Boutique consulting firm, 4xi Global Consulting announces the arrival of Dina Wiltshire joining the team to lead strategic partnership and growth for the business. Dina brings a wealth of first-hand operations and strategic experience to help clients flourish and drive positive change and impact across the portfolio of 4xi services, offerings, and support. “A satisfied customer is the best business strategy of all.” – Michael LeBoeuf Dina spent her career in Information Technology, call center, customer care, and consulting in a variety of business verticals. Designing and developing solutions for call centers, unified communications, and infrastructure management was a critical business need as the customer experience began moving from in-person face-to-face to technology platforms. Crafting systems to bring warmth, engagement, and genuine care onto the cold technology platforms became a mission. Managing, training, and leading cross-functional teams to increase revenue, enhance the customer experience, and exceed industry standard KPIs was the training ground to truly understanding what makes a company successful. With customer care and the customer experience being at the heart of her passion, Dina identifies opportunities for businesses to build traction and gain impact - thus creating a dynamic relationship between customer and business founded on these well-defined principles. Introducing Dina Wiltshire Over her career, Dina has consulted in disinfection and infection control; SaaS help desk design; HVAC synthetic additives for reducing the carbon footprint; fundraising strategies for not-for-profit organizations; call center consulting to improve the customer experience, and conducted studies for white paper publications. Understanding its causal effects and ultimately a solution to mitigate healthcare-acquired infections was the focus and target of this project. Growing up as a child in Africa, she saw firsthand how infections destroy lives, cause untold suffering and compromise the family, the village, and the country with far-reaching impacts on the economy and success. She studied French at Oxford College, United Kingdom, and completed numerous studies in leadership and information management technology and executive Finance and Accounting at McGill. Welcome on board Dina, and here's to getting Up Close & Personal. Q1: Where do you live? DW: Roswell, Georgia Q2: What was your journey to 4xi? DW: I heard about 4xi from my brother-in-law and did some research about the company. I fell in love with the mission, the vision, the members and decided to reach out to see where and how I could contribute. I am delighted to be part of the team. My focus is to help grow the 4xi business; to learn and introduce the programs that 4xi has developed; to share them with passion. I don’t hard sell anything! I listen, ask, and understand the customer’s story. I solve problems and identify opportunities to help the customer flourish! "Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood." -Stephen Covey Q3: Why is growth so important and how can you make a difference? DW: Growth means the 4xi offerings are adding value, being adopted, and more importantly contributing to the health and welfare of the customer’s own growth. Every time a customer wants more of what we have, it confirms that our solutions are making the world a more successful place one package at a time. Constant growth comes from customer feedback which is welcomed, solicited, and embraced. Better solutions are driven by changing needs. I bring a deep commitment to adding value. I have an inter-dependent relationship with my customers. Their success is my success. My approach to honoring the clients of 4xi is to bring my business acumen with me, not just my sales cap. The term Win-Win has many interpretations. For me personally, Win-Win means the customer and 4xi benefit with growth for both being achieved "Growth today hinges on sharing curated information; providing relevant and pertinent solutions and learning how to ask better questions." Q4: How does customer care help organizations succeed and why does it appeal to consumers? DW: When a customer chooses you as their provider; when they spend their money on your solution or product it is because you and your product or services impressed them. The sale itself is just the beginning. The long-term journey to affirming to the customer that their decision was correct is what customer care is all about. When a customer feels understood; when their reason for contacting you is resolved quickly and with respect; when the product or service makes a difference in their world, customer care is in action, at its best. The appeal to consumers is knowing that if they encounter a problem, it will be solved; if something underperforms it will be rectified and more importantly, their experience with you confirms to them that their business is ‘good’ business to you. Acknowledging the value that retaining a customer is as important, and, in many cases more important than gaining new ones, means the focus is always on the customer experience. Word of mouth has always been, and will likely continue to be, the best way to garner new business. Every interaction with a customer could result in dozens of tweets, a host of posts, a raft of new followers, and warm engaging responses. Customer care is the fuel that drives success and profit. Q5: If you were invited to a dinner party of 10, who would you invite? DW: An ideal dinner party for me would be outside in the Rocky Mountains around a campfire, dining on great food, looking up at the stars, listening to music, and sharing stories. When you remove formality, you elicit ease and grace. My guests would be an eclectic group of artists, impact masters, and scientists who have made the world better in beautiful and extraordinary ways. The buffet would comprise dishes treasured by each guest. A family favorite, a cultural tradition, or their own personal comfort food. All with exciting explosions of flavor. The meal would be set on trestle tables covered with white table cloths, decorated with a sprinkling of gold nuggets and quartz rocks from the surrounding mountains. These minerals from mother earth need to be carefully chosen and taken back into their pockets. A Gratitude Rock, a reminder of nature at her best, or as a memory of stories shared under a full moon on a crystal-clear night in the Rockies. A selection of bread from each continent at one end of the table with famous divine desserts at the other. A selection of wines from each continent for the guests to experience and savor. Plates and wine glasses crafted by local potters from Colorado clay and baked into rustic forms. Breaking bread and giving thanks in an extraordinary setting gives each guest an opportunity to be themselves and leave the ceremony behind. For the guest list, CS Lewis holds a special place in my heart, and having him regale us with stories would be a night to be remembered. Itzhak Perlman playing his Stradivarius under the milky way would leave us all entranced. Winston Churchill, because who can resist the presence of pure resilience mingled with the soft wafting smell of cigar smoke. John Denver, because he is John Denver and we are in the Rockies – ‘nuff said'. The Dalai Lama with his wisdom and tinkling, melodic voice chatting away in delight. Dr. Joe Dispenza for his gift of healing. Listening to him would ignite in each guest a sense that hope is all around us; all we have to do is grasp it and know we are changing the world by changing ourselves. Galileo Galilei because with zero light pollution here in this sacred place in the Rockies, he, above all guests, knows every star and constellation. General George Patton for some robust character and passionate discourse. Sitting Bull wove the power of the warrior with the wisdom of the spirits into a leader that to this day is admired, revered, and quoted. Finally, Mother Teresa to keep us all grounded in the power that it is deeds of love not talk that fill our