Blog
Insights and Stories
Thoughts on leadership, scaling teams, and building great organizations.
Just Because You Can Doesn't Mean You Should
The race to automate CX is real. But somewhere along the way, a dangerous idea crept in: if AI can do it, AI should do it. Immediately. Everywhere. All at once. That's where companies are getting it wrong.
AI Will Cut Your CX Costs by 40%. Here's Why That's the Wrong Goal.
Every CX leader has pitched 'AI will slash costs by 40%' to their CFO. Gartner predicts GenAI resolution will cost more than offshore human agents by 2030. The strategy most companies are running is built on quicksand.
How to (Gracefully) Scale Your Customer Support Team
Scaling customer support without breaking the customer experience is one of the hardest challenges in business. Here's what I learned doing it — the hard way.
The Stockdale Paradox: What a POW Can Teach Us About Leading Through Uncertainty
Admiral James Stockdale survived 7.5 years as a prisoner of war. His secret wasn't optimism — it was something far more powerful. Here's how it applies to leadership today.
Tim Duncan Never Said 'I' — And That's Why He's the Greatest Team Player in NBA History
Tim Duncan used to drive journalists crazy with one habit. It's also the habit that made him the most respected teammate in NBA history. There's a lesson here for every leader.
Why Processes Beat AI Hype in Customer Support
Everyone is rushing to layer AI onto their support operations. But without solid processes underneath, you're just automating chaos. Here's what I've seen working — and what doesn't.
Five Leadership Lessons I Learned Running Marathons
Running marathons has taught me more about leadership, resilience, and strategy than almost anything else. Here are the five lessons that stuck.
Your 2025 Support Roadmap: Balancing Technology and Empathy
Support has evolved from a transactional function into a strategic growth driver. Here's my personal roadmap for navigating 2025 — built from 15 years of leading CX teams.
How to Map the Voice of the Customer (And Actually Use It)
Most companies collect customer feedback. Very few actually close the loop on it. Here's a practical framework for making VoC a real driver of business decisions - not just a metric.
Customer Experience Is Taking a Turn for the Worse — Here's What We Can Do
Forrester found more brands declined in CX quality than improved. Supply chains, the Great Resignation, and rising expectations created a perfect storm. Here's how to fight back.
Into the Storm: What the American Bison Can Teach Business Leaders
Most animals run away from storms. The American bison runs straight into them — and gets through faster. It's one of the best leadership metaphors I've come across.
How Casper and Netflix Use AI to Know You Better Than You Know Yourself
Most companies collect customer data. Casper and Netflix built entire competitive advantages out of it. Here's how they use AI to personalize at scale - and what every company can take from it.
Elon Musk's Customer Service Lesson: Leaders Who Listen Win
Elon Musk built Tesla's reputation in part by doing something most CEOs never do — personally responding to customer complaints on Twitter, same day. The lesson isn't about social media. It's about leadership.
Roei 'Jinji' Sadan: What Almost Dying 9 Times Teaches You About Living
Roei 'Jinji' Sadan almost died 9 times. He never once thought about turning back. His story is one of the most powerful things I've ever read about human will - and what it means for how we lead.
Would You Be as Honest as This Runner?
In a race in Spain, a Kenyan champion was about to win — then stopped to let a confused competitor pass him. He'd been pointing the way. A short story about integrity that I've never forgotten.
Samsung's Small Victories: Why Little Moments Define Big Brands
Samsung built a reputation for customer loyalty not through grand gestures, but by turning small interactions into wins. Here's what every team can learn from their approach.
Spotify Turned a Support Ticket into a Love Letter - Here's What Your Team Can Learn
A user tweeted a simple support question. Spotify resolved it - then did something no one expected. The story of one custom playlist that became a masterclass in turning service into loyalty.
Joshie the Giraffe's Cousin: How Bungie Turned a Hospital Nightmare into a CX Legend
A father's son was having liver transplant surgery over the holidays. He reached out to game studio Bungie on a whim. What happened next became one of gaming's most beloved customer service stories.
To Scale Your Company, You First Have to Do Things That Don't Scale
Airbnb's Brian Chesky built one of the world's most scalable companies by starting with the exact opposite — serving customers one by one, with radical personal attention. Here's the lesson.
Joshie the Giraffe and the $2,000 Rule: What Exceptional Customer Service Really Looks Like
A little boy forgot his stuffed giraffe at a Ritz-Carlton. What the staff did next became one of the most famous customer service stories ever told. Here's why it still matters.
The Best Live Chat Ever: What a Single Support Conversation Can Teach Your Whole Team
Years ago I came across a live chat transcript that stopped me in my tracks. It's become one of the best training tools I've ever used. Here's what made it so remarkable.
The Zappos Live Chat That Changed How I Think About Support
A customer decided to test Zappos by asking a random question and demanding the agent speak in third person. What happened next became one of the most famous support transcripts on the internet.