Two questions that are top of mind for most leaders are: 1) How can my team perform better? and 2) How can we grow our business? My guest and co-founder of The Design Gym, Andy Hagerman, works with leaders of Fortune 500 companies to bridge the gap between these questions. Andy's work focuses on helping leaders shape more collaborative, creative, and healthy team environments that unlock fresh and sustainable ways to drive business growth.
In this conversation Andy and I discuss his transition from a traditional business career at a "big four" consulting firm to learning how to apply a human-centered approach to his consulting work; his journey to co-found The Design Gym in New York City and its evolution over time; the transformative power of design thinking in building healthier, more sustainable work environments; insights into "facilitative leadership" and the power of effective "problem framing"; and how his experiences as an avid traveler and musician have shaped how he approaches his work today. Andy shares lessons he learned about the importance of slowing down to speed up, creating healthy and stable work environments for teams, and how fostering genuine human connection is key for sustainable growth.
ABOUT OUR GUEST
Andy is passionate about creating workplaces where people thrive. Andy Hagerman is the Co-Founder and Managing Partner of The Design Gym, helping organizations align strategy with culture. His expertise in design strategy, ethnographic research, and facilitation brings a novel approach to traditional people and change challenges, and has helped him to drive transformation at major clients like HP, Patagonia, Capital One, Pfizer, and Marriott. He's an avid fly fisherman, pizza maker, husband, and dad to a 2-year old girl. He lives in Beacon, New York.
ABOUT MAKING BUSINESS ART
Making Business Art is a podcast for curious people where we explore how to make our work more meaningful and enchanting. We draw lessons and inspiration from entrepreneurs, designers, scientists, creative leaders and artists about making business and its offerings a source of inspiration and connection for ourselves, our teams, and the people we serve.
This podcast is the creation of and hosted by me, Ezequiel Williams. I work as an innovation strategist and facilitator who helps brave leaders and teams co-create new ways to win over and keep customers and talent. Join me in deep conversations about creating powerful connections with the people we serve, while making art out of our business and life.
Instagram: @MakingBusinessArt