hearts with compassion for our fellow man. "No matter how tasty the main dishes, how dynamic the wines, we have to have dessert. Let’s face it, as Mary Poppins puts it ‘a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down!" Q7: What are the top 3 pieces of advice you would offer to our readers with regards to improving their approach to customer care? DW: Number 1: Customer care isn’t about having it all sorted; having all the answers at your fingertips nor even a service or product that works 100% of the time, it is about listening with grace and fixing with honor and dignity. It is always about the journey, not the destination! Number 2: Never assume that customer care or customer experience is in the hands of the front-line workers, or the call center staff. The customer experience is owned wholly and completely by every member of the company, from the Chairman on down. No one person is more or less important to the customer experience. We each make a difference and we each must keep our eye on the prize. Our customer! Number 3: Customer care is a two-way street. It is as important for us to listen, engage and provide solutions for our customers as it is for us to listen, engage and provide solutions to each other. We are always stronger together and sharing insights from outside and inside is critical to making the processes, products, and services better and more valuable to the customer. Innovation is not a moment in time or a flash of brilliance, it is an open dialogue of sharing, understanding, and collaborating to new heights, vision, and growth that happens one ‘connect’ at a time. Q9: If you could change one thing, anything, what would it be? DW: To find equilibrium in a culture of collaboration versus competition. When we study nature, we do not see the survival of the fittest, we see the sharing of resources with more compassion and heart than we ever dreamed of. From the hidden roots of trees deep underground that feed, communicate and support each other in the forest to mothers tenderly taking the abandoned orphans of other species to raise as their own. "Collaboration is how we truly grow. Competition is how to innovate and to spur creativity and forward-thinking. It is business after all." Q10: What is your favorite food or cuisine? DW: So difficult to choose just one. May I have two? Mediterranean and Pho. Thanks, Dina, nice to get to know you, and welcome to the 4xi family! We looking forward to driving Growth and making a real impact for the future. 4xi: Our strength is in the power of our collective To learn more about Dina download her BIO, or you can contact Dina directly at dina@4xiconsulting.com 4xi Global Consulting & Solutions is a team of talented leaders from both the client-side and service provider side creating an impact in 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 Design4Life©: Environmental, Physical, and Experiential Design Global Amenities Strategy, Design & Operations Human Experience: Customer (CX) & Employee (EX) Training & Development 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

Welcome to 4xi's latest team member, Jennifer Durning, she is available to offer support on a consulting basis for individual projects and ongoing expertise. Jennifer’s focus is in areas of hospitality operations, conference services management, project management, and customer experience. Introducing Jennifer Durning Jennifer has a proven record of successfully managing projects in the hospitality industry. She is a solutions-focused manager who can think on her feet and is adept at creating beneficial working relationships with all levels of the client workforce while building training, and inspiring teams who excel at driving client and guest satisfaction. Jennifer was Vice President, Business & Operations, for JPMorgan Chase & Co. Here, she was responsible for operational oversight and overall quality of the conference centers, catering, and concierge services, including client centers, dining services, cafés, micro-markets, and pantries. Jennifer managed and developed vendors, and operations teams, including employee services programs, food service, and conference centers. She established conference meeting planning procedures and customer service expectations, aligning the staff responsible for conference planning services throughout the company’s managed conference space. Additionally, she’s leveraged the company’s property management system data to optimize the utilization of conference centers and amenity locations while enhancing the workplace and employee experience, simultaneously reducing external expenses for the firm. Other prior experience includes Meeting & Event Manager and Hotel/Front Office Operations at W New York Hotel in New York City, Sheraton Parsippany, NJ, and the Providence, RI, Marriott, where the client roster included financial institutions, socials, non-profit and large event operations. Jennifer received her Master of Project Management from Keller School of Management, DeVry University in 2019. She earned a B.S. in hospitality sales and meeting management and an A.S. in hotel/restaurant management from Johnson & Wales University, Providence, Rhode Island. Jennifer is a Certified Meeting Professional through the Convention Industry Council and a member of the Project Management Institute (PMI) working toward her PMP certification. Welcome on board Jennifer, and here's to getting Up Close & Personal. Q1: Where do you live? JD: Dallas, Texas Q2: What was your journey to 4xi? JD: I began my career in the hotel industry, checking guests in at the front desk while attending Johnson & Wales University in Providence, RI. If you’ve worked in hotels, you understand there’s never a dull moment- and that’s what hooked me. I loved the guest contact, problem-solving, and the people I worked with; it gave me the opportunity to use my degree in a tangible way. I had the opportunity to work in many departments throughout several hotel brands, and as grew as a manager, I strengthened my foundation and the skills I use today: attention to detail, listening communication and language skills, and multitasking. "The hotel industry rounded out my discipline and eventually led me to work at JPMorgan Chase & Co, in Midtown, Manhattan, and the Southwest, where I had the opportunity to manage and expand a conference services team and amenities programs." Q3: What does Operational Leadership mean to you and how can you help 4xi clients make a difference? JD: I remember my first day at JP Morgan, I walked onto the elevator, pressed the floor button, looked up, and greeted everyone in the elevator. As a former hotel employee, it came so naturally to engage with people around me. Thankfully I caught myself from the embarrassment, but I reflect on that day and continue to ask the question - why can’t we greet corporate employees like we would hotel guests? We are all guests in the workplace. There’s a linear connection between hospitality and engaging customers and employees to feel welcomed. Fast forward to today, and I am reading, Think Again, by Adam Grant. I find his book relevant to where we are; there’s a need to unlearn, let go of "comfortable" and have the courage to embrace discomfort, and challenge the thought process. I like the idea that we can rethink and unlearn the past few years and perhaps move forward differently. "I believe my experience, as well as the collective of 4xi, can help companies move forward, rethink, and combine operational leadership, workplace hospitality, customer experience, and employee engagement." Q4: What role do you think creating operational efficiencies plays in the approach to winning and retaining better business? JD: Throughout my career, I quickly recognized great service is not only about providing a service but more importantly taking care of the employees who provide that service daily; it is about building a great team and making employee satisfaction a priority. I’ve worked for great brands, like W Hotels, one of the first lifestyle brands, and