#129 First Look: AI Hosts Dive into the Trusted Guide Roadmap™ Master Class

Ok, this one is a bit different.  

I've been asked many times over for a sampling of The Trusted Guide Roadmap™ Master Class and really couldn't share a nice condensed slice of it...until now.

It was quite by accident.  

I used an AI tool that automated two virtual hosts, I'm calling them Abe (A) and Ivy (I), who took much of the material from a recent asynchronous course and with a press of a button, converted it into an 11-minute podcast episode! 

I thought, 'Wow, this is so interesting...maybe others will think so too."

The episode starts with a personal failure of mine that illustrates why the hero's trap is so easy to fall into and so devastating.  

The hosts capture the essence of the Master Class section on this topic in a fun way.

I hope you find it entertaining and insightful.  

I'd love to hear your feedback!

 

Episode Transcript

(00:08):
Welcome to the Delighted Customers Podcast. I am so glad
you're here. We challenge conventional thinking about customer
experience because I believe that improving experiences isn't just good
for business, it's a powerful way to make a meaningful difference
in people's lives. Each week we feature thought provoking
conversations with industry thought leaders from a variety

(00:30):
of backgrounds, offering you unique perspectives and actionable
insights. Get ready to sharpen your leadership and transform
your approach to customer experience. Let's dive
in.
This podcast episode is going to be a very

(00:51):
different kind of episode, one that's truly unique.
I recently stumbled upon a fascinating tool that completely
redefines how to share content using material from my Trusted
Guide Roadmap Masterclass. This tool took my
resource and, like magic, transformed it into a
lively conversational episode hosted by two

(01:13):
virtual personalities. Yes, you heard that right.
Two virtual hosts talking through the course content in a way that
feels natural and authentic. I'll
admit I was a skeptic. Surely it would sound robust
and lifeless and just plain weird. But to my
surprise, it turned out to be an incredibly realistic and genuinely

(01:35):
engaging episode. In just 11 minutes or
so, you'll get a sneak peek into the masterclass into
one particular area we call Becoming a
Trusted Guide that is covered in the course. Now,
of course, nothing replaces the full experience of attending the
live class that's complete with tools, templates, calculators and

(01:57):
interactive feedback from me and the other CX pros.
But people have been asking me for a long time about how I can
share a sampling of the course, and this is an
exciting new way to share what the class is all about in a bite sized,
digestible format. I'd love to hear what you think,
so feel free to drop me a comment or email with your

(02:19):
thoughts. Now, without further ado, let's dive into
this creative experiment together. I hope you'll enjoy
listening as much as I enjoyed creating it.
You've tuned in to the deep dive and today we're tackling something I
think many of you listening know all too well.

(02:41):
It's that feeling when your perfectly logical, well
planned CX strategy just stalls. Why does that
happen? It's a really common frustration, isn't it? You've got the data, the plan
seems solid, but things just don't move forward. Exactly. And
we've been digging into some fantastic material to figure this out, specifically
from the Becoming the Trusted Guide Empowering

(03:03):
CX Leadership course. It was developed by Mark Slayton. Ah, Mark
Slayton. Yeah, he's got some great insights. His work often highlights how
it's less about the what and more about the how of leadership. You know?
Totally. And to kick things off, Mark actually shared a really candid story
about one of his own. Call it a learning experience. It perfectly
illustrates this whole problem. Oh, a personal failure story. Those are always the most revealing.

(03:25):
Right. So years ago, Mark and his team put together this
customer experience index. They thought it was like, bulletproof.
The data was all aligned. The CFO loved it. Even the C suite
gave it a conceptual thumbs up. Seemed like a slam dunk. Okay, it sounds
like they ticked all the boxes. What went wrong? Well, they presented it to the
senior leaders, and one leader from a really key business

(03:48):
line just pushed back hard.
Oh, not on the data itself. No, not really. His
issue was that the index included factors his team couldn't directly
control. He was worried basically, that his performance would look
bad because of stuff happening elsewhere. Ah, the classic not in my control
argument. That definitely throws a wrench in things. It becomes personal, political.

