Month: May 2018

We’re all a little like Deadpool in some way. That’s why we like him (and why that franchise is so lucrative!)

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The first Deadpool broke cinematic records ($132M opening weekend – highest revenue for an R-rated movie). It got a Golden Globe nomination (as did Ryan Reynolds). I never thought I'd see a Marvel comics character get a Golden Globe nomination – ever. Such a great moment! 
 
Deadpool 2 is repeating the first movie’s success with $502M in 2 weeks worldwide. It also included some cameo appearances with real X-Men (spoiler: Professor X and The Beast), some non-CGI X-Men, more of the same great cast, and 30 extra minutes. It broke more 4th walls and humor ethics than I can count. But they are now a proven franchise, so they can get away with it.
 
To sum up: Deadpool is a great character. Ryan Reynolds does a phenomenal interpretation. And it’s a tremendous Marvel franchise.
 
But why? 
 
I pondered this question as I was walking into the theater to see Deadpool 2. People buy into brands because they can connect to them emotionally. If Ryan Reynolds was the only reason for Deadpool’s success, then I wouldn’t be one of the 5 Green Lantern fans in the world or a handful of Hannibal King fans (from Blade 3), or love The Proposal because of Sandra Bullock (wait a minute!). The Green Lantern character, Hal Jordan, was hard to relate to because he was an arrogant jerk, and only got super powers because an alien ring thought he meant well. He was a nice guy under all the arrogant veneer, but that was hard to see and the script didn't help make that come alive. Same with Hannibal King in Blade 3 – loved the jokes, the sarcasm, liked the backstory, but I didn't get to know who Hannibal really was and I couldn't connect to him emotionally. 
 
However, Deadpool is one complex guy. He’s a contract killer, who deeply loves his girlfriend. He wants to live (ok, at some point he wants to die because he's like the EverReady Bunny and can’t stop ticking, but he was willing to get an experimental mutation to survive cancer). He often wants revenge – especially for Francis and then Cable. He’s someone we can all relate to in many ways. How many of us have wanted revenge?
 
Now, I don’t mean that we are all secretly contract killers. Or we want to become a mutant to cure our cancer ("I didn’t just get the cure to el cancer, I got the cure to el everything."). Or we'll hunt people down to kill them for revenge. We connect to Deadpool because we can relate events from our own lives (and their related emotions) to his thoughts and emotions.
 
We can all relate to Deadpool trying to mean well with selfish motives. How many of us do something nice for someone just because, for no reason? I thought not. It’s not bad, but it is something that we often won’t admit to. Look at his relationship with the cab driver, Dopinder. He gives him advice to win over his girlfriend, but not advice that's good for Dopinder – it's advice that Deadpool would use for himself. Or he gives Colossus a call when he needs muscle rather than just to say hello and get a coffee for no reason.  And then there was his girlfriend who he avoided because he couldn't bear the rejection if his new mug scared her away. I think most of us can relate to all of that. I think some of us (me included) are guilty of some of those actions from time to time. It's human nature to be a little selfish (that's why we have religions – they help us try to get out of that nonsense.)
 
We can also relate to his need for revenge. Who wouldn't want to go after the ass who made you look like "an avocado who had revenge sex with another avocado?" Maybe we'd try to kill that person in our fantasies, though. And that's the hook. Deadpool does what we only dream.
 
He's also highly creative and says what most of us only think about. One of the best lines: "You're going to be killed by a Zamboni."

 
Again, not advocating for killing, but how many of us would want to say something like that in a similar situation? Right! But many of us wouldn't because we'd be afraid of hurting someone's fee-fees. Most of Deadpool's lines break through that nonsense and get right to those feelings. Here are some more classics where he uses words to cut like a knife:
  • “I want to die a natural death at the age of 102 – like the city of Detroit.”
  • “You can’t buy love, but you can rent it for three minutes!”
  • “Okay guys, I only have twelve bullets, so you’re all going to have to share!”
But we don't just connect through his sarcasm or lack of filter. The connection goes deeper than all of that.
 