here, teams were motivated, engaged, and recognized by employee activities, surveys, and feedback. When you prioritize employee satisfaction, you will see the direct correlation between guest feedback and surveys. This type of leadership, both customer and employee engagement, is the key to retaining better business. "That said, contracting for the lowest-priced option in all categories is a big mistake, regardless of your market position or a client's current "climate" - it's just simply never a good idea and always results in a race to the bottom when it comes to customer and guest experience." Q5: What are the most interesting innovations you see in the market today? JD: When I first started working in conference services, we used a manual bookkeeping system for all the events and space confirmed. Can you believe it - what an antiquated way to manage space! Now, conference and workplaces teams can integrate PMS systems to manage space utilization, sensor technology for real-time people counting, even streamline visitor experiences, all while providing metrics to stakeholders. It is an exciting time, and thankfully a big leap from manual bookkeeping. Q6: If you were hosting a dinner party of 10, who would you invite? JD: I love to cook AND entertain! I need more than 30 ingredients in a recipe to be interested in making it. My pantry is filled with spices, teas, coffee, and ingredients I can’t pronounce – some I’ve picked up throughout my travels. My love for food is rooted in the memories of my Italian Grandmother Octavia, she always had a pot of water boiling ready for pasta! I’d invite my large New Jersey family and new friends and family here in Texas to enjoy a delicious Sunday dinner like we always did at Grandma's house growing up. Q7: What is your favorite vacation destination and why? JD: I’ve traveled to 14 countries; 5 continents and I am working toward seeing every state in the U.S. There’s so much to see and do, particularly here in the U.S. But, my favorite international adventure, so far, was traveling across Morocco with my good friend and the 2 guides we hired. We crossed the Sahara Desert on a camel, trekking out into the sand to stay overnight in a tent and see the sunset and sunrise – a picture-perfect adventure. Q8: If you could change one thing, anything, what would it be? JD: I’d like for the summers to be warm and long on the shore and to be able to see my family in New Jersey at a moment’s notice. Over the past few years, I’ve learned to hold on tight to family and family and friends. Q9: What is your favorite food or cuisine? JD: When it comes to food, I eat mostly plant-based, adding eggs, seafood and cheese a few times a month. I believe you are what you eat – wellness, nutrition, and a holistic approach to managing your health, along with functional movements and yoga. I like the research by Dan Buettner, and The Blue Zones, where he’s identified five locations around the world where people not only live the longest but are happy and active- able body people with little alignments. His work has been integrated with communities and there’s been a positive impact on how people live- imagine if we introduced his ideas into the workplace. Thanks, Jennifer, so nice to get to know you, and welcome to the 4xi family! 4xi: Our strength is in the power of our collective To learn more about Jennifer download her BIO, or you can contact Jennifer directly at jenniferdurning@4xiconsulting.com 4xi Global Consulting & Solutions is a team of talented leaders from both the client-side and service provider side creating an impact in 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 Design4Life©: Environmental, Physical, and Experiential Design Global Amenities Strategy, Design & Operations Human Experience: Customer (CX) & Employee (EX) Training & Development 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

Welcome to 4xi's latest team member, Helene York, her focus is to help clients craft, review, and update, social and environmental responsibility plans or programming to achieve results that are meaningful, measurable, realistic, by providing adaptable choices with the greatest impact. Helene is an environmental and sustainability supply chain expert, adding her talents in strategic sourcing on a global level to our capabilities under our banner of Sustainability Simplified©. Introducing Helene York Now a teacher and an independent strategic advisor after two decades as a supply chain innovator with global and national experience for foodservice companies, Helene has made a career of questioning business as usual, partnering with chefs, and building trust among suppliers and distributors to move in new directions. At Bon Appetit Management Company, she developed new produce, seafood, meat, chocolate, snack, and coffee supply chains, and created the Low Carbon Diet, the first US national program to implement climate-friendly menus. This program was explored by a prominent science reporter and featured on the front page of the LA Times on Earth Day 2008. The key ingredient to this successful program was partnering with chefs, the 'choice editors' of our food system As Global Director of Responsible Business for Compass Group at Google, Helene led a supply chain team supporting 60 restaurants and 300 micro-kitchens in Silicon Valley and supported on-the-ground procurement officers in 27 countries. She led the implementation of food waste reduction technology and practices across the world. At Guckenheimer, she served as Chief Procurement Officer and as Head of Social and Environmental Responsibility. She developed and won support for a broadly responsible procurement strategy that embedded shared value and profitability, supporting chefs' ability to continue to serve delicious options, responsibly. She advised the global ISS team to adopt an industry-leading set of progressive sustainability goals including the Cool Food Pledge and aggressive in-unit waste reduction goals. Over her career, Helene has visited countless farms, fisheries, and processors across the world in pursuit of understanding levers of change, creating channels for byproducts dismissed as waste, and encouraging biodiversity. One effort resulted in planting pollinator plants and heirloom potatoes grown on a large farm in Ireland. She takes pride in having coached numerous emerging food business leaders and smallholder farms to get a foothold supplying contract food service. She teaches a class, Supply Chains, Logistics, Manufacturing, and Legal Contracts, to master’s students at the Food Business School of the CIA. She also works with Postelsia, an advisory service, that seeks to expand opportunities for environmentally and socially responsible smallholder fishery and aquaculture operations. Helene has served on numerous boards including Humane Farm Animal Care (animal welfare), Chef Ann Foundation (school nutrition), Fishchoice (traceability/sustainability), and Project Open Hand (food as medicine). She earned her MBA in Strategy from Yale. Welcome on board Helene, and here's to getting Up Close & Personal. Q1: Where do you live? HY: San Francisco, California Q2: What was your journey to 4xi? HY: I have to admit that I fell into the foodservice and hospitality industry. It wasn’t by design or intention, but now I’ve spent two decades at the intersection of procurement and sustainability, before sustainability was even a commonly used term, working with wonderful people, piloting new ideas, teaching chefs about complicated concepts, and learning effective menu engineering techniques from them. "I’m here to bring all that experience to clients who are looking to make meaningful change, and to communicate what they are doing." Q3: Why is Sustainability so important and how can you make a difference? HY: Three reasons. It’s a global imperative. Period. Everyone has an important role to play. We can’t simply let others do the work we also need to do. Second, taking meaningful action is necessary to retain the best talent and recruit the best talent in the