Doug Woodard

089: Doug Woodard: I could not disclose what had happened

Intro: Welcome to the Fast Leader Podcast, where we explore convenient yet effective shortcuts that will help you get ahead and move forward faster by becoming a better leader. And now here’s your host, customer and employee engagement expert and certified emotional intelligence practitioner, Jim Rembach.

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Jim Rembach:    Okay, Fast Leader Legion today we have a special episode on the CX day. What is CX day you might ask? CS day is a global celebration of the companies and the professionals that create great experiences for the customers, it’s actually put on by the Customer Experience Professionals Association. And the guest that I have today on the Fast Leader show was actually a keynote speaker at the Customer Experience Professionals Association’s Member Exchange this year in Atlanta, Georgia. And in this interview Doug Woodard share a personal story of finding his footing and his voice as an introvert in the sea of intimidating extroverts in dealing with and getting over the hump with important personnel issue. Doug Woodard is the managing Vice President of the Customer Channels for US card operations at Capital One. Doug is responsible for customer contacts across Capital One’s US card business spanning both branded card and partnership card which is a private label and co-branded card portfolio. The Customer Channels Organization delivers on a full spectrum of customer needs including service, fraud, disputes, collections and recoveries. 

In addition, the organization provides critical horizontal support functions as a training, knowledge management and workforce management group that enables an extensive network. The Customer Channels operation network spans 20+ sites and 16,000 agents in six countries including internal, onshore, offshore captive, third-party suppliers and work-at-home agents. Specific functions include branded card servicing, high-value servicing, small-business and partnership card services credit, merchant, and commercial operations along with specialty operations. Prior to joining Capital One, Doug held executive roles of both Staples and Citi, leading extensive customer service operations as well as accountability for the customer experience strategy. Prior leadership positions that Doug held include roles at L.L. Bean and Accenture. Growing up in Upstate New York, Doug attended the SUNY Albany for both his undergraduate and Master’s degrees. Currently he resides in Raleigh, North Carolina with his wife Noel and their college age daughter. And now on to the interview with Doug.

Okay, Fast Leader Legion today we have a special guest from the member insight exchange which is the Customer Experience Professionals Association member meeting. And we’re here in Atlanta doing the show. And I am blessed to have on the show today with me Doug Wodard. Doug is the managing VP at Customer Channel in card operations for Capital One. He was born and raised as a military brat. Ultimately settling in Upstate, New York in Hudson Valley and had some really good memories growing up with his younger brother. Doug are you ready to help us get over the hump?

Doug Woodard:    I am. 

Jim Rembach:    I’ve given our listeners a little bit about you but can you tell us what your current passion is so that we can get to know you even better?

Doug Woodard:    Sure. My passion is taking great care of our customers at Capital One and taking great care of my employees, associates and agents that take great care of those customers.

Jim Rembach:     You said that in that in a certain order just a second ago but I just had the opportunity to sit with three of your (inaudible 3:38) which it resonated with me in so many different levels, but you actually foot that model. Can you tell us a little bit about that?

Doug Woodard:    Sure. One of the things that I believe as a leader is that my job is to take care of the people that take care of my customers. So, ultimately my job is about taking great care of our customers at Capital One in our credit card division but that means that my responsibility is really is about taking care of the people who take of them. 

Jim Rembach:    And I think for us we kind of know that intuitively but however we get so focused and you mentioned it in your keynote, actually doing the task and doing the activities of the business that we lose sight of that.

Doug Woodard:    That’s right. It’s so easy to lose sight of that. It’s so easy to lose sight of purpose and focus on function. I think it’s very easy as leaders of any discipline to focus on the function at hand so if we talk about what I do for living and have responsibility for all of our contact centers, for all of our different kind of functions, it’s so easy to worry about and obsess about that function and lose sight of the purpose it’s the purpose  it’s the sense of belonging that the person doing the work is connected to that’s really inspiring and that really unleashes their potential and that allows us to make amazing customer experiences.

Jim Rembach:     You mentioned something for us that’s really important is that inspiration and that passion and that intrinsic drive and motivation. And on the show we often look at leadership quotes to help us with that because sometimes they just ground us and head us in the direction that we need to be going, if we are going there. Is there a quote or two that is important to you that you can share with us? 

Doug Woodard:    Gosh! It’s actually hard to narrow down, my team knows that I love quotes and I use them all the time. A couple of come to mind, first is, maybe one that isn’t necessarily associated with leadership but Maya Angelou said: ‘People will forget what you did for them. They forget what you did but they will never forget how you made them feel.’ I’m abbreviating her quote but I actually think that’s a really important leadership quote. When you think about the jobs we have as leaders, when you think about the difference between purpose and function I really think the power of inspiration is thinking through the responsibility that you have for how it feels to work in your team, your organization, your company, whatever you’re responsible for. How did making people feel both customers and employees? And so that is actually for me a leadership quote. 

Jim Rembach:    Really powerful one too. And had well over 60, 70, 80, episodes and that quote has actually come up quite common so it has an amazing impact on a lot of people. So, your definitely in the mixed with a lot of others where you kind of have grounded yourself in the proper meaning and mindset and making that huge impact, we don’t always do that and we have humps that we have to get over and we have a lot of lessons that we’ve learned within that, can you share a story about a time where you’ve had to get over a hump in leading yourself or others that kind of helped you? 

