Daniel Ratner is a relationship coach, speaker, and author helping people build healthier connections by recognizing draining patterns and setting stronger boundaries. He is the author of three books, including Emotional Vampires, teaching readers how to protect their happiness from toxic people.

Mentioned on the Show

• Coach Dan Ratner’s website: https://coachratner.com/
• Connect with Coach Ratner on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/coach-ratner-45b4678a/
• Check out Coach Ratner’s YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@thecoachratnerpodcast
• Coach Ratner on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thecoachratnerpodcast

Timestamps
(00:00:00) Coach Daniel Ratner sits down with O'Brien McMahon of People Business

(00:03:43) What is an "emotional vampire"?

(00:07:22) What are some of the red flags for narcissists?

(00:08:53) How do we set the right boundaries with manipulative people in the workplace?

(00:11:21) How do we protect ourselves against narcissists who love bomb people?

(00:12:51) Wisdom about assessing if someone treats people well (or poorly)

(00:19:50) Drama Queens and people who play the victim card

(00:21:20) Is there a good way to snap people out of the victim mindset?

(00:23:43) How do we find that balance between helping people change and knowing when to move on?

(00:25:17) How do we build self-esteem in ourselves so it's easier to look at painful truths?

(00:28:42) What kinds of activities help people build esteem outside of relationships and work?

(00:36:25) What are things introverts can do to still bring positive energy into meetings?

(00:41:50) Anything we didn't hit that would be important or any final message?

Sri Kaza is a business leader and small business advocate with a career spanning corporate strategy, entrepreneurial ventures, and dedicated support for small businesses. He is the author of Unconvention: A Small Business Strategy Guide.

Mentioned on the Show

• Visit Sri’s website: https://sri-kaza.com/
• Connect with Sri on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/srikaza
• Get Sri’s book, Unconventional: https://a.co/d/d9swnpB
• O’Brien and Sri discussed the book The Infinite Game by Simon Sinek: https://a.co/d/iDTdkFG (start with this book, not this one)

Timestamps

(00:00:00) Sri Kaza joins People Business with O'Brien McMahon

(00:02:22) Could you connect your McKinsey background to writing a book on small business strategy?

(00:10:36) What's the minimum threshold for making something unique in positioning?

(00:12:09) Understanding lifestyle businesses vs. scalable businesses

(00:19:50) Simon Sinek's The Infinite Game

(00:22:29) How do small businesses with a deeper purpose make trade-offs between business and purpose?

(00:28:35) What is meant by customer “intimacy” or customer proximity?

(00:38:31) How can a business owner assess their own performance and sharpen your gut?

(00:40:31) What are some effective self-reflection practices?

(00:45:52) What are the best ways you've seen organizations scale purpose, proximity, and position while keeping the essence of those principles?

(00:52:02) Final thoughts from Sri Kaza

Mark Fithian is the cofounder of WideOpen, a consultancy that helps organizations achieve sustainable growth through strategic customer experience. Mark’s expertise in CX is informed by more than thirty years of work across industries, partnering with leading brands such as Providence, SAP, PayPal, Optum, IBM, BMW, the American Cancer Society, and Microsoft. Before founding WideOpen, he held leadership roles on both the client and agency sides, as well as in strategic consultancies.

Mentioned on the Show

• Read Mark’s profile on the WideOpen website: https://www.thisiswideopen.com/our-team
• Connect with Mark on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markfithian/
• Get Mark’s book, The CX Imperative: https://a.co/d/316xGzX
• O’Brien and Mark discussed the book Good Strategy, Bad Strategy by Richard Rumelt: https://a.co/d/9GSTIfN

Timestamps
(00:00:00) Welcome to People Business with O'Brien McMahon

(00:01:45) What is the difference between customer experience and user experience?

(00:02:22) And how did you get into this work in the first place?

(00:07:24) What is the purpose of business?

(00:08:35) Why do businesses struggle with customer experience?

(00:11:24) "The Great Distancing": what it is and why it hurts customer experience

(00:13:44) What makes good incentives in customer experience?

(00:15:15) How does a business know when they are doing CX well?

(00:20:08) How does executive leadership get involved in good CX?

(00:32:49) Who should be responsible for customer experience?

(00:40:41) Mark's 5 Pillars of Customer Experience

(00:44:19) What does strategy mean to you?

(00:55:21) How to get started with customer experience and how to contact Mark Fithian.