future. Marketing by itself is hollow. Action, (re)evaluation, reporting, and engagement is a virtuous cycle that builds a positive work culture and changes behaviors. "Ultimately, sustainability is about using and wasting fewer resources, so it has a bottom-line positive impact and is a competitive necessity." Q4: How does Procurement play a role? HY: I’ve helmed procurement teams and now I teach supply chain development at the Food Business School of the CIA. Procurement is important for most companies’ bottom line and it is critical for smooth operations. That said, contracting for the lowest-priced option in all categories is a big mistake, regardless of your market positioning. In times of market friction and supply chain disruption, companies that have negotiated the lowest prices are the first to experience broken contracts. I saw that happen way before COVID: during the Swine Flu crisis in 2009 and the Avian flu crisis in 2015, to name two. Treating suppliers as vendor partners, with mutually supportive goals, is a more rewarding way to operate over the long term. This kind of relationship also allows you to signal you need better products, more innovative products and helps your supply chain partners move the market for you. If COVID has taught us one thing, it is that Procurement needs to be seen as a strategic business function and not simply a set of tactical functions, subsidiary to Finance, or Operations. Q5: What are the most interesting Product innovations you see in the market today? HY: There are so many different products being developed that substitute beans or fungi for animal-based products that anything I’d say now could be out of date next month. The key to success for any of these potential replacements will be deliciousness. Without great taste, consumers won’t accept them, regardless of cost or our distributors’ ability to have them in stock. Q6: If you were invited to a dinner party of 10, who would you invite? HY: A perfect dinner involves great food and charming company that would delight in each other’s association in a welcoming environment. My guests would be curious and creative people. The dinner table would be in a space where 360-degree projections of different environments - under the sea, in the forest, on the beach at sunset, in a Gaudi-designed room - would change with each course. The chef and guest #1 would be Niki Nakayama. I’d invite Julia Child because I’m told she was as lovely as her TV personality; Meryl Streep, because they’d play off each other; Jeff Goldblum, the actor and leader of the Mildred Snitzer Orchestra, and “House of Cards” soundtrack composer Jeff Beale, who would do double duty to fill the space with music; comedians Mike Reiss, co-writer of The Simpsons and host of the podcast, What Are We Doing Here?, Rob Bryden doing imitations, and Olivia Colman; and food historian Mark Kurlansky. "We’d have to eat oysters because I love them, they are a superior food from an environmental perspective, and Kurlansky has written a great book about them!" Q7: How does Menu innovation help organizations and appeal to consumers - what are the latest trends? HY: The key to sustainability is delighting our guests with offerings that appeal and don't heavily rely on animal-based foods. It’s so easy to promote food offerings using photos of big portions with a lot of cheese but we need alternatives. We need to menu dishes that are visually appealing, smell and taste great, and are satisfying portion sizes so they’re not wasted. We need to name the dishes creatively and place them high on the menu to become the ‘anchor’ choice. "Perhaps, most importantly, Menu Innovation has to be two-way, with chefs using samples and getting true feedback from guests, who can influence how far you can drive innovation more than we realize." Q8: What are the top 3 pieces of advice you would offer to our readers with regards to improving our approach to sustainability? HY: Number 1: Sustainability isn’t about reducing to-go containers or having a singular focus on eliminating plastics. It’s fundamentally about changing our culture to see that resources are finite and shared. We need to use fewer resources overall and change our behaviors, which will drive innovation. Number 2: We also need to accept that simply marketing any good practice - such as promoting reusable vessels - won’t create sustained behavior change. We need to adopt multiple strategies to be effective. Number 3: One way we often trip up is by solving the wrong problem. Taking an innovative approach lets us figure out the key problem to solve, not the obvious problem. Are we trying to eliminate plastic to-go containers, for example, or achieve the most environmentally responsible foodservice operation? Q9: If you could change one thing, anything, what would it be? HY: To have a culture of open-mindedness. Where you are willing to consider new things without jumping to solutions immediately, which is an occupational hazard among earnest foodservice professionals. Q10: What is your favorite food or cuisine? HY: Itameshi! A fusion of Italian and Japanese. Think umami-bomb pasta and pizza. Thanks, Helene, nice to get to know you, and welcome to the 4xi family! We looking forward to driving Sustainability Simplified© and making a real impact for the future. 4xi: Our strength is in the power of our collective To learn more about Helene download her BIO, or you can contact Helene directly at helene@4xiconsulting.com 4xi Global Consulting & Solutions is a team of talented leaders from both the client-side and service provider side creating an impact in 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 Design4Life©: Environmental, Physical, and Experiential Design Global Amenities Strategy, Design & Operations Human Experience: Customer (CX) & Employee (EX) Training & Development 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 February 22, 2022. or otherwise written as 2/22/22 - this is what's known as a palindrome - meaning it reads the same forward as it does backward. It also falls on a Tuesday, which is now referred to as #Twosday - how will you remember 2.22.22 at 2.22 pm? Today is the most exceptional date in over a decade. It's a ubiquitous palindrome date because it's a palindrome whether written in the U.S. format (month, day, year) or international date format more widely used (day, month, and year). The last time there was a ubiquitous six-digit palindrome date was November 11, 2011. For me, this is a momentous week, no less so than it's my 20th Wedding Anniversary, China is apparently the traditional gift, Platinum, modern, an Emerald, or a white Daylily. I am also extremely proud of the progress we're making at 4xi - expanding our team, our capabilities, capacity as we continue our growth journey and evolution. But it's the events in #Ukraine that I will remember this day/week the most. Although I wasn't around in 1939, the rhetoric from Moscow and the progress of events in recent days have been alarming, to say the least. My thoughts go out to all those in Ukraine, and all the soldiers and servicemen and women on both sides of the political fence, and hope that sensibility and peace ultimately prevail. My prayers go to the world leaders to make the right, probably tough decisions to ensure global safety and stability for all. I wish for #Peace and #IBackUkraine Simon Elliot is Managing Partner and co-founder of 4xi Global Consulting, is a global citizen, originally from the UK, now a Resident of the United States, having navigated 6 of the 7 continents including across West and Eastern Europe. 4xi Global Consulting & Solutions is a team of talented leaders from both the client-side and service provider side creating an impact in 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 Design4Life©: Environmental, Physical, and Experiential Design Global Amenities Strategy, Design & Operations Human Experience: Customer (CX) & Employee (EX) Training & Development 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

