S6 | 471: Building a change maker culture with Steve Blum, Autodesk

Digital StrategyTechnologyConversational AI
Written By Basil Ali

About the Episode

Today we’re going to talk about building a change maker culture and how you can help your teams to thrive among change, instead of being disrupted by it.

To help me discuss this topic, I’d like to welcome Steve Blum, Chief Operating Officer of Autodesk.

About Steve Blum

As Autodesk’s Chief Operating Officer, Steve oversees the teams responsible for sales, marketing, customer success, digital platforms, and customer experience. Together, these teams create and provide high-impact experiences for customers. Their aim is to help people achieve their business outcomes using design and make technologies.

Steve believes in having an “expect to win” attitude. It’s a mindset built around confidence, determination, focus and perseverance. Steve guides his teams to have a vision of the customer’s success, a game plan to achieve it, and the drive to make it happen. He also believes no one accomplishes great things by working alone. It takes a great team. He has experienced this firsthand in his 30-year career in technology. Since joining Autodesk in 2003, Steve has led the field organization through the company’s business model transition, introduced Named Account programs worldwide, implemented a new partner channel framework, and established the company’s first Customer Success organization. Prior to Autodesk, Steve held leadership positions with Parago, Inc, Mentor Graphics, Advanced Micro Devices and NCR Corporation. Steve holds a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering from the University of Florida, and he started his professional life as an engineer. He earned a patent for developing a testing technique to evaluate undershoot and overshoot resistances in programmable logic devices.

Steve is usually on the road more than in his office and home in Texas. But he always makes time for family, even if it means getting on another plane with his wife to see his kids. His two adult children have started their careers and now seek out dad for advice. Steve loves hearing about their experiences, getting their insights as young professionals, and seeing them learn and grow.

Resources

Synopsis

In this episode, the guest speaker discusses the significance of taking chances and making changes in one's career. They emphasize the importance of being open to uncertain and unknown opportunities, as they can lead to personal growth and increased confidence. The speaker shares their own experience of being content in their current role but remaining open to new opportunities for growth and expansion. They highlight the courage required to try new things and learn from those experiences, as it can enhance one's skills and provide a clearer career direction.

The guest also emphasizes that each time an individual takes a chance and it works out, their confidence in making changes and taking on more challenging roles increases. They stress the value of gaining confidence through experience and how it can contribute to personal and professional growth.

Overall, the episode suggests that taking chances and making changes in one's career can be beneficial for personal growth and building confidence. It encourages individuals to embrace new opportunities and have the courage to step out of their comfort zones in order to expand their skills and find greater fulfillment in their careers.

Thriving amidst change as an organization requires placing the customer at the center and focusing on improving both the customer and employee experience. The episode emphasizes the importance of starting with the customer and keeping them at the forefront of all change efforts. By understanding and prioritizing the needs and expectations of the customer, organizations can deliver a world-class customer experience and gain a competitive advantage that fosters loyalty.

The guest speaker in the episode highlights that their organization's primary focus is delivering a world-class customer experience. They view it as their guiding principle and strive to ensure that every change and transformation effort aligns with this goal. They not only communicate the reasons behind the change to employees and stakeholders but also to the customers. By explaining how the change will enhance the customers' lives, they create a sense of purpose and garner support from all stakeholders.

Additionally, the episode underscores the connection between customer and employee experience. The guest speaker mentions that research has shown the powerful link between the two, but believes that more needs to be done to address it. They acknowledge that improving the employee experience is crucial for supporting a great customer experience. By focusing on both aspects, organizations can create a positive feedback loop where satisfied employees deliver better customer experiences, leading to increased customer loyalty and business success.

Overall, the episode emphasizes that thriving amidst change requires organizations to prioritize the customer and employee experience. By keeping the customer at the center and continuously improving their experience, organizations can drive loyalty and gain a competitive advantage. Additionally, by recognizing the connection between customer and employee experience, organizations can create a positive cycle of improvement and success.

In this episode, the guest emphasizes the importance for leaders driving significant changes or transformations to over-communicate the reasons behind the change and anchor it in the "why." The guest mentions that driving such changes is a team effort, and as a result, leaders need to bring the entire team along for the journey. This means ensuring that the team understands the purpose and benefits of the change.

The guest suggests that leaders should double down on over-communicating the reasons behind the change. This involves explaining why the change is being made and how it will benefit everyone involved. By anchoring the change in the "why," leaders can help stakeholders see the value and benefits, which can increase their support and commitment.

Additionally, the guest emphasizes the need for consistent and frequent communication throughout the change process. They highlight that as a leader, they sometimes get tired of repeating the same message, but recognize that until they reach a point where they can't possibly say it one more time, they haven't communicated enough. This underscores the importance of repetition and consistently reinforcing the message to ensure understanding and buy-in from stakeholders.

Overall, the episode emphasizes that leaders driving significant changes or transformations should prioritize over-communicating the reasons behind the change and anchoring it in the "why" to gain support and commitment from stakeholders.

Steve Blum, Chief Operating Officer, Autodesk

Basil Ali
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