I think we all secretly see Deadpool as an aspirational character – someone who accepts himself and his faults unapologetically and enjoys being Deadpool. He’s not trying to be a hero. In fact, he avoids it because then he can’t be himself. Look at the conversation he often has with Colossus regarding what it means to be a hero. Heroes only need a handful of moments and good choices to be a hero (and Deadpool tends to reject them all, except for 2-3). But this is what makes him unique. He isn't perfect, and he sometimes tries, but mostly he is concerned with being himself and doing what he does best – and this is best.
 
He's unlike the rest of the Marvel universe. Thor and Iron Man don't really acknowledge that they have any flaws. Captain America beats himself up for his faults (he even beat himself up for what happened with Peggy Carter, which wasn't his fault.). The Hulk wrestles with which guy is showing up – the big green ball of violence or the overeducated doctor. All of these heroes try to do the right thing, but they are trying to improve themselves on purpose. Deadpool either openly admits that he kills people for revenge (or by accident) or is a good guy because he wants to be. That's admirable at some level and makes him a lot like Captain America/Steve Rogers. 
 
Deadpool is comfortable with who he is, regenerative powers and all. He's who we all secretly wish we could be. His quirks, sarcasm, and need for revenge help us feel pangs of empathy towards him to love him as he is in the same way Mark Darcy loves Bridget Jones.
 
Heck, even Dopinder wants to be like Deadpool. And I think it's because he could relate to him (Dopinder put his girlfriend's suitor in his trunk and kiledl him in Deadpool 1 to impress Deadpool?) – it was the self-acceptance and confidence (even bravado) of Deadpool. 
 
So the next time that someone says that a successful brand doesn't require empathy and connection, think about Deadpool and how in some ways, we are all a little like Deadpool inside. We can connect with his character and feel empathy (more on empathy). We can all look at our pasts and find situations and events that are kinda/sorta like what's in the movie, without the gratuitous violence. And that's why that movie is the top performing R rated movie. Ever.
 
Besides The Last Temptation of Christ by Mel Gibson in Aramaic (but who speaks Aramaic these days, anyway?). 
We’re all a little like Deadpool in some way. That’s why we like him (and why that franchise is so lucrative!)

Listening with Empathy to Connect with Customers

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Here is what I presented at CXTalks last Tuesday, May 22. I also included an audio track if you’d prefer that experience. Enjoy!

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Photo from Carlos Pimenta at CX Talks.

How many of you meditate? Daily? Successfully? I have been trying to do that. It’s so hard, but it’s a great way to help me be present.

A meditation that I’ll do to ground me uses my senses starting with sight, then smell, then touch, then listening. I’ll sit in the same place to meditate, so my experience each time is more or less the same, except for listening.

The sounds I hear always change. It’s like I’m having a type of conversation with my apartment and developing a relationship with my space, always discovering something new.

Inside my apartment I’ll hear the air vents humming or the dishwasher running, and sometimes outside of my apartment I’ll hear the birds singing, dogs barking in the hallway, construction, or my neighbors doing something.

Sound waves can travel very far, giving me a lot of information…but it’s not like I’m asking for it…it just comes.

When I’m being present and allowing information to just come to me, it’s the same experience as when I’m listening to understand rather than listening to respond in a conversation. There is a natural curiosity when you listen to understand  that can change the tone and immediately help you to become a better listener. I think it’s because I’m focused on gathering information, like the discovery phase of a project. You don’t yet have any answers. You’re curious, learning, and accepting the information that’s being provided. Sometimes I’ll look at this as a gift someone is sharing with me and this really shifts my perspective about what I’m receiving.

But let’s contrast that with listening to respond where you’re focused on explaining your thoughts and your message. One scenario where I’m particularly guilty of listening to respond is when I’m brainstorming with a team. I’ll get an idea and I’m so excited to communicate it that I blurt it out, interrupting everyone. I think I’m helping the idea process, but I just communicated through my actions that I’m more concerned about sharing my idea than listening to what others have just contributed. It’s not intentional, not mean-spirited, but that’s what I just did.

When we interrupt others, we communicate through our actions that we’re not really concerned with what they have to say.  Our ideas come first.

I think sometimes we often do this in companies – we get so focused on making sure our message is heard and we’re noticed, that we forget to be curious to listen to customer feedback.