4xi Global Consulting & Solutions continues its expansion with a key appointment of industry leader and figurehead, Hans Lindh as Non-Executive Director and Senior Advisor. Hans is a former senior growth executive with extensive global experience retaining and growing complex client portfolios across different industries and geographies. With a flair for managing ambiguity and inspiring organizations to excel, Hans has led diverse and geographically dispersed, multi-functional matrix teams to create win-win solutions that make strategic partnerships flourish for companies like American Express and Aramark. In his role as a non-executive senior advisor to 4xi Hans will leverage his experience and industry perspective to support the Managing Partners and the overall 4xi business with a long-term strategy, advocacy, and senior-level relationships. “We’re absolutely thrilled to welcome Hans to our team as we continue our glidepath of growth and add capability and expertise to deliver upon our mission - advancing the Human Experience for people away from home: at work, in education, at rest, and at leisure.” - Simon Elliot, 4xi Managing Partner, and co-founder A Swedish native with U.S. and EU citizenships, Hans is a former Board Member of the International Hotel & Restaurant Association and has been recognized as a Top 100 Global Sales leader by the Modern Sale. “Hans has been a long-time friend and advocate of our business and adds an important dimension to our leadership team as we continue to add value and deliver impact to our clients.” - Barbara Boden, 4xi Managing Partner, and co-founder 4xi: Our Strength is in the Power of Our Collective 4xi Global Consulting & Solutions is a team of talented leaders from both the client-side and service provider side creating an impact in 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 Design4Life©: Environmental, Physical, and Experiential Design Global Amenities Strategy, Design & Operations Human Experience: Customer (CX) & Employee (EX) Training & Development 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

Guest Blog from Kyle LaCour Kyle LaCour is Client Success Manager at MyFieldAudits - a game-changing App platform that allows operators of dispersed locations to see more than ever before, in real time. Thanks for sharing this article on the 4xi BLOG Kyle. Maximizing Employee Output and Engagement Oh, the many the challenges of maximizing employee output… with increased COVID measures and staffing shortages, management is increasingly tempted to further load the proverbial straw onto the backs of their onsite teams. But as the proverb goes, there’s always a breaking point. These limits present in a number of ways; from the more extreme unionization, protests, and straight-up refusals to work to the much more subtle, harder to tackle, diminishing returns on employee investment. When asking more starts to get you less, it’s time to re-evaluate your approach. While many tools claim they offer ways to further maximize employee output, oftentimes their implementation has the opposite impact. A perfect example is some of the initial strategies our clients have in using our onsite inspection platform. Frequently, we’re given a laundry list inspection forms - 50, 75, or a hundred items long that hourly employees are expected to complete within an already thinly stretched schedule. The results can be expectedly disappointing. Lack of attention to detail inspections (if they even happen at all) that provide little value. “I learned no detail was too small, it is all about the details.” - Brad Grey, Former CEO of Paramount The challenge often lies in the ratio of value to effort in the eyes of the employees. When people are asked to do high-effort tasks with little to no insight or involvement on their impact, it breeds disregard or disdain for their assigned tasks. As a hybrid technology and consulting firm, we’ve seen firsthand how flipping the paradigm of the value to the effort has not only increased engagement with our own platform but changed the dynamic between leadership and onsite teams. One approach that’s had a huge impact is the use of critical photo audits. Rather than teams checking endless boxes, they submit comprehensive photo examples of how they’re executing critical standards. Now here’s the crucial part: the results are reviewed REGULARLY with input from the teams themselves, creating a conversation about what’s working, what’s not and re-enforcing the fact that their actions do have an impact. The effect on employee morale has been palpable - feeling their time is valued creates the desire to contribute and see their hard work shown off. Leadership is funneled better information to make informed decisions. The effect on operations, is tangible, with increased compliance and overall output from teams. "As we look to the future of work and the role of onsite employees in it, success lies in not asking for more, but in asking for higher-value output from your employees and engaging them in the process." - Kyle LaCour, Client Development Strategist, MyFieldAudits MyFieldAudits: Less Chasing...More Doing To learn more about MyFieldAudits, contact us today and we can set up an introductory exploration and you can learn why we believe this can add significant value to your business and your customer experience. At 4xi Global Consulting & Solutions, we’re dedicated to the quest of curating best-in-class innovation: products, services, technologies, or "things" that deliver impact. Check out our Explorers Innovation Directory for more. DOWNLOAD information on MyFieldAudits and set up a DEMO, or you can email us directly to set up an introductory exploration at hello@4xiconsulting.com. 4xi: Inspiring the future, together. 4xi Global Consulting & Solutions is a team of talented leaders from both the client-side and service provider side creating an impact in 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 Design4Life©: Environmental, Physical, and Experiential Design Global Amenities Strategy, Design & Operations Human Experience: Customer (CX) & Employee (EX) Training & Development 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

At 4xi, we believe in the constant quest for knowledge and learning, the importance of understanding the perspectives of others and learning from those perspectives. The 4xi Thought Leadership Book Series continues with the second in the series, and 4xi's Chief Experience Officer in Residence, Tony Johnson, as he shares his favorite books and explains why they are important. "Learning isn't just a process of reinforcing your own point of view but assimilating and blending with others." Foreword I have always been a reader – and I have always fancied myself an author. The written word has always had a pull for me and although I don’t claim to have any artistic ability to speak of writing was where I found my calling a very long time ago. I attended Ball State University because at the time they were regarded as one of the best journalism schools in the country and I had my eyes set on making my living with a pen, a typewriter, and later a computer. "You can't tell which way the train went by looking at the tracks." - James Patterson Even as my career took interesting and unexpected detours, I always maintained my love of reading and writing. As a lover of facts, opinions, and learning my focus was always more around non-fiction, but I do have a huge appreciation of prolific writers such as Dan Brown, Sue Grafton, Ian Fleming, and James Patterson who could spin a yarn across decades and keep us very entertained. "Never job backwards. What might have been is a waste of time." - Ian Fleming But I think there is also something special about sharing your favorite books with others – it shows your personality in a very different way and can also reinforce your vision of leadership, service, and business. Here are my selections for the 4xi Thought Leadership Book Series. I hope you enjoy them, find value in reading them, and sharing them with others. CREATING MAGIC is one of