more, happy and healthy employees, dedicated working time, leaders actually leading by example and creating space to learn and innovate. A must read for all leaders." - Amanda Finney, Senior Vice President, Product Management and User Experience Design at Wells Fargo "Brandi Olson's book explores the business impact and consequence of...misalignment (working on the wrong things), disengagement (and a lack of innovation), to burnout. Brandi reminds us of the reality of business systems and gives us ways to unlearn and rethink how we should be working. A timely book for all leaders of today (and tomorrow)." - Evan Leybourn, CEO and cofounder, Business Agility Institute About the Author Brandi Olson believes that you shouldn’t have to choose between doing good, important work and your own humanity. An expert in organizational design and agility, she teaches leaders how to solve problems and adapt fast to high-performing teams. Brandi is a best-selling author of Real Flow: Break the Burnout Cycle and Unlock High Performance in the New World of Work. She is the founder of Real Work Done and lives in Minnesota with her kids, dog, chickens, and garden.

Boutique advisory and consulting firm 4xi Consulting expand global hospitality, operations, and amenities team and capability with the appointment of industry veteran Rob Gordon. Robert joins 4xi Global Consulting after successful stints in building and rebuilding hospitality programs. Working throughout the non-commercial hospitality sector, he has also helped retail establishments find operational efficiencies with a hospitality mindset. Most recently, Robert led the opening team of a biotech incubator startup as it purchased a NYC landmark building and created collaborative spaces for residents of the building while marketing the event space to external clients. Prior to that, Robert developed a global team to deliver strong operational and hospitality-focused services to American Express employees around the world. Leading a team of professionals, Robert recreated the colleague experience for the entire organization. With over 30 years in the retail, corporate real estate, and noncommercial foodservice sectors, Robert brings expertise and experience to the 4xi consulting team helping clients drive positive change with a hospitality mindset. “We’re delighted to welcome Rob to the 4xi family. His background and pedigree add further expertise and credibility to our stellar team of client-side and operator-side senior executives, global experience, and our focus on the away-from-home markets.” - Simon Elliot, Managing Partner, 4xi Robert has held many positions with both contractors and corporate occupiers that offer him a unique perspective on the landscape of the business. Robert has developed, designed, and delivered solutions for all areas of hospitality. From Reception and Audio-Visual Services to Food and Beverage operations and is a leader in the industry. Robert has helped positively transform corporations with Organizational Development and Talent Management to culture and transformation initiatives within real estate and workplace strategy. With global experience in designing spaces, along with his keen eye for cost-effective operations, Robert has led projects of both design and improvement across the world. Additionally, Robert has curated amenity programs for large organizations (including membership programs) that bring out their own culture through the amenities and services provided on-site and virtually. Robert has spent a great deal of time working on engagement models for the virtual employee as he feels that all employees, no matter where they sit, should have similar access to the offerings in each and every group. “Rob compliments 4xi’s philosophy and commitment to a people-first approach at the very heart of what we do. How through the lens of hospitality we use this to advance the human experience whether people at work, in education, at rest, or at leisure.” – Barbara Boden, Managing Partner, 4xi Robert’s areas of expertise are many, including: Corporate Hospitality functions Facility Management operations and analytics 3rd Party management oversight (Vendor Performance Management) Real Estate management companies Self-Operated Food Service Programs Retail Restaurants Private clubs Organizational Development/ Talent Management Robert is a graduate of Towson University (formerly Towson State) and is an active member and past president of the Society for Hospitality and Foodservice Management (SHFM). A big welcome to Rob – Our Strength is in the Power of Our Collective. For more information on 4xi and how we can help your organization, visit our website at: www.4xiconsulting.com, email us at hello@4xiconsulting.com, or contact Rob directly at robgordon@4xiconsulting.com 4xi Global Consulting & Solutions is a team of talented leaders from both the client-side and service provider side, impacting the Human Experience (HX) for people at work, in education, rest, and at leisure. We believe in a people-first, experience-led philosophy. Whether client, employee, or guest – their experience is the fundamental foundation of success. We work with corporations, service providers, and innovators: Strategic Advisory & Special Projects (SPx) Headquarters Fractional Support On-Demand Evolving Experiences© - Employee (EX) & Customer Experience (CX) Design4Life©: Environmental, Physical, and Experiential Design Global Amenities Strategy, Design & Operations TRUE NORTH©: Strategic Partnership & Growth Explorers Innovation Directory: Gateway to Innovation Sustainability Simplified©: Supply Chain & Innovation Market Research Reports & Benchmarking 4xi is proud to be Chair of WORKTECH Academy for North America and a member of its Leadership Advisory Board. 4xi is a Global Ambassador for WORKTECH Academy. San Francisco | New York | Orlando | North Carolina | Seattle | Silicon Valley | Santiago | London | Tokyo