Lynn Borton hosts a talk show in Virginia about curiosity, called Choose to be Curious. She sees listening as an way to be open to learn new perspectives. When you are learning, typically you aren’t judging the information you receive as right or wrong. It just is. The earth is the third rock from the sun. Water is wet. My client would prefer if I offered an online course so he could attend when he wants. I can see how the phrase “the customer is always right,” is connected to this idea. I would challenge that it’s not about the customer being right or wrong, or winning or losing, I mean, who wins a conversation? But the challenge the business owner has is to not be defensive and consider the problem through the customer’s perspective and create a solution that solves the problem.

Julian Treasure is a listening expert and has given a number of TED talks about it. He suggests that another challenge of listening is that you can’t control the information you get from someone else. It’s messy – like relationships. Structured flows and experiences and linear thinking won’t necessarily help you establish a conversation with your customer. They don’t give you a neatly packaged group of facts. You get what they give through banter, trial and error, choosing the wrong button.

With all of the information styles we have today, I wonder if it is time for us to expand our definition of conversations beyond verbal or written communication. A conversation is really an interaction between two people or entities that build a relationship….it could be through an online app, social media engagement, a focus group, survey, purchase activity, or a support center call. This means that listening should include observing. And we shouldn’t forget that actions speak louder than words.

Our customer’s communication comes through metrics and results. That’s why we should approach them with curiosity – it’s a way for us to listen. But sometimes in business we get so focused on the bottom line or we want to prove that we were right that we often miss what our customers are really telling us in that data. We overlook trends that may not fit our narratives or contradict our understanding of our customers. We miss key insights that get us to customer experience nirvana, or empathy.

But empathy can’t just emerge from stats. It really starts inside your organization. We all like to think that our employees love our customers, but do they? I mean, do they talk about them behind their backs? Do they see them as dumb? Is respect there? Does your team think your customers are generally smart and capable people who make great decisions?

If you listen to your team and observe their actions you can discover if your team even likes your customers or do they feel contempt for them?

You see, contempt to compassion is a sliding scale. With contempt you believe that your customer got themselves into their unfortunate situation and probably can’t help themselves get out of it even if they wanted to. If you feel sympathy, you feel bad for someone for getting into that situation, but you aren’t up to the task to help them solve their problem. If you feel empathy, you can relate to your customer’s situation and understand their emotions and feelings. There is a desire to help. If you feel compassion, you don’t care how your customer got into that situation, but you can understand how they are feeling and want to help them solve their problem.

It makes you wonder if we should instead be focused on compassion rather than empathy….but that’s another story.

Empathy is defined as “the act of coming to experience the world as you think someone else does” which is the problem with empathy in a nutshell. This is why some researchers say that empathy is not “the cure”. There was a study in Harvard Business Review where marketing managers made “empathetic decisions” for their customers, but the decisions they made reflected their own desires and didn’t consider what the customer really wanted. Psychology researcher, Paul Bloom, wrote a book called The Case Against Empathy. He mentions a few ways to look at empathy – for moral purposes, for connection, or to understand someone else. But at the raw definition, if you have empathy for someone who is feeling bad, then you feel bad too and is that useful? To him, this why compassion is better.

But these researchers all have a point. There are problems with empathy.

And it breaks down in the definition – no two people have the same shared experience, and no one really knows what someone else is feeling, which is why connection with other people is hard.

This is why I propose a different definition of empathy – an attempt at understanding someone else’s emotional situation by relating through a similar physical and emotional event that occurred in their own life.

Here’s an example….let’s say your best friend’s dog passed away and your friend was very close to her dog. Let’s say your pet hamster passed away, but you weren’t particularly close to your hamster (it was one of 20 anyway). You can’t say with any validity to your friend that you understand what she is going through. Sure, you both lost a pet, but you both didn’t lose the same type of relationship with that pet. But let’s say a couple of years earlier, you lost a cat and you were very close to that cat. You could say to your friend that you understand what she is going through. You both lost a pet, you both lost a close relationship with your pet, and there may be some differences between what you are both feeling because it was a different type of animal.

When you are trying to connect with someone through empathy, you can’t simply recall the same exact situation in your life to understand how that person feels. You review similar life events and find one that seems to have the same emotional severity.

You’ll get to this partly from listening, partly from emotional validation and partly from respect. The connection comes from the shared emotion – the event is almost irrelevant in the connection.

So how does this apply to developing empathy for customers?