my favorite books of all time. Lee Cockerell was a long-time Disney executive, and he is a masterful storyteller when It comes to bringing customer experience to life. I appreciate the way in which he approaches the idea of leadership and guest experience – in a very real and understandable way. I own this book in hardcover, e-book, and audio formats. It’s that good! Cockerell reminds us that everyone is important and to be careful of what we say and do. It is a customer experience (CX) and business book all rolled into one (one fuels the other after all). He also offers valuable advice on customer focus, management, productivity, and growing your career. It’s a triple threat, as they say in show business. This is a book that I read once every couple of years – or better yet, listen to on Audiobook as Lee reads the copy himself. It’s always such a treat to hear an author read their own work. TOGETHER WE SERVE I wrote this book myself and is one of my proudest achievements. I thought long and hard about including this book on the list and I believe that every experience I had in the world of restaurants, corporate America, and consulting combined together to create this book. I add this to the list because I am a teacher at heart and want to share my story, experiences, and ideas for success with you. Through the lenses of Service Success, Customer Success, Leadership Success, and Executional Success I give you the roadmap to employee and customer experiences that will build loyalty and trust. I remember reading OUTSIDE IN as I prepared for my Certified Customer Experience Exam many years ago. This book is a CX classic and so meaningful when it comes to understanding how to look at hospitality from the customer's point of view rather than the view of an organization. This is at the heart of understanding your customer’s journey and the design of your experience strategy. Bob Iger was the past CEO and Executive Chairman of the Walt Disney Company. Those who know me know that I love my Disney Parks and my nieces love Disney and Pixar movies. THE RIDE OF A LIFETIME digs deep into Bob’s journey through ABC and then Disney with a type of candor that is refreshing and eye-opening. As I read about his struggles and his successes, it helped me look at my leadership in a slightly different way. There was a great section about how he lobbied for the CEO job after Michael Eisner as you would a political campaign and it really did paint a picture of how to communicate value to others and to foster relationships along the way. My favorite chapter was hearing about his relationship with Steve Jobs and how they worked through a near disaster with Pixar It sounds like a stretch to say that a book “changed your life.” But 10% HAPPIER did. Dan Harris was a reporter and anchor for ABC, and I watched him for many years on Weekend Good Morning America and Nightline. I also remember when he had a panic attack on national television and learned more of his struggles as I read his book. Meditation is one of those things that everyone is talking about and is gaining more and more mainstream acceptance. My 4xi colleague Georgina Miranda has a mastery of the topic and we’ve had many conversations around mindfulness. This book is a real peek behind the curtain of how to adopt a more mindful approach and to use mediation as a tool to quiet your inner critic – that inner voice that just won’t shut up and for which nothing is ever good enough. Harris shares how you can use it to bring a bit of calm to your life while not losing your edge. And yes, I meditate every day – and while I’m not very good at it yet, I keep working to improve. There were several honorable mentions: What Got You Here Won’t Get You There, Switch, Big Potential, and Be Our Guest – but I’ll leave those for my next installment. If you see a topic that strikes a chord for your team or business, please let us know, 4xi Global Consulting can help. Don't forget to leave your book recommendation in the comments! Let's inspire the future together. Drop us a note at: hello@4xiconsulting.com 4xi Global Consulting & Solutions is a team of talented leaders from both the client-side and service provider side creating an impact in 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 Design4Life©: Environmental, Physical, and Experiential Design Global Amenities Strategy, Design & Operations Human Experience: Customer (CX) & Employee (EX) Training & Development 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

San Francisco: 4th February 2022 Boutique consulting firm 4xi Global Consulting & Solutions launches what it terms as a transformative learning platform to help organizations win better, retain better business. Leveraging more than 65 years of experience, 4xi’s Managing Partner, Simon Elliot, and Strategic Partnerships lead, Ed Snowden, have co-authored TRUE NORTH©. The participative learning platform starts with organization purpose and finding the NORTH STAR, then moves to FUTURE FOCUS, then MarketMatch© - a process of identifying Ideal Client Characterization and Profiles, building your BUSINESS PLAN and then to the TRUE NORTH© workshop itself. All in all, this is a comprehensive program that takes participants through a journey of deep self-reflection, and on to a documented charter for future direction and growth. TRUE NORTH© focuses on guiding the learners to a new mindset which is essential to changing behaviors. It creates a learning journey to embrace the principles of Trust, Portfolio Management, Strategic Account Plans, Collaborative Solutioning, Architecture of Partnerships, and Growth Leadership. In bite-sized pieces, the program is easily consumable for organizations and teams either through in-person live workshops or virtually. “In this hyper-competitive world, organizations need to get better focused on how to build long-term, mutually beneficial strategic partnerships based on the foundations of trust.” Commented Ed Snowden, Simon Elliot added, “We’re excited to launch TRUE NORTH© as we believe it’s a game-changer. This isn’t a program to teach administrative tasks, but a learning platform designed to change and embed new behaviors to help organizations win better, retain better business.” You can learn more about TRUE NORTH© at TRUE NORTH | 4xi Global (4xiconsulting.com)

There is no denying that "Win, Win" is an overused phrase in business, but the concept is the correct focus when working with prospects and clients. Listen to 4xi's Strategic Advisor and co-author of TRUE NORTH©, Ed Snowden talk about why it is critical when your goal is to win better and retain better business. Winning better and retaining better business is driven by a changed mindset - the first step in changing behaviors is to change that mindset. TRUE NORTH© Strategic Partnerships & Growth Academy is a set of learning modules designed to actively engage participants and enable them to see themselves and your business differently. TRUE NORTH© is the first step on your journey toward winning better and retaining better business. Ed Snowden has 40+ years of experience leading strategic partnerships, retention, and growth with FORTUNE 500 companies. Ed is also the co-author of 4xi's TRUE NORTH© Strategic Partnerships and Growth Academy. TRUE NORTH© Strategic Partnerships & Growth Academy has been created on the foundation of decades of experience working with large organizations globally, winning better and retaining better business. TRUE NORTH© is focused on helping sales and retention teams and is divided into 6 modules of in-person or virtual training and coaching, including: 1. TRUST: The foundation of Strategic Partnerships 2. PORTFOLIO: Assessing your current portfolio of business and/or opportunities 3. STRATEGIC ACCOUNT PLANS: Critical information into an actionable framework 4. COLLABORATIVE SOLUTIONING: The principles of solving client challenges 5. ARCHITECTURE OF PARTNERSHIP: How to set the stage for Strategic Partnership 6. GROWTH LEADERSHIP: Personal development for growth leaders The 4xi team has decades of experience designing and implementing Strategic Partnership frameworks and strategies to help businesses win better, retain better business. To learn more about TRUE NORTH©, email us at: hello@4xiconsulting.com 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 in 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 Design4Life©: Environmental, Physical, and Experiential Design Global Amenities Strategy, Design & Operations Human Experience: Customer (CX) & Employee (EX) Training & Development TRUE NORTH©: Strategic Partnership & Growth Explorers Innovation Directory: Gateway to Innovation Sustainability Simplified©: Supply Chain & Innovation Market Research Reports & Benchmarking Our Strength is in the Power of Our Collective. 