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The ET Project with Coach Wayne Brown is a podcast and executive development initiative focused on empowering leaders, particularly in the face of AI and modern business challenges. Hosted by Wayne Brown, a coach with over 25 years of experience, the project features conversations with experts on leadership, strategy, and professional growth.

Forget suits and boardrooms, grab your sunscreen and flip-flops! The ET Project takes a virtual trip to Costa Rica's bustling capital, San Jose, to chat with an icon – Richard Blank. He's not just a business leader, he's the king of pinball and vintage jukeboxes, injecting playful energy into his thriving call center empire.

In this episode of The ET Project Podcast, host Wayne Brown interviews Richard Blank, CEO of Costa Rica’s Call Center, to explore his unique "CEO pinball call center odyssey" and how he redefines success through passion and play. The conversation highlights how Blank integrates his lifelong love for vintage pinball into his leadership style and company culture.
Key Themes and Insights
Pinball as a Metaphor for Leadership: Richard Blank discusses how the mechanics and "flow" of pinball parallel business strategy, focusing on "flipping obstacles" and maintaining momentum.
Workplace Gamification: He emphasizes building a positive company culture through play, using his collection of vintage pinball machines to foster engagement and personal connections among employees.
Authentic Communication: Blank shares techniques for better business communication, including the use of phonetic microexpressions and the importance of patience and self-reflection.
Redefining Success: The episode explores Blank's journey from Philadelphia to Costa Rica, where he "broke the mold" of traditional family expectations to build a 150-seat call center based on being true to oneself.
Transcript
00:00There are so many centers here that compete.
00:03It could be hired tomorrow.
00:04And so what do I do to keep them?
00:07Well, I guess the basics.
00:10I can't sometimes compete with the bells and the whistles of Amazon,
00:13but when I know your name, prior to making a phone call,
00:17we'll do a two-hour soft skills class.
00:21What about playing pinball and Pac-Man in my game room
00:24so we can bond and you can meet other people,
00:27break bread together, give you dignity and respect.
00:31Yeah, but Richard, how do you compete?
00:33I'm only 150.
00:35These guys are 10,000.
00:36So I can be exceptionally selective through natural filtering.
00:41So the people that want to be here, that want to stand out,
00:44that want me to give them additional responsibilities,
00:47be a page to a knight,
00:50that is the sort of company culture environment
00:53that these people feel like they finally found.
00:57The coach, the teacher, the best friend,
00:59or the mentor that they never had.
01:01Because I'm a straight shooter.
01:02I'll call the balls and the strikes and give you some Philly guilt.
01:05And I will praise you and get you to the next level.
01:09And so it's interesting.
01:11You see people with chivalry still.
01:14And I like that.
01:15And so I've been able to survive in this exceptionally competitive industry.
01:20I mean, because of the way I've treated these people.
01:23Because if not, there's a guy that's going to pay him another 30 cents
01:26or be close to his home or who knows.
01:28But I get them.
01:30And I get them the old-fashioned way.
01:32Right.
01:33So it sounds like you're a very empathetic,
01:38almost compassionate boss.
01:40So you really create that environment
01:43where the staff enjoy coming to work
01:47rather than just seeing it as another paycheck.
01:51Let's slow down for a second.
01:52My brother, have you ever made phone calls before
01:54in a call center for 160 hours a month?
01:57I have not.
01:58I haven't had that.
01:58Well, good.
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