Gretchen Goffe is the Founder and CEO of DTLiveLAB, which helps companies drive revenue and improve the customer experience using a human-centered approach to innovation. DTLiveLAB works with clients spanning all industries and sizes, from small agencies to Fortune 100 giants such as Nationwide, Ohio State University, Smithfield, and more. 

As the CEO, Goffe bridges the gap between executives and employees, helping them innovate and develop a customer experience roadmap. She personally manages client relationships and is continuously developing new frameworks and teaching methods. DTLiveLAB offers a “learn-by-doing” approach that includes engagement rewards, live interviews, real-world examples, and coached sprints that always keep the customer top-of-mind.

When it comes to innovation, there are two ways most companies look at it: like a machine and like a garden. With an innovation machine, companies are responsible for the design, construction, and management. With a garden, companies sow the seeds and let the magic happen. But, according to design thinking strategist Gretchen Goffe, there’s one major component that both approaches need: a human-centered approach. 

Goffe has helped notable organizations like Nationwide, The Ohio State University, and Smithfield cultivate innovation opportunities through a customer-centric lens. By adopting the customer’s perspective throughout the entire buying journey, an innovator can look for opportunities not just in the product or service itself, but at many other places where there are pain points, unmet needs, or simply ways to do things better. 

How can you inspire your team to generate these innovative ideas? One of the most powerful tools to understand the customer journey is empathy — walking in the customer’s shoes. But according to Goffe, 90% of employees never get to talk to a customer. In order to foster more empathy in the workplace, Goffe ensures that each member of her team engages with a customer down their internal supply chain. The results? An innovative team with a customer mindset. Goffe talks about this and more as she joins Thomas A. Stewart on The Leading Edge — a place where new ideas emerge and are sharpened, and where leaders look to find the edge that brings success for themselves, their teams, and their enterprises.

In this episode of The Leading Edge, Thomas A. Stewart is joined by Gretchen Goffe, Founder and CEO of DTLiveLAB, to talk about cultivating innovation through a human-centric lens. Goffe explains the steps a company should take to fill growth gaps, where to find opportunities for innovation, and how to empower employees to understand the customer perspective.