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 we continue to expand our business and capabilities and the support we offer clients, 4xi is proud to announce the further expansion of our team. We know how important graphic design and creative services are in the presentation of concepts, projects, and materials, and to that end, we're proud to announce Hannah Spearman joining the 4xi team. Over the last decade, Hannah has worked as a freelance graphic designer and a marketing specialist. She has worked on a broad range of projects including a national marketing campaign for a large corporation as well as branded a number of small businesses across the state of New Mexico. Her experience as a marketing specialist gives her a unique perspective on design that aligns directly with business needs and customer satisfaction. Hannah has had the opportunity to create a wide array of marketing collateral. She has direct experience in branding, editorial design, infographics, brochures, social media graphics, presentation design, direct mail, apparel, and product packaging. "As we continue to grow our business and the range of services we offer, we're building full support capability which translates into a fractional headquarters for clients with all the tools they need to operate, grow, and thrive." Whether it be working with one of 4xi's emerging practices, Human Experience, Customer, or Employee Experience. Design4Life©, MarketMatch©, or TRUE NORTH©, the need to translate the strategy and words into eye-catching and impactful assets is an essential part of the process. We're delighted to welcome Hannah to the 4xi family. Our Strength is in the Power of Our Collective. 4xi Global Consulting & Solutions is a team of talented leaders from both the client-side and service provider side creating an impact in 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 Design4Life©: Environmental, Physical, and Experiential Design Global Amenities Strategy, Design & Operations Human Experience: Customer (CX) & Employee (EX) Training & Development TRUE NORTH©: Strategic Partnership & Growth Explorers Innovation Directory: Gateway to Innovation Sustainability Simplified©: Supply Chain & Innovation Market Research Reports & Benchmarking Inspiring the future, together. 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 very best teams continue to evolve and build their combined talents. At 4xi we believe that our strength is in the power of our collective, and together we have the ability to ultimately deliver greater impact far beyond the sum of the parts. That means a team that brings relevant expertise and capacity so that we can deliver superior experiences to our clients and customers. 4xi welcomes two accomplished leaders to the 4xi Human Experience team: Jay Zweibaum brings a wealth of experience with over 30 years in the hospitality field. He has held various operational and functional roles in the United States, United Kingdom, Continental Europe, Asia, and South America. Delivering a consistent and positive Customer (CX) and Employee Experience (EX) will not only drive top-line revenue but deliver bottom-line profit too. CX and EX are no longer nice to have but imperative for businesses to succeed and thrive in today's hyper-competitive markets. Jay is well versed in operational processes and systems as well as supply chain management, labor relations, and back-of-house management. He has led high-performing teams in more than 20 countries, focusing on both corporate client satisfaction, and customer experience. He has worked in the management and administration of foodservice in contract services, restaurants, retail, hotels, and senior living for companies including Aramark and Holiday Retirement, as well as within his own consulting firm. Jay’s background in operational excellence is second to none. We are excited to add his expertise within the world of healthcare, senior living, and foodservice to our growing roster of global talent and expertise. Jay is available to consult on a variety of topics, including foodservice, healthcare, operational excellence, and senior living. CONTACT: jay@4xiconsulting.com Thérèse Garner joins 4xi after an illustrious career with the likes of CX giants Walt Disney World, Hilton, Great Wolf Lodge, and Aramark. Thérèse is a skilled project manager and relationship builder, with a major focus on the customer experience within the service industry. She has worked across Retail, Hotels, Healthcare, Corporate Dining, and Higher Education and has a strong background in training and development as well as guest experience management, and leadership coaching. Thérèse was instrumental in bringing new venues and properties online at Walt Disney World and Great Wolf Lodge. Her most recent role was as a Service Excellence Trainer for Aramark Corporation, where she helped lead the development and scaling of their CX training platform. Therese is a great fit for the 4xi team and we are thrilled she has joined our group. Her background in hospitality and training is a fantastic addition to our Customer Experience practice. - Tony Johnson, 4xi's Chief Experience Officer Thérèse can help your organization through in-person or virtual employee skills training, leadership development, or assessment of your current customer experience practices. CONTACT: therese@4xiconsulting.com 4xi Global Consulting & Solutions continues to grow our team, our expertise, and the power of our collective. from operations coaching to growth advisory, from sustainability to design, to customer experience, 4xi provides a whole range of programs, solutions, and fractional leadership support for organizations seeking to attain their next level of greatness. Learn more at www.4xiconulting.com or email us at: hello@4xiconsulting.com 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 in 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 Design4Life©: Environmental, Physical, and Experiential Design Global Amenities Strategy, Design & Operations Human Experience: Customer (CX) & Employee (EX) Training & Development TRUE NORTH©: Strategic Partnership & Growth Explorers Innovation Directory: Gateway to Innovation Sustainability Simplified©: Supply Chain & Innovation Market Research Reports & Benchmarking Our Strength is in the Power of Our Collective. 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

