Maegan Lujan of Toshiba On How To Use Digital Transformation To Take Your Company To The Next Level

As part of our series about “How To Use Digital Transformation To Take Your Company To The Next Level”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Maegan Lujan.

Maegan Lujan is a brand strategist, business leader, and author on a mission to motivate and inspire others. Maegan’s journey has taken her from high risk in the foster system to high potential in Corporate or Fortune 500 boardrooms and beyond. She was recently named to the 2020 Top 100 Product Marketing Influencers list by the Product Marketing Alliance and the 2021 People to Watch List by The Cannata Report. Maegan’s tenacity has also earned her a nomination for the Women in Business Award from The Orange County Business Journal in both 2019 and 2020 and recognition as a 2016 Young Influencer and 2019 Woman of Influence by The Cannata Report. Both on-stage and off, Maegan enjoys assisting with and speaking out for causes associated with foster care, domestic violence, and youth development.

Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series. Before we dive in, our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you tell us a bit about your ‘backstory’ and how you got started?

I grew up in foster care and was out on my own by age 14 but I had tenacity and desire to succeed. I loved sales and that is where I found my first bit of success. From there moving into marketing was a natural transition. I wanted to work for a company that aligned with my values. I found that in Toshiba.

Toshiba has supported me and helped me grow so much. I have found mentors here and personal passions outside of work too.

Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lessons or ‘take aways’ you learned from that?

I had a rather funny lesson during one of my first third-party alliance software launches, we had accounted for everything in the go-to-market and roll-out plan — or so we thought!

A few days before the channel launch, our Vice President of Service walked by and said, “Hey, I heard you have a new product coming out?” I was all excited and said yes before I then rambled on with the product pitch as he politely listened to my youthful enthusiasm. When I finally paused, he leaned over my cubicle and asked a question with a sarcastic twinkle in his eye, “What number are they going to call for support?” I must have turned white as a ghost. He then shared the corporate phone tree architecture had various branches based on product type and technical triage levels.

It was further explained that it takes up to two weeks to modify the call script as it has to be done by the same person to ensure continuity and customer experience. Clearly, my answer of “wouldn’t they call the normal support number, wasn’t what he was looking for.

Welcome to being at a Fortune 500 company; take your blinders off and be ready to learn! The framework and knowledge that you’re bringing into a new role doesn’t always apply. Coming from a software developer into the Toshiba family, I was somewhat confident that I knew what it took to bring a product to market from within the brand. However, since my viewpoint was of a software developer, there were key components that I had overlooked in a multichannel distribution launch model. Which now seems laughable.

You don’t know how and why things are done, and that’s okay, your willingness to learn and support the vision and mission is what matters most, along with being able to look back at the lesson with a laugh.

None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story?

The Internet. It is not one person, it is many. There are so many people that have figured things out. They have gone before and have wisdom and resources to share online. We have resources all around us.

You need to tap into all the resources you can to move forward and get the information you need. I did that with deep-dive research. It took a Million Little Clicks and then strategy to pull everything together.

Is there a particular book, podcast, or film that made a significant impact on you? Can you share a story or explain why it resonated with you so much?

I love the David J. Schwartz’s book, The Magic of Thinking Big.

He said, “If you don’t have a clear vision, how do you expect to get to your location?”

Reading that is when then it clicked for me that your vision is the destination and guidance for you and your overall personal brand. Having a vision is like having the GPS upgrade in your car, the latest traffic updates refreshed live in your favorite app, or even better yet, a self-driving car that knows the fastest/safest route. The beautiful part about creating a vision is that you get to determine the path by setting the destination before you depart.

After reading this book, at around 15, I was inspired to head into the library to type up my first document. It was my vision for where I saw myself in 10 years. It’s fascinating to reflect back and see how I’ve cultivated the vision of my childhood dreams by taking clear tactical actions forward, working with the lessons learned at a young age, and immersing myself in books, and doing the work.

Are you working on any new, exciting projects now? How do you think that might help people?

Being a digital thought leader by building my personal brand has led to many projects including the creation of my book series A Million Little Click and new services to help other corporate leaders build their own personal brands to stand out online in an authentic way.

I’ve revamped my website and created digital products and services to help others live the dream of having a successful, purposeful personal brand too.

Extensive research suggests that “purpose driven businesses” are more successful in many areas. When your company started, what was its vision, what was its purpose?

I just started my digital agency LifeStamp with the mission to motivate others to find where their skills and passions meet. And then take that area of power and turn it into an authentic personal brand for them that will bring opportunities, growth, and success.

