1517: Escape the Tool Trap: Achieve Compliance and Drive Growth Through Better Processes — with Operations Innovator Santiago Cortez

Santiago Cortez is a process-driven transformation specialist, founder of labcortex, and a trusted advisor for compliance-focused, mission-driven organizations. Renowned for his ability to turn tangled, manual workflows into organized, auditable systems, Santiago partners with firms in highly-regulated industries to drive sustainable growth. He champions a process-first mindset, helping businesses clarify their goals, align teams, and eliminate inefficiency empowering both organizations and individuals to reclaim time, reduce stress, and achieve lasting improvement. In this episode of Marketer of the Day, Santiago Cortez joins Robert Plank to demystify the world of compliance, workflows, and operational excellence. Santiago shares his unique approach to consulting, emphasizing that tools should serve existing processes not the other way around. Listeners will hear how Santiago and his team dive deep into their clients’ day-to-day realities, uncovering the misalignments between written policies and practical actions. He reveals the communication pitfalls that stall progress, the importance of small wins, and why embedding continuous improvement into company culture is critical. Through practical examples and actionable insights, Santiago explains how focusing on people, clarity, and collaboration drives transformation making even the "boring" aspects of business work both effective and rewarding. Quotes: “Tools amplify a process. They don’t replace it.” “You just want to ensure these little things don’t get caught in your way of the big things. They all lead to that.” “Communication and feedback loops are essential to aligning teams and catching issues before they compound.” Resources: Connect with Santiago Cortez on LinkedIn Helping organizations work smarter, safer, and more efficiently