Scaling Teams, Hiring, and Overcoming Resistance

Christian sits down with Anuar Chapur and Gabrielle Bufrem to recount how they transformed Palace Resorts, a Mexico-based hospitality company with 15,000 employees and more than 6,000 rooms across seven countries. Together, they unpack the cultural shifts, mindset changes, and problem-solving approaches that helped a hospitality company start thinking and operating like a tech company.

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Today’s discussion unpacks:

• How transformation drove 5x higher conversion rates and millions in cost savings  

• Concrete examples of how the company worked before and after transforming

• The role of coaching, trust building, team topology, and pilot teams

• The biggest challenges on the transformation journey

• Advice for anyone considering or undergoing transformation

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References:

• Changing How You Solve Problems: https://www.svpg.com/changing-how-you-solve-problems/

• SVPG’s Transformation Series: https://www.svpg.com/transformation-series/

• Transformation Defined: https://www.svpg.com/transformation-defined/

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Where to find Palace Resorts

• Company website: https://www.thepalacecompany.com/es

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/palaceresorts/

• Resorts website: https://www.palaceresorts.com/

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Where to find SVPG:

• SVPG’s newest book, TRANSFORMED: https://www.svpg.com/books/transformed-moving-to-the-product-operating-model/

• Other books: https://www.svpg.com/books/

• Articles: https://www.svpg.com/articles/

• Workshops: https://www.svpg.com/workshops/

• Videos: https://www.svpg.com/videos/

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Where to find Anuar Chapur:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anuar-chapur/

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Where to find Gabrielle Bufrem:

• Website: https://www.gabriellebufrem.com/

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gabriellebufrem/

• Newsletter: https://theproductleaderinsider.substack.com/

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Where to find Christian Idiodi:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cidiodi/

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Timestamps:

(00:00) Intro

(00:55) The company before transformation

(06:24) Bringing in a coach and building trust

(09:49) Gabrielle’s initial assessment

(11:20) Setting up a pilot team

(16:44) Problem discovery and problem solving

(18:26) Measuring success

(21:19) Using data to inform decisions and build trust

(23:12) An example of the product-mindset shift

(27:18) Changing team topology

(30:42) Biggest challenges on the transformation journey

(35:02) The results of transformation

(39:07) Advice for anyone going through a transformation

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Disclaimer:

While this podcast is named “Product Therapy”, it is not hosted by licensed therapists or mental health professionals, and it is in no way a substitute for professional mental health services. We recognize the importance of mental well-being and encourage anyone facing personal difficulties to seek support from qualified professionals. See https://findahelpline.com/

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Production:

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