I walk clients through a process of self (re)discovery and development, leading them to create a personal brand that is authentic and feels good. It’s a process of putting together Purpose, Mission, Vision, Values, and Principles then aligning all of that with a strategy.

We find the why and build out from there because just building a brand is not the answer. You need a personal brand that meets YOUR goals.

Thank you for all that. Let’s now turn to the main focus of our discussion about Digital Transformation. For the benefit of our readers, can you help explain what exactly Digital Transformation means? On a practical level what does it look like to engage in a Digital Transformation?

Wow. There is more data available now than we have ever had in the history of the world. Digital Transformation is changing technology and business as our world changes in pursuit of delivering the best value to customers. And this was happening but quite slowly, at least in the corporate world. But COVID-19 turned everything upside down and called for rapid change.

The question went from:

“Should we consider digital transformation as an initiative?” to… “Where do we begin?”

Engaging in digital technology to me on a practical level means:

• Improving workflows
• Working on increasing products while lowering costs
• Increased competitiveness

Which companies can most benefit from a Digital Transformation?

Every single one. Our world has changed. We have changed. And everything will keep changing. If we do not keep up we will be left behind.

Reminds me of that Eric Hoffer quote, “In a world of change, the learners shall inherit the earth, while the learned shall find themselves perfectly suited for a world that no longer exists.”

Even companies who are not that into integrating technology into your business, take the advice of this sought-after tech professional and start embracing digital transformation ahead of your competitors.

Organizations, no matter what kind of business you are in, will be more successful if you gather the data and organize the chaos into actionable information to enhance your business and your customer experience.

We’d love to hear about your experiences helping others with Digital Transformation. In your experience, how has Digital Transformation helped improve operations, processes and customer experiences? We’d love to hear some stories if possible.

At Toshiba, we are using data to innovate new solutions that ensure that both our current operations and any new business processes can continue to grow and expand. I am dedicated to building a brighter future where the next generation can continue to succeed, no matter what obstacles (including when a pandemic) may arise. We are a tech company but it goes for all companies.

An example is customer onboarding. Your onboarding process can make the difference between a one-time customer and a life-long customer. Customers have been conditioned to expect instant results so do not put them through a slow setup process. Make it as easy as it can be so they feel successful right away.

Has integrating Digital Transformation been a challenging process for some companies? What are the challenges? How do you help resolve them?

It is challenging for companies that do not want to change. I get it, it can be hard. Changing systems and learning new things takes time. But it can save so much time, money, and resources in the future.

Taking paper files and ideas and transforming them into a digital strategy takes knowledge and skill. I can help clients brainstorm what they really want to get out of the process to create a workable strategy, not just something theoretical.

Ok. Thank you. Here is the primary question of our discussion. Based on your experience and success, what are “Five Ways a Company Can Use Digital Transformation To Take It To The Next Level”? Please share a story or an example for each.

1. Organize the mailroom: Change out paper and manual processes to digital.
2. Document current processes: This can help you see where change needs to happen.
3. Transform accounts payable: Technology can change slow payment processes saving on fees and making happier customers and employees.
4. Customer onboarding: Mentioned this already. Make the process easy for customers.
5. Records Management: Do an audit to make sure you are compliant and consistent.

Brainstorm with your team and make them feel safe to share what is working and what is not. Where improvements can be made. You may just be surprised at how easy it is to make everything more efficient.

In your opinion, how can companies best create a “culture of innovation” in order to create new competitive advantages?

At Toshiba, we are people first. I love that. We work by the value system and that is a great way to create a culture of innovation. Our team is valued and so are our customers. Innovation is needed not just in the products and services you create about also in how daily business is done. Are things as efficient as they could be for your employees and customers?

When everything is strategic and running smoothly there is more room for creativity. Then employees have time to think independently and come up with new ideas. Digital transformation can help with this by making sure processes are clean and everything runs smoothly.

You can also make sure everyone feels comfortable trying new things even if it means possible failures and mistakes. It is all part of the learning process and getting to those innovative ideas.

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?

“He who works with his hands is a laborer. He who works with his hands and his head is a craftsman. He who works with his hands and his head and his heart is an artist. “ Saint Francis of Assisi

I consider myself an artist in this regard. This ties into the balance I find in knowing who I am, what I want from both life and business, and how to work for it. The faith I have in the journey and the passion I have in feeling each and every little win/loss along the way.

How can our readers further follow your work?

https://www.linkedin.com/in/maeganlujan/

https://www.facebook.com/maegan.lujan/

https://www.facebook.com/maegan.lujan/

Thank you so much for sharing these important insights. We wish you continued success and good health!