Listening is the most powerful tool you have available as a business person. But to use listening and connect with empathy, you need to:

  • be present
  • be curious and not have expectations
  • acknowledge that relationships are built on conversations
  • redefine what a conversation is
  • go inside out – see if your team can be empathetic to your customers
  • connect through listening, validating emotions, and respect. It’s about the shared emotion around the event – not the event itself.

Next time you are looking for that great insight or connection with your customers, take a break, maybe meditate, get present, look through all of your data, and listen with curiosity to discover something new in your observations. You may find that golden insight you’ve been waiting for.

Listening with Empathy to Connect with Customers

Being present and listening. The best insights come when you have no expectations.

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There’s a meditation that I do where I get grounded and present by focusing on each of my senses, one at a time. Usually I have similar observations with each sense as I did during the previous meditation, except with listening. I think listening is the most temporal and exciting the all the senses and is open to the most changes. You don’t run the dishwasher all day. Trains pass at specific times. As do helicopters or planes. Sometimes, I’ll do this meditation to simply learn more about my surroundings and discover something new around or outside my apartment. I’ll hear birds singing outside, the lights humming, the fan for the air conditioning or heat, voices from the hallway, my neighbors watching a movie, or doing other activities. Sound waves travel far. That’s why I like listening. It is a way for me to understand what’s happening beyond my immediate location at that specific moment.

Every time I do this meditation, I’m always amazed at what I discover. My fridge can be really noisy. So can my washing machine. Even the dryer. There are times I wonder if my neighbors are watching “Terminator” based on the booms I hear through the walls. I’ll hear pets scurrying somewhere in the building. I have even heard crickets trying to find warmth in the walls.

I think I re-learned the key to listening during this meditation. You listen because you are curious what’s around you at that moment in time.

When I meditate, I’m not really focused on looking to hear what I’d like to hear. Instead, I am focused on receiving and observing what is being presented to me. Like the post yesterday, your intention matters when you are listening.

Rather than listening to see if I hear the hum and roar of the train passing by my house, I hear a dog bark down the hall. Or I hear the washing machine cleaning clothes. Or I hear a noisy neighbor playing music way too loud. I am accepting the data that is being presented to me at that time.

And I’m curious about what this new information is telling me. When I meditate and hear the dog bark down the hall, I wonder who’s dog it is? What is happening for the dog to bark? I start to create a story in my head about the situation; I can’t help it. That is part of curiosity and wonder. But then I bring myself back to the present and focus on what I do know about what’s happening. Honestly, I don’t know what is causing the dog to bark; I can only speculate. I only know what is really happening if I go outside of my apartment, find the dog and observe the situation around it. When I am present, I take the information given to me at face value and discern what needs greater investigation to discover more to the story.

In business we need to do something similar. We need to accept the information that is presented to us, focus on the numbers we see, read what is being said in the posts and listen to the calls coming into customer support and determine what’s missing from the story to satisfy our curiosity. Then we go listen to find information to fill in those blanks.

By not gathering information to create a satisfying story, we risk creating a story that we want to be true. It is so easy to do. It’s hard to return to customers to get the right information to collect more data and get the insights we need. But we need to be present and accept the information gifts customers are giving to us now.

Years ago, I was observing a usability test with a handful of colleagues. We were testing a new homepage design with four participants. Two of the participants couldn’t complete the test tasks and weren’t a fan of the design. The other two completed the tasks with some success but also weren’t liking the design. The VP was desperately looking for this redesign project that was taking way too long to complete (we were over our timeline by 6 months) to be successful, so she proclaimed it a success. My colleagues and I were confused. We witnessed a very different result.

I think the VP was looking at the situation with expectations and saw what she wanted to see. The rest of us entered the observation activity with no expectations and saw what was presented to us. They were two very different stories based on two very different listening styles based on our intentions.

When we are present, we aren’t worried about the future or how to make a program or feature successful. But we are concerned about what our customers are saying right now, why, and their thoughts regarding it. And if we don’t see data that supports our ideas or arguments, we find another way to listen to our customers – a  new survey, usability test, a focus group, a social media listening exercise.

Being present allows us to examine what we are hearing, seeing, and observing at the moment and bring curiosity to discover more about the customer’s viewpoint. In this case, there isn’t a story already created that needs facts to validate it. It is a story that is being created by the customer information being provided. The customers are telling the story; the company is listening to it. That’s why the best insights come when you have no expectations.