Divorce or Renew Your Vows? In the context of business and strategic partnerships, this question comes up time and again. You may have been happy partners for some time and the romance has all but gone from the relationship. What you both saw in each other during courtship (the sales process) may have been lost or waned over time. Often, if one partner is unhappy it's likely that the other is too. Things may never have been great. Maybe the deal was overpromised and under-delivered. Maybe your expectations were greater than the reality whether rose-tinted vision or over-optimism on behalf of your partner. In this context, divorce means supplier change, often through lengthy and expensive RFP processes that may or may not bring you the results that you aspire to. So the question becomes, do you divorce, or do you renew your vows? In 4xi's TRUE NORTH© we talk about how TRUST is at the very foundation of partnership - this is a fundamental question to ask yourself when determining your options. If Trust no longer exists then there is no question that your option probably should be RFP, and therefore potentially divorce. It may be that through the RFP you realize that your current partner isn’t that bad after all or that there are no partners materially differentiated in the marketplace - RFP’s are an expensive process to go through and that is why some organizations opt for a truncated and less expensive RFX process that may give you the same insights. BEWARE: Testing the market on price may likely reduce cost but will it get you to the value level your organization yearns for? Whatever the product or service partner provides, it's assumed it has some greater value to your organization than simply cost. IMPORTANT NOTE: Your level of dissatisfaction may not only be your partner's fault - the reason that partnerships and relationships break down is usually a two-way street. The analysis of what went wrong is probably a healthy thing for you to go through together - it may enlighten you both and hold learnings that can steer you into the future. "There is however another option to an RFX and in marriage terms, that's termed as renewing your vows." Since your marriage, the people and personalities may have changed, your businesses will have changed, as probably have the markets and environment you both operate within. 4xi’s Partnership Charter process is a great framework to start and to return that spark that once compelled your organizations together. Consider exploring the following pathway to TRUE NORTH©: TRUST: is the very foundation of all relationships no less so than in business, and the basis of trust is to understand if you are on the same page. Do you agree on the fundamentals? PURPOSE: where are you both today, your focus and ambitions for your businesses tomorrow, what are you both trying to achieve? Where is the synergy and alignment in your businesses, is there a common thread between what you both want? PEOPLE: are the most important part of any business and partnership. To what extent are you and your teams aligned? Your culture, behaviors, your approaches to engagement, employee, and customer engagement? PRODUCT OR SERVICES: Are they still relevant for what you need? Do they perform to the level that you need, expect? Are there metrics to prove it? LEADERSHIP ALIGNMENT: and commitment is critical. Is there the appetite to explore and revisit the partnership and to build on the levels of Trust that remain? FOCUS: What is your vision for the future? Are you broadly pointed in the same direction? To what extent do you differ. Diametric opposites? At 90 degrees, or close enough that there is a realistic opportunity to close the gap? IT'S GOOD TO TALK: Discuss the history of your partnership, what went right, what went wrong - AVOID apportioning any blame - keep this an open but frank discussion - this is about finding common ground and agreement, not the opposite. Also, BE HONEST it's better to get any underlying issues out in the open. "If you’ve got this far and to a greater extent ticked the boxes, then maybe it’s worth considering creating a Partnership Charter to literally get you on the same page, together" The Partnership Summit Given there are good business reasons to renew your vows, and if the parties are in agreement, then it's important to invest the right level of time and commitment to exploring a potential future together. A Partnership Summit can take many forms but there are some essential ingredients including having leadership from both sides at the table with a clear purpose - to see if the parties can get on the same page and create a set of foundational principles that not only meet both partners needs but are sustainable over time and maintain the alignment of focus and commitment. CONSIDER: The time allocation and dedication to the conversation are important. Yes, this could be in the boardroom of one or the other partner's offices but consider taking the Partnership Summit off-site where beyond the business in hand you get the opportunity to get to know each other, secure, and build deeper levels of relationships, and trust. The Partnership Charter The Partnership Charter is a document that can also take many forms - from one sheet of paper that maps out the core principles to a more extensive aide memoir that is more in-depth and perhaps more visual. Whatever the final format you choose, here are the fundamentals of what that should include: Vision, Mission & Purpose - The What and the Why Leadership Commitment - Signatories of the document Partnership Objectives - Specific, Measurable, Actionable, Relevant, Timelined Partnership Wiring - Connectivity, Sponsors, and Support Communications & Cadence - Who, where, how often Vernacular - The language applied including Acronyms Measures of Success - KPI's AND VPI's Parameters - Investments, Resources, Financials Commitments - from both partners Creating a Culture of Partnership It's critical that this important work isn't done in isolation and then left to gather dust in a drawer. To really drive partnership success, this set of commitments between your organizations has to be cascaded and embraced on both sides of the partnership. Every meeting should kick off with a reminder of the Partnership Principles. The Partnership Charter should be readily available to all team members. There should be regular joint team training of the content, principles, and commitments. Job Descriptions, remuneration, and reward structures should be aligned too. This is not just some emotional journey to renew your vows, there are solid business reasons why you should invest in existing partners in such a way that you can achieve transformative change and business improvement. You can do this without the mostly costly and timely expense of undertaking an RFP and what can often be a significant cost and risk of change. 4xi Global Consulting is committed to helping organizations in advancing Strategic Partnerships & Growth - Through our TRUE NORTH© platform, 4xi can help you navigate your current relationships and partnerships and get you on the same page, avoiding divorce and helping you to renew your vows. Simon Elliot Simon Elliot is Managing Partner of 4xi and has spent his career globally working with organizations to win better, retain better business through establishing the principles of TRUE NORTH© Strategic Partnerships and Growth Academy. Ed Snowden has 40+ years of experience leading strategic partnerships, retention, and growth with FORTUNE 500 companies. Ed is also the co-author of 4xi's TRUE NORTH© Strategic Partnerships and Growth Academy. TRUE NORTH© Strategic Partnerships & Growth Academy has been created on the foundation of decades of experience working with large organizations globally, winning better and retaining better business. TRUE NORTH© is focused on helping sales and retention teams and is divided into 6 modules of in-person or virtual training and coaching, including: 1. TRUST: The foundation of Strategic Partnerships 2. PORTFOLIO: Assessing your current portfolio of business and/or opportunities 3. STRATEGIC ACCOUNT PLANS: Critical information into an actionable framework 4. COLLABORATIVE SOLUTIONING: The principles of solving client challenges 5. ARCHITECTURE OF PARTNERSHIP: How to set the stage for Strategic Partnership 6. GROWTH LEADERSHIP: Personal development for growth leaders The 4xi team has decades of experience designing and implementing Strategic Partnership frameworks and strategies to help businesses win better, retain better business. To learn more about TRUE NORTH©, email us at: hello@4xiconsulting.com 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 in 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 Amenities, Design & Operations Customer Experience (CX) Training & Development Strategic Partnership & Growth Innovation Solutions & Support Our Strength is in the Power of Our Collective. 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