Doug Woodard:    Sure. I think the biggest hump for me has been—I’m actually strongly an introvert. And so very early in my career it was a little difficult to find my footing, to find my voice because it was so intimidating oftentimes being in an environment of people who I and sometimes later learned they weren’t, but I assumed were extroverts because they’re out in front leading and they’re able to inspire and engage enormous people. And I would look and marvel and would dream and aspire to be one of those kind of leaders but would be held back from being an introvert and needing to find that my voice became something that has just been a theme throughout my career to the point where I tried to be very clear about my leadership principles, what my leadership voice is, but that was really hump for a long time. 

Jim Rembach:     So when you start talking about that hump, can you think about a specific time or a real story where you have some details and kind of cause you to think differently? It might not have been at that moment at that time but can you think about a time where you can reflect upon?

Doug Woodard:    Sure. You know, early in my career I had to make a difficult decision to let someone go who had been with this company for a really long time, this is a couple companies ago, and she was I thought seen as the cultural center of the group and yet she had made a set of really bad choices let’s say, she had crossed a line of values and principles for the company not just for me that there really was no going back and I really faced a lot fear in both the act of letting her go as a leader but then facing the team, and I was relatively new to this company, and wanting to take the ownership of the decision but it was a highly sensitive situation and I could not disclose what had happened and my fear was that it was going to be seen as a power struggle between me and her but the reality was there had been some things that were done behind the scenes that again were such a clear violation of the companies’ rules and values and principles that the separation was not questionable but because of the sensitivity you couldn’t point to that and I had go in front of this group that had known her as a leader for really long time and without specifics the decision and that was a really difficult thing to do and I face it with a great deal of trepidation but I got some great coaching and at the end just had to be my natural self and exhibit the same care and compassion for the team as I had throughout my brief tenure and that got me through it. 

Jim Rembach:    I think you brought up a really important word that we all have to remind ourselves of and that is coaching and that we shouldn’t do some of the things that we do in isolation.

Doug Woodard:    Oh, absolutely. 

Jim Rembach:    Getting that coaching and getting that support and that help.

Doug Woodard:    That is so true. You know without great coaches and mentors there’s no way that I go from being a quiet kid in the back of the classroom to now having responsibility for this huge global operations for I think one of the biggest and best brands. I’m so honored to have the job that I have but without that kind of coaching, without people taking time out of their day to help me to find my voice to figure out how to be a successful introvert in a world seemingly filled with extroverts, there’s no way I’ll get this job, it’s critical. And no matter—my job or my title or my responsibility to this day, coaching, advice, good counsel, is a pillar of success and I couldn’t do it without the input of others.

Jim Rembach:    And the Fast Leader Legion wishes you the very best. Now before we move on, let’s get a quick word from our sponsor. 

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Alright Fast Leader listeners, it’s time for the Member Exchange version of the Hump Day Hoedown. Okay Doug, the Hump Day Hoedown is the part of our show where you give us good insights fast. So, I’m going to ask you several questions and your job is to give us robust yet rapid responses that are going to help us move onward and upward faster. Doug Woodard, are you ready to hoedown?

Doug Woodard:    I’m ready to hoedown.

Jim Rembach:    Alright. What do you think is holding you back from being an even better leader today?

Doug Woodard:    Time. We’re all bound by the same 24 hours in a day, it constrains on what we want to do and I think the choices we make. Time are really always a challenge. 

Jim Rembach:    What is the best leadership advice you have received?

Doug Woodard:    Your job as a leader is not to be popular. It’s not a popularity contest you need to lead by values and do the right thing and realize the right thing is not trying to win popularity votes. 

Jim Rembach:    What is one of your secrets that you believe contributes to your success?

Doug Woodard:    The time that I think that I’ve invested in trying to be always a better communicator. The ability to connect with people in either small format or large format and inspire and engage them and I think has been one of the most critical elements of my success.

Jim Rembach:    What is one book that you’d recommend to our listeners, and that can be from any genre?

Doug Woodard:    Good to Great, Jim Collins. 

Jim Rembach:    Okay, Fast Leader listeners, you can find links to that and other bonus information from today show by going to fastleader.net/Doug Woodard. Okay, Doug this is my last Hump Day Hoedown question: Imagine you were given the opportunity to go back to the age of 25 and you’ve been given the opportunity to take the knowledge and skills that you have now back with you but you can’t take everything you can only choose one, what skill or piece of knowledge would you take back with you and why?

Doug Woodard:    I think if I only have one it would be that ability to engage and inspire as a skill. I think that has been the thing that is underpinned all of my success and has been the differentiator of my career not only in terms of my personal success but more importantly what’s enabled me to help lift others up.

Jim Rembach:    Doug, it was an honor to spend time with you today. Can you please share with the Fast Leader listeners how they can connect with you?

Doug Woodard:    Sure. They can find me on LinkedIn. 

Jim Rembach:    Doug Woodard, thank you for sharing your knowledge and wisdom the Fast Leader Legion honors you and thanks you for helping us get over the hump. Woot! Woot! 

Thank you for joining me on the Fast Leader show today. For recaps, links from every show, special offers and access to download and subscribe, if you haven’t already, head on over the fastleader.net so we can help you move onward and upward faster.

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