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Being present and listening. The best insights come when you have no expectations.

Curiosity: the motivation for being a great listener

Gearmark7 Comments

I learned the art of listening when I was a kid because I couldn’t see the blackboard. It wasn’t because I was sitting in the back of the class; I just couldn’t see well. I had no idea my vision was that poor and said nothing to my mom or dad so I could get glasses. I thought everyone saw the world that way. And it happened gradually over 3-4 years, so I had no idea that there was anything wrong. I had 20/200 vision in one eye and 20/300 vision in the other.

To function at school, I realized that if I focused and listened closely to what the teachers were saying, I didn’t need to see the board or really need to take notes because I would remember what they said. I didn’t only hear the teachers, I was listening to their words, tone, emotions, intention. I developed an amazing memory this way. I managed to get all A’s, so that told me something was working right.

I also learned that listening goes beyond hearing people talk to include observation. As a kid, when you get all A’s and are introverted, you typically aren’t very popular. I had a hard time fitting in, so when I did find a group that would let me hang out with them, I would spend a lot of time listening and observing so I could find ways to contribute best to the conversations and group. I’d find out what they liked to talk about, what topics were off-limits, how the power structures worked, and how they interacted. I was an observant kid.

I didn’t know this then, but these events were teaching me how to listen – listen to words, listen to actions, listen to behaviors – and to understand what listening really meant. I didn’t realize that people aren’t normally this observant and this was a unique skill I was acquiring. Most of us think everyone lives like we do, but I’ve been learning over the years that this is not true. It wasn’t until I started working that I realized my listening skills, and the curiosity I learned by my personal emphasis on listening, were important to business.

Curiosity comes with listening well. When I was learning how to listen, I was discovering what my teachers had to say and why. I wanted to learn. Same with getting to know new kids. I think my desire to fit in made me curious about people’s motivation. Curiosity became the ultimate driver behind my focused listening. I took this curiosity with me into my educational pursuits, work, social life – just about everywhere.

Don’t miss it!

CXTalks on May 22 will feature speakers and professionals around the Dallas/Fort Worth area discussing topics related to customer experience, user experience, andmore.

I’m giving a 10 minute talk, “Listening with Empathy to Connect.”

Don’t be shy – use my discount code for 20% off: MARY20

We sometimes don’t realize that the motivation for why we take an action speaks volumes about our true purpose. Intent is important. When most people are listening in a conversation or in class, their intent could be to listen to respond, meaning to share their thoughts or be ready to raise their hand and participate. I don’t think we realize it, but our attitudes when we are listening to respond are focused on making sure that we communicate what we want to say; it’s not always an approach concerned about understanding the other person or situation.

By listening to respond, we are objectifying the speaker. We don’t mean to do this; it’s all subconscious. We may be so excited to communicate an idea that we blurt it out, but in the process we aren’t respecting the other person’s ideas or expression (I am often guilty of this). Again, not intentional, not mean-spirited, but that’s the impact of listening to respond in that case. Or we may cut someone off while speaking because we may think they are saying something inaccurate. It’s subconscious, but at the same time, you just discounted what the person was saying. Even if the person got their facts slightly wrong, they were trying to add to the conversation and your correction prevented that. We’ll also sometimes gloss over someone’s contribution to the conversation by not closely listening. That person may need to repeat themselves in the future. The need for that speaker to do that discounts the point they were making.

In all cases, if you are listening to respond in a conversation, focused on making your points and not being curious about what the other person is thinking or trying to communicate, it will be difficult, if not impossible to listen and understand the speaker’s true message. Your purpose is always clear – to talk, to communicate, to express yourself. You aren’t focused on learning about the other person and what they are trying to express. This is the first step to connecting with someone else to build a relationship.

This is why shifting your motivation to curiosity when you are in a conversation can change its entire tone and it will immediately help you to become a better listener. When you arrive curious, you naturally want to learn more about the person communicating. You are more easily able to build empathy and validate if you really understand what the other person is saying – factually and emotionally. That means the person needs to fully express their idea, and if you don’t understand it right away – ask more questions. Be curious!

Lynn Borton hosts a talk