When I wrote The Power of Cult Branding with Matt Ragas, Ph.D., now Professor and Director of Graduate Studies in DePaul University's College of Communication, we were trying to understand a remarkable kind of loyalty. Why would people gather around a brand, make it part...
For years, I’ve written here about our need to feel seen, understood, and connected. Lately, I’ve been thinking about another need that is easy to overlook: the chance to pause. So many of us are good at showing up for work, family, and the people who...
“Our customers only care about price.” Imagine that sentence ending a discussion about improving the customer experience. The team closes the presentation, approves another promotion, and moves on. Months later, customers are still waiting for discounts. Leadership looks at the numbers and says, “See? We know our customers.” But...
The customer research is detailed. Your team has an idea worth testing. Then someone asks the question that brings the meeting to a halt: “Who else is doing this?” Sometimes, that question helps you learn. Sometimes, it quietly kills the opportunity to become the company everyone else...
We are spending extraordinary amounts of money on artificial intelligence. Nvidia's latest quarter makes that difficult to ignore. The company reported $96.2 billion in quarterly revenue, up 106% year over year. Its Data Center business alone generated $89 billion, up 117%. And the investment isn't slowing down. Nvidia...
“Most people do not listen with the intent to understand; they listen with the intent to reply.” — Stephen R. Covey There’s a big difference between hearing your customers and actually listening to them. Hearing tells you what they said. Listening helps you understand what they’re really trying to...
A popular story online claims that when wolves travel, the strongest wolf walks at the back, quietly protecting the pack. It is a wonderful leadership lesson. It is also apparently not how wolves actually work. Real wolf packs are less like corporate hierarchies and more like families. The...
"To everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven." — Ecclesiastes 3:1 Leadership is often taught as a destination, a summit you climb, a title you earn, a position you defend. But anyone who has led people for more than a few...
When we think about a healthy company culture, we often return to one of psychology’s most useful ideas: Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of human needs. Most of us have seen Maslow’s pyramid. We can also use it as a practical leadership tool for understanding what helps...
Artificial intelligence is changing how quickly companies can create content, analyze customer behavior, personalize communication, and bring ideas to market. But AI has not changed the fundamental reason people become loyal to a brand. People do not fall in love with efficiency. They fall in love with...