J.K. Symancyk on Customer-Centric Leadership

In this episode, Andy is joined by J.K. Symancyk, CEO of PetSmart. J.K. has spent the last two decades as a senior leader for large retailers such as PetSmart, Academy Sports + Outdoors, Meijer, and Sam’s Club. In each of these leadership positions he has relied on a customer-centric mindset that stems from his unique background as a Theatre student at the University of Arkansas. In their conversation, Andy and J.K. discuss how to truly listen to customers through store walks, identifying customer problems that are worth solving, advice for students and young professionals, the power of human connection in a tech-focused world, and much more. Questions and Topics 00:00 Show Introduction 06:21 How do you view customer-centricity in your role as CEO at PetSmart 14:01 Does your customer-centric approach apply to all of retail or specifically the pet category? 17:06 What role does Omnichannel play in such a CX based retailer like PetSmart? 20:53 How do you identify what customer problems are worth solving? 22:25 What to look for on a store walk 28:26 How to navigate moving to a new place 31:00 What commonalities and differences have stood out across roles in your career? 33:37 The power of asking questions and interview advice 37:40 The path from a Theatre degree to CEO 41:40 The value of human connection in career development 47:11 What gives you hope about the future?