(04:10):
Right, Exactly. And this is where Mark admits he, well, he messed up. He
just assumed that the logic, the sheer brilliance of the index
would win everyone over eventually. He figured that leader would come around. Uh
oh. So he didn't really address that specific concern head on? Nope.
He heard the resistance, but kind of thought, well, we have C suite approval, let's
just push forward. He didn't get that specific leader's real

(04:32):
buy in. Not the enthusiastic kind you need. And the result?
Let me guess, it didn't go smoothly. Not even close. That one misstep.
It basically put the whole CX index initiative on ice for
three years. Wow. Three years. Just because of
that one stakeholder. Three years. It took that long to rebirth trust, get
alignment, and finally get the index properly implemented. It's such a stark lesson,

(04:55):
isn't it? Being right isn't enough. You got to bring people with you. Absolutely.
That's a huge delay and a massive cost, really, in lost
momentum and opportunity. It shows how critical that stakeholder piece is.
Precisely. And it's that kind of stress, that frustration, that
led Mark to create this whole becoming the trusted guide course.
He realized the goal isn't to be the CX superhero. It's about guiding,

(05:18):
earning trust, empowering others. Makes sense. And Mark really
knows his stuff, right? He's not just guessing here? Oh, definitely not. I mean, he's
a really credentialed CX thought leader, teaches this stuff at the university
level, hosts his own podcast. He lives and breathes
customer experience, both theory and practice. That combination of
academic background and real world battle scars is Pretty

(05:40):
powerful. It really is. So what we're zeroing in on today is this
concept he calls the Hero's Trap. It's right from module one of his course. The
whole course itself, by the way, is built on his bigger trusted guide Roadmap
Masterclass, which is designed to really
fundamentally shift how CX leaders operate. The Hero's Trap. I like
that term. Yeah. It implies that trying too hard to be the solution

(06:02):
can actually backfire. Exactly. Think about, you know that
movie, the King's Speech? Yeah. Great film. Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush. Right.
King George VI had all the authority, but he couldn't lead
effectively because he couldn't communicate. Right. He needed
Lionel Logue, his guide, to help him find his voice. Lionel didn't
take over, he empowered the king. Ah, okay, so the X

(06:24):
leader needs to be Lionel, not the king. Empowering the stakeholder. You got
it. So our mission for this Deep dive is basically
understand this hero trap, see how it messes things up, and start
exploring how shifting to that guide mentality makes CX
leadership way more effective. Okay, sounds like a solid plan. What
specifically are we pulling from that first module? Today we're looking at

(06:46):
identifying what the Hero Trap actually looks like. Starting to think
about the mindset shift to being a guide. Why
uncovering stakeholder goals is so crucial. And we'll touch briefly on something
called the three levels model. Got it. A focused look at the foundations.
Yep. And just for context, the full course goes deeper.
Obviously, after understanding the trap, it covers shifting the

(07:07):
mindset, then gives a three step framework for building trust
and finally, how to put that framework into action. A
logical progression from awareness to application.
Totally. There's even a companion trusted guidebook resource for the
course, which sounds pretty handy for actually, you know, doing this stuff back at the
office. Practical tools are always good. Helps bridge the gap between

(07:29):
learning and doing. For sure. And hey, if you complete the full
course, you get a digital certificate and badge. A nice little
recognition. Always good for the LinkedIn profile, right? Ha. Exactly. Now,
if this taste whets your appetite, Mark's full Trusted Guide Roadmap
Masterclass is the the main event. It's live,
interactive, really aimed at CX leaders who want to make a serious

(07:51):
impact. This Deep dive is just a slice. So the
Masterclass covers more ground. Yeah, it's built around four big modules.
Earn trust, become a guide. Which is where our focus today comes from. Build a
roadmap and prove the value. So we're really just looking at a piece of
the become a guide part. Okay, so back to Module one of the course
the Heroes Trap why Efforts Stall we're digging into why

(08:13):
CX leaders sometimes unintentionally sabotage themselves.
That's the core of it. Exploring those common ways we step into the hero
role, often with the best intentions and why that leads to stalled
projects, frustration, and then setting the stage for a better approach.
The guide approach. Understanding the problem is the first step to fixing it, right?
Couldn't agree more.

(08:35):
CX professionals know that every touch point matters.
But managing the entire customer journey can be challenging, especially
for enterprises due to disjointed data, difficulty,
aligning stakeholders, and struggling to secure executive
support. That's where JourneyTrack comes in.
JourneyTrack integrates journey mapping, management and measurement,

(08:57):
allowing you to pinpoint friction, optimize experiences
and demonstrate the ROI of CX initiatives.
So you can align teams, break down silos, and then you
can track improvements in real time. With JourneyTrack,
you get visibility across every channel and touchpoint. No more
guesswork, just clear insights and measurable results. Join the

(09:19):
CX leaders who transform journeys into improved experiences
with impactful business outcomes like reduced churn and
increased customer lifetime value. Visit JourneyTrack
IO today and see how better journeys lead to
better business. We'll look at the characteristics. What does being a
hero actually involve day to day? How does it limit stakeholder

