His path included founding a successful clothing brand for the electronic music scene (complete with 163 street team members) before transitioning into corporate roles and eventually launching StealthX, a consultancy focused on customer strategy, product design, and software engineering.

• You can listen here or wherever you get your podcasts: https://www.howthisworks.show/033-drew-burdick
• Or watch on Youtube: https://youtu.be/mxyRWsKJEDg?si=5EmG0VKhiA99US5m

Key points from the conversation:

• What's next for customer experience: Drew emphasizes moving beyond "fast, easy, and cheap" to create memorable moments that build brand loyalty. He applies this philosophy both to client work and to StealthX itself, crafting thoughtful touchpoints throughout the client journey.
• The future of design teams: Drawing from his experience leading both large and small teams, Drew predicts a shift away from traditional large design organizations toward nimble, high-velocity small teams augmented by AI capabilities.
• Industry specialization: Drew advocates for designers to develop deep industry expertise rather than remaining discipline-generalists, suggesting that understanding specific sectors like manufacturing or insurance will become increasingly valuable.
• Community and connection: Despite the rise of remote work, Drew emphasizes the growing importance of local, in-person relationships and community building, particularly in regional tech hubs like Charlotte, North Carolina.
• AI Inflection Point: Drew likens the current state of AI to the "256MB era" of computing, predicting rapid acceleration in capabilities and encouraging designers to embrace these tools as augmentation rather than threat.
• Personal philosophy: "Do the next right thing" – tattooed on Drew's arm, this mantra emerged during COVID as a reminder to focus on immediate, actionable steps rather than getting overwhelmed by uncertainty.

Drew also predicts that within a year, solopreneurs will increasingly build and launch products independently using AI tools, potentially challenging traditional team structures in larger organizations. He encourages experimenting with these tools, seeing them as opportunities to augment human creativity rather than as threats.

• You can find Drew on social media as @drewhburdick and at drewburdick.com
• Learn more about StealthX at stealthx.co

Listen to the second part of our conversation over at Drew's podcast, "Building Great Experiences" —
• On Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/za/podcast/future-of-cx-beyond-product-into-ecosystems/id1776618976?i=1000686740180
• On Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/329mlkTWefrP7nQr8KMRV5?si=doVa-TrxS52MyNIjGHDDCA
• Or watch it on YouTube: https://youtu.be/RShAkpaXRwU?si=KX9sgbXRQDABmL_Z

Special Guest: Drew Burdick.

Links:

• StealthX
• Product Camp - Charlotte
• Lenny & Friends Summit — A one-day summit on 24 Oct 2024 in San Francisco for senior product leaders hosted by Lenny Rachitsky
• "Product is dead" - Claire Vo, CPO of LaunchDarkly — Claire Vo, Chief Product Officer at LaunchDarkly and creator of ChatPRD, deliver a groundbreaking talk at the Lenny & Friends Summit on how AI is revolutionizing product management
• Andy Polaine on the How This Works show
• Who Moved My Cheese by Spencer Johnson, Kenneth Blanchard
• The Culture Code by Daniel Coyle
• The Culture Playbook by Daniel Coyle
• Building Great Experiences w/ Drew Burdick from StealthX

Keep listening until after the outro music for a bit of tape from our first attempt at recording (Internet connection problems) where Joanne talks about how being a singer and being a performer helps to understand the clients and job seekers she works with.

A few specific points from the episode:

• Joanne's work as a singer, including albums, performances, and cover songs
• Her musical style blends jazz and trip-hop, with inspiration from sci-fi and the Voyager probes
• Her indie band, Broanne, and their EP "We're Totally Blowing Up"
• Her view of the job of a recruiter: matching clients with candidates and guiding them through the hiring process
• Her journey started at a nanny agency in London, eventually leading her to start her own recruitment agency in New York City
• Initial struggles in starting her agency and stresses the importance of networking and building personal connections
• Meeting her business partner, Rebecca Levy, through a mutual connection — advice, "take the lunch"
• The need for taking breaks and disconnecting to recharge
• The 2008 financial crisis impacted her business but also led to new opportunities
• Tailoring resumes and portfolios to specific job opportunities
• A tip on standing out in the job market: be efficient and professional in communications
• Common fears like not being good enough and encourages leaning into those fears
• Strategies for overcoming anxiety: focus on service and giving to others
• Stresses authenticity and connecting with others in both personal and professional contexts
• The value of small moments of connection, which can lead to larger opportunities.
• The importance of connection and talking to people
• Recommendation for Tunde Oyeneyin's audiobook, "Speak" and the show "Alone" for its exploration of human connection and survival
• She plans to begin work on a cabaret show about an unnamed 80s/90s pop sensation, inspired by recently reading their biography

Special Guest: Joanne Weaver.

Links:

• Rebecca Levi
• Steve Jobs' commencement speech to Stanford’s 2005 graduating class — “Of course it was impossible to connect the dots looking forward when I was in college. But it was very, very clear looking backward ten years later,” Jobs said. “So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something-your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.”
• Twisted Spritzer
• Ryan Adams - "Wonderwall" (Oasis cover)
• Simon Sinek on Design Matters in 2015 — With Debbie Millman
• "Speak" by Tunde Oyeneyin
• Tara Mohr's "Playing Big"
• Ted Lasso clip — When Rebecca "makes herself big" to build up courage
• Tony Robbins
• Alone (TV series)
• Voyager Golden Record
• Joanne Weaver Group
• Design:Unfiltered on LinkedIn
• Design:Unfiltered replays on YouTube
• Joanne Weaver's music on Spotify
• Twisted Spritzer
• Broanne