Joe Wright: Higher Education Strategy Consultant | The Business Blast Podcast #283

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Alright everyone, welcome back to another episode of the Business Blast Podcast. I'm your host Tyler Wagner. Today I have Joe Wright with us. He's a senior associate at a consulting firm. So welcome to the show, Joe.

Thanks for having me, Tyler. Really appreciate it.

Of course, we appreciate you hopping on. The first question I have for you, Joe, is what is the best story from your life that has an underlying valuable message?

So, I graduated from the University of South Carolina, had a really good job opportunity with a consulting firm, and they gave me the option of moving to 4 major cities, either New York, D.C., Atlanta, or Chicago, and I had been to each of those cities except for Chicago, and so, you know, I actually grew up in a small town on a farm in South Carolina and never really had been exposed to a lot of big cities or anything like that, and you Chicago was the one city I hadn't been to, so I actually ended up moving there before I even visited the city, and it was sort of my pilgrimage out of the South. I always tell people that, especially when you're leaving home or your home place, that you should always take your pilgrimage out somewhere because you learn so much about yourself in different cultures and different people, and you get exposure to so many different things. It's always really important to disrupt yourself because you never know how you can make yourself the next best version of yourself. And that's something that I always try to do is try to make myself the best version of myself every single day.

And what's the most valuable piece of information we should know that's within your expertise or industry?

Sure. So I work in higher education consulting focusing on strategy and operations. And right now what's really interesting in higher education that there's a lot of very similar things happening in the retail industry as well right now. In my opinion, I think higher education is one of the last industries to be disrupted as the global economy transitions from the third industrial revolution to the fourth. The industrial revolution, or the industry, is going through some much-needed soul-searching, and the landscape is changing every single year. And they're looking and trying to find new innovative ways to be, you know, to meet the needs of society and the economy, but also maintain financial sustainability. There are a lot of parallels between two industries of, you know, they're very saturated with a lot of competitors with similar products. They're both trying to figure out how to operate on e-commerce platform that requires a hyper-customized experience for their customers, or in this case, students. And they're also figuring out how to blend the digital and physical space as it relates to their overall experience. So you're starting to see this convergence happening between the digital and physical space to create new opportunities, and you see this with retailers like, per se, Warby Parker that has a large e-commerce platform, but they have small stores around the country to provide that in-person experience. I think that as you look to the future, online won't replace higher education altogether, but I think it's going to be a blend of digital and physical, and it'll be based off, you know, the preferences of students, whether it be completely online or completely digital or a mix between the two.

And what is your best piece of overall business advice, so not necessarily industry-specific?

So I always tell people, especially new consultants who start with our firm, is that there's a lot of power in being vulnerable, especially as a consultant. We never really have any authority. We have to lead through influence. And when you're vulnerable with your client, it helps develop trust. And at the end of the day, that's how you get things done, that knowing that your client's always gonna act in your best, or you're gonna act in their best interest, or even with your employees, knowing that you're always gonna have their back and you're always gonna act in their best interest as well. And just knowing that you're authentic and they can be themselves. I would usually, when I say being vulnerable, I think it's summed up this way. And I read an HBR article that says, you know, it's not about necessarily being weak, it's about having the confidence to be yourself and the courage to be yourself.

And if you could give your younger self one piece of advice, what would that be?

I would say that it's always important to bet on yourself even when people don't bet on you right away.

And in your opinion, what's the key to happiness?

Being able to know how to love yourself and being able to love yourself.

And what is the best book that you've read and what was the number one thing you learned from that?

You know, this is a little more applicable to 20-year-olds. It's a book called The Defining Decade: Why Your 20s Matter and How to Make the Most of Them. As some people probably realize during their 20s, being a 20-year-old is a lot harder than it looks. I think a lot of people are going through a quarter-life crisis and there's so much opportunity opportunity out there that sometimes you don't know which way to swim. It feels like you're in the middle of the ocean. And that the decisions you make in the moments you have in your 20s really do matter and really do shape the rest of your life. So you should take advantage of every opportunity you have to make sure that you're putting your best foot forward and that you're spending your time wisely and you're investing in relationships that matter.

And what is your favorite quote and why?

My favorite quote, and you'll actually see it on the back of my thank you card if you ever get one from me, is— A ship in harbor is safe, but that is not what ships are built for. And it was said by John Shedd, who is an author that was, I think, in like around the 1920s. But the reason why I like this so much, it reminds you that life is not always about playing it safe and you have to take risks when you want to achieve your goals. And it's all in the journey, it's all in exploration, and that's what ships are built for. And it's about new discoveries and new opportunities and finding out new things about yourself. When you take risk, and that's what we're built for.

Yes, dude, and I want you to know something, that is literally like my top like 5 quotes right there.

Really? That's so funny.

I love that quote, man. So listen, bro, thank you so much for coming on. The last question I have for you before we let you go is where's the best place for people to find you online?

Yeah, absolutely. So probably the best place professionally or personally is if you Google Joby Wright for LinkedIn or Instagram or Twitter, it will come up with my profile on any of those different channels. So probably the best place is LinkedIn. My email address is also on my profile, so feel free if you want to reach out with any questions or follow-ups. But thank you so much for having me on the podcast today. I really appreciate you inviting me to participate. Of course.

Thanks for joining us, and we will talk with you again soon.

Sounds good.

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