(09:41):
engagement, hurt project success? And why a new approach is
essential for any kind of lasting CX transformation. It's moving
from solo effort to like collective responsibility.
Exactly. And in the full module, Mark includes a self
assessment question which sounds really useful. Makes you think about your own
tendencies towards playing the hero. That self awareness piece is

(10:02):
key. Gotta look in the mirror sometimes.
Definitely. And check this out. There's a statistic from McKinsey
that's pretty sobering. They found 70%
70 of change programs fail. Wow,
70%. That's huge. It is. And the top reasons?
Employee resistance and lack of management support. It just you

(10:22):
stakeholder issues. Right. Understanding this hero trap is about
not becoming part of that 70%. That really puts the pressure on getting the
leadership approach right. Absolutely. And think back to Mark's story again. Pushing
ahead without that leader's buy in. That directly created resistance and
killed momentum. It's a perfect example of the risk of that
hero mentality thinking your logic is enough. Yeah, logic doesn't

(10:45):
automatically create trust or enthusiasm. So true.
Okay, let's talk about some of those specific hero behaviors that
trip us up. One big one is feeling like you have to be the smartest
person in the room. Always have the answer, right, the know it all syndrome. That
can shut people down fast. It really can. It makes stakeholders feel like their
input isn't needed or valued. Another one is using all that

(11:07):
CX jargon. You know, the acronyms, the fancy terms.
Oh yeah, we get so used to it, we forget others have no idea what
we're talking about. It can be really alienating. Totally. It creates barriers
instead of bridges. And the third big one is pushing data
without getting buy in first. You might have amazing insights, but if
people don't feel involved or see how it connects to their world, they just. Tune

(11:29):
it out or resist it. The data needs context and connection. Exactly.
So what happens when we fall into this trap? Well, the most obvious thing is
initiatives just stall. They get stuck. No buy in, no
momentum, like running in mud. Lots of effort, no
progress. Perfect analogy. Another consequence, you,
the CX leader might start getting left out of important meetings.

(11:51):
That's a huge red flag, right? Means you're not seen as a key
strategic partner. Yeah, being excluded is a bad sign. Means
trust is low. And personally, it's just frustrating. You feel
isolated, like you're banging your head against a wall. Carrying the CX burden
all alone definitely leads to burnout. It's not sustainable. And the
biggest consequence, the customer experience doesn't actually

(12:13):
get better. All that effort and no real impact where it matters
most, which then hurts the business. Lower satisfaction,
lost revenue, missed opportunities. The ripple effects are significant.
It impacts the bottom line. It really does. So let's quickly contrast
the two approaches. You've got the superhero style. Hero led projects.
Relying on the leader's individual brilliance leads to

(12:35):
isolation, resistance. A lone wolf approach. Right versus
trust led projects. These are built on shared ownership, real
collaboration, stakeholder alignment. Here the CX leader is the
trusted guide, not the superhero. Much more sustainable, much more
likely to succeed. It's about partnership. Exactly. And this ties into something
from Donald Miller's book, Building a Story Brand. He says when a

(12:57):
brand or a leader tries to be the hero, the
customer or stakeholder stays distant. They might even see you as
competition. Interesting point. If you're the hero, what role is left
for them? Right, but Miller says the guide is the one who
empowers the hero. Gives them the plan, the tools, the
clarity they need to succeed. And that is the shift we're talking

(13:19):
about from CX leader as hero to CX leader as
guide. Empowering stakeholders to be the heroes of their
part of the CX story with you as their advisor. Beautifully
put. So wrapping up this first look, we've touched on why efforts stall that
hero trap, the absolute need for stakeholder buy in, and the beginnings of
this shift to a guide mindset, all drawn from module one of Mark's course.

(13:41):
It's a critical foundation to build upon, definitely. And again, this is just a taste.
The full Becoming the Trusted Guide course and especially that Trusted
Guide Roadmap masterclass with the networking tools roadmaps
that's really essential for leaders serious about making a difference. We've just
scratched the surface. Good context. It sets the stage for deeper
learning. It does. So here's a final thought for everyone listening

(14:03):
as you go about your week, just reflect a
bit. Notice your own tendencies. Do you sometimes slip into that hero
mode, feeling like you need all the answers, have to drive everything?
And then ask yourself what might change if you consciously shifted, even just
a little, towards being more of a guide? How might that impact your stakeholder
relationships, collaboration and ultimately your CX results? Something

(14:25):
powerful to chew on. A great reflective question to end on. Food for
thought indeed. I hope you enjoyed this episode of the
Delighted Customers Podcast. It would mean so much if you would take a
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(14:47):
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