A Day In The CX Life With CCW Digital: Meet International Retail Group Founder Linda Johansen-James

Welcome back to A Day In The CX Life With CCW Digital, a series where we take a look into the people, technology, tools and trends that drive the customer contact industry. In this series we ask employees just like you to share how they spend their workday–from wake-up routines to meetings and what’s on their dinner plate for the evening.

In this daily log we meet Linda Johansen-James, an entrepreneur across multiple enterprises who uses her ultra-multitasking skills to leverage customer and employee experience across teams and timezones. But when she's not all-in on her KPIs for the day, she's all about her family, pets and of course, some good old fashion time in nature after allll those computer screens. 

Over the years Johansen-James has learned to strike the balance between busy and burnout fighting zen. But today, she takes us through what a standard Tuesday in CX and organizational leadership looks like for her.

Name: Linda Johansen-James

Occupation/Company: Founder-International Retail Group, Publisher IRG Magazine, Co-Founder, Rema Report

Industry: Retail/Consulting, coaching, leadership training and helping clients test and launch their concept or brand into brick-and-mortar locations. I help these clients improve from bottom to top, starting with customer service personnel. I often refer to the customer service team as a brand’s frontline because they create the first impression for a customer walking into a client’s store. 

Age: 65

Location: Las Vegas and London

Years At Role: 25

Daily Tasks: In the fast-moving retail landscape, every day is different. Each client has their own individual goals and I assist in helping them achieve these goals. 

Professional Goals: Continue to make a positive difference in the lives of my clients' businesses and continue to positively contribute to the retail industry as a whole.  

Personal Hobbies: Working out, golfing, gardening, reading and spending time with my family

TUESDAY

4:30 am: I always start my mornings by getting up early, drinking my coffee and writing down my goals for the day. I’ll also do a little work in my garden. This is my time for quiet and zen. 

5:30 am: I do my company's social media posts for the day. Next, I’m off to meet my trainer. We do a mile walk, then a combination of pilates and weights. Then, I get myself prepped for the work day by starting some early conference calls, as I have business partners in England.

7:00 - 7:20 am: I make my drive home while listening to some kind of business podcast. I love Brian Tracey and have lately been listening to Warren Buffett. 

7:20 - 8:30 am: This is my time to get ready for work and check my emails from the night before. Next, I’ll return phone calls to my clients on the East Coast and check in with my assistant. We review my schedule for the day.  

8:30 - 8:40 am:  During this time, I’m typically making my drive into the office.

8:40 am - 9:30 am: I go over each client’s schedule of work to see when sales numbers will need to be reviewed and I respond accordingly. Then comes the second email check of the day, as I hold leadership roles in three companies. I also will check each company’s social media again and engage with followers. 

9:30 am: I review the talking points my publicist helped me make for my monthly news segment on KLAS-TV CBS Las Vegas Now Show between 3 and 4 pm. Today, I’ll discuss some of this year’s top Black Friday deal steals. During this segment, I’ll talk about Black Friday, which is coming up this Friday. Consumer spending this year is projected to reach over $9 million.

We also discussed some of the best deals on technology, such as Apple’s 9th Generation iPad now being at the historically low price of $230 on Amazon and at Walmart and the hottest toys that will go on sale for Black Friday, such as Squishmallows and the new Hot Wheels Remote Control Barbie Corvette (will be on sale for $54.97 at Walmart).

The segments are only three minutes in length so there’s not a lot of time to dig into all of the best deals, so we choose the ones we thought would best relate to the audience. From doing multiple segments, I’ve learned that I do better if I don’t review the talking points too far in advance because when I do, I always think of more things I want to share, so this is the perfect time. Next, I’ll typically do some practice runs with my assistant. 

10:30 am: I have scheduled a standing check-in call with one of my clients, where we discuss how business is going and what strategies we think are best to employ at these beginning stages.

On this specific call, we discussed new store openings–ideal locations with a lot of foot traffic for storefronts, in-store experiential design, and the best practices to combat the current wave of retail crime by placing higher-priced items on the top shelves and ensuring that the customer service team provides great service to each customer, deterring any theft. I also provided a progress report on the new leases that I’m negotiating on the client’s behalf.

11:15 am: I have another client call. During this call, we put together the agenda for our standing manager training meetings that we have on Fridays. After that quick call, I started putting together my presentation and all of the necessary training materials. 

12:00 pm - 12:30 pm: This is my time to get up and take a walk – too much sitting will bother my back. I’ll also do some stretches and grab my daily yogurt with nuts and fruit and a big mug of water.

12:30 pm: Now it’s time for my weekly check-in on What's App with my business partners in London. During this call, I’ll send over my agenda items for our Wednesday meeting. I review our digital platform for all questions and or comments for Wednesday’s call. I keep the mindset of “we can we improve and or make updates.”

I will then determine the topic for our next discussion on our global assessors and schedule the next training day. During this call we also follow up on any assessments that might be coming up. After the meeting, I send out emails to potential clients and follow up on any pending proposals. 

1:30 pm: Since the call time for my CBS segment is 2:45 pm, I begin prepping. I go home to fix my makeup, do my hair and change my clothes. I review the talking points out loud while I get ready.  

2:30 pm: It’s time for me to drive to the studio. During my drive, I follow up with calls and rehearse.  

2:45 pm: I meet my publicist in the green room of the CBS studio and we wait for the producers to tell us what time we are live. My publicist and I will typically discuss any articles that are due, any potential appearances and review the talking points for the segment. 

3:15 - 3:30 pm: I typically go live sometime between these times. I absolutely love talking about what is happening in retail and being on set with the Las Vegas Now team – They’re all really great.  

3:45 pm: I get into my car and start doing social posts promoting the show and do a quick email check. Then I’ll start my drive, during which I make some calls to follow up on pending leases for my clients (on Bluetooth of course). 

4:15 - 5:30 pm: I get back to my office and immediately begin editing articles for International Retail Group Magazine since I’m the publisher and we are going to print soon. I have a phone meeting with my editor and creative director to discuss the magazine layout, current articles and any updates.

My assistant gives an update on any new additions to our magazine distribution list. Next, we schedule the date that we will get the magazine to the publishing company for print and when we anticipate distribution to begin. We also talk about our CRM and what updates need to be made.  

5:30 pm: I review the meeting agenda for an upcoming convention in Cannes. By this time, my publicist will have sent me a clipping of the live broadcast segment so that I can post it to my social media pages. 

6:00 pm: I do another email check, making sure to respond to any pending questions. I then arrange my calendar for the next day to make sure I’m on time for any Zoom calls or phone meetings. I then start my daily wrap-up by finishing any outstanding administrative tasks that need to be done and checking social media again.  

6:15 pm: I head home, once again making any outstanding phone calls. 

6:30 - 7:30 pm: I finally arrive home to my sanctuary. Since the holidays are coming up, I turn on all the wonderful Christmas lights, which really brings me a sense of joy! Then start to cook dinner, have a glass of wine, sit down with my husband and catch up on the day. We love watching the world news together.  

8 pm: Since we’re all finished with dinner, my husband does the dishes while I call my daughter so that I can Facetime with my precious granddaughters. After that, I take my nightly bath and–you guessed it, check my emails one more time!

10:00 pm: I head to bed with a good fiction book in my hand! 

Photo courtesy of Linda Johansen-James.

Know somebody who might be a good fit for our series? If you’d like to nominate a member of your team or highlight new initiative your organization is tackling through your work, email wandy.ortiz@cmpteam.com