304: Arnie Malham, Innovating Culture

Adam and Jeannie interview Arnie Malham to uncover his secrets to innovating culture for a better overall customer experience. Innovating culture for better experiences all around When starting a new company, we have a vision of how we want to be different – to have a great culture and a memorable experience. It’s easy to believe that if we hire the right people and train them well, then everything will fall into place. “I’m going to have a company where people are proud to put us on their resume.” -Arnie Malham But what happens when business gets challenging and stressful? What is your default mode of culture, and how does it affect your business? Without actively creating a culture that benefits everyone, what we thought was a solid culture succumbs to stress. Teams lose touch with the “why” and relationships suffer for the sake of getting things done. That’s why we’re thrilled to bring Arnie Malham to the show. Through painful trial and error, Arnie had discovered a highly innovative approach to creating and maintaining a healthy, more profitable culture. “Bad cultures get what they deserve which is typically not a long business model.” -Arnie Malham Arnie explains how he’s leveraged transparency and engagement for a culture that not only creates a happier, more productive workplace, but reaches out to employees’ families and captures the hearts of clients. Wouldn’t it be amazing if the spouses of your employees sent you thank you notes for sending their loved ones home happy and full of energy? How about creating cultural milestones that not only impress clients, but demonstrate your devotion to delivering a great experience? Arnie has shared lots of tips and secrets with us! And the best part is that these strategies can be used in any industry. Listen in! Interview Highlights What got Arnie focused on culture? [4:25] Why did Arnie start paying his team to read books, then eventually, create BetterBookClub.com? [7:05] How is Arnie recognizing employees and helping them recognize each other? [14:10] If Arnie is so big on recognition, then what’s with the “no birthday cake rule?” [16:42] Arnie takes cultural transparency to the next level – not just with the team, but with clients! [21:00] About our guest Without a clue as to how to run a company, Arnie Malham repeatedly “got it wrong” when it came to hiring, firing, and everything else related to building a business. Malham then stumbled upon a bold, culture-first approach that gave his fledgling company the momentum it needed to become a success. By putting culture first, cj Advertising grew to become the largest full-service brand-building agency in the country, exclusively for law firms. Malham has since leveraged his cutting-edge culture to launch two other successful businesses, Legal Intake Professionals and BetterBookClub.com. Connect with Arnie Twitter LinkedIn Facebook Website Related Content 360Connext® post, Common Mistakes in Organizational Culture Customers That Stick® post, Creating a Customer Service Culture with Jeff Toister Episode 180: John DiJulius, The Customer Service Revolution Episode 222: (Tip) Instilling Culture Throughout the Organization We’re on C-Suite Radio! Check it out for more great podcasts Sponsor message: Start creating a successful CX strategy Are you ready to build a customer experience strategy on a solid foundation for the long term? We’re shattering the top 5 CX strategy myths in our latest evergreen webinar. You will learn: How to avoid the 5 so-called “Customer Experience Strategies” that aren’t strategies at all What drives a winning customer experience strategy and examples of companies that “get it” How to create a foundation for a customer experience strategy that works for the long term Join Jeannie at a time that works for you for some serious mythbusting and a head start on creating a customer experience strategy that works!  Sign Me Up!     Take care of yourself and take care of your customers.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices