Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about balance, that elusive goal I continually strive for, but never quite seem to reach. And then, during a Google search the other day, I came across a picture of a Bongo Board, “The Fascinating Game of Balance.” On a sticker, smack in the middle of the board, a seemingly simple challenge: “How Long … Read More
2024: Predicting the Unpredictable
If the last few years have taught us anything, it’s that change is the only constant, and there’s no such thing as “business as usual.” In fact, we’ve all gotten used to business as unusual. Just think about some of the words and phrases that have seeped into our vernacular: pivot, new normal, disruptive thinking, quiet quitting, quiet cutting, rage … Read More
Reinventing the Ride: How Peloton is Pedaling to Deepen Customer Connections
It’s no secret that I’m a bit obsessed with Peloton. I jumped on the bike before the pandemic and then added the smaller tread and rower to my home gym upon their launch. The digital app drives 90% of my total workouts—even during marathon training. Consider me a loyalist. But here’s the thing: I’m not the member Peloton should invest … Read More
It’s So Much More Than a Cookie
Do you have a favorite Girl Scout cookie? And If so, what is it? I promise to tell you mine in a moment. But before I do, pull up a sleeve of Thin Mints and let’s ruminate together on these sweet treats. Now, I won’t go into the full 100+ year history of Girl Scouts cookies in this post, but … Read More
The power of an apology
Love means never having to say you’re sorry. Leadership is never forgetting how powerful “I’m sorry” can be.Unfortunately, in business, authentic, genuine apologies are few and far between. We’ve all seen those auto-responses on social media to complaints, which sometimes places the responsibility on the customer: “We’re sorry to hear you’re not satisfied.” So, what makes for a “good” apology? … Read More
What Generative AI Needs: Humanity
When I was CMO of IBM Watson, one of our banking clients used artificial intelligence for customer support, allowing customers to get instant responses to important queries without ever having to speak to a human. Using Watson, the bank designed a digital assistant that (at the time) was trained on more than 1,000 responses to more than 200 customer intents. … Read More
Make this New Year different by transforming your resolutions into goals
As soon as the clock struck midnight 12 on New Year’s Eve, you’d likely already heard at least 12 jokes about New Year’s resolutions — and how they are doomed to fail, including this one: May all your troubles last as long as your New Year’s resolutions.But, let’s be honest — historically speaking, for all our well-intentioned efforts, resolutions often … Read More
What happened when I asked ChatGPT to blog for me
I didn’t write much of this post. In fact, I didn’t type a word of what you see below. Instead, I simply asked ChatGPT to write a blog post on leadership for me. And that was that. It took maybe 30 seconds in total for the bot to spit out an entirely cogent blog post on the topic of Leadership. … Read More
The Perfect Tree is the One That Fits
“I give you the Griswold Family Christmas Tree.”It didn’t look nearly as big when we first saw it on the lot. But, it did look perfect. The branches hadn’t yet fallen, but we could tell that it was going to be full and shapely. I immediately declared it the Bajdek Family Christmas Tree. It took three men to put that … Read More
Giving Thanks, and Giving Back
This week, we’ll be observing Thanksgiving here in the U.S. Traditionally, it’s a time for family, friends, and feasting, expressing gratitude for all we have, and doing what we can for those who have less. Especially this year, when many of us are gathering for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic began, Thanksgiving is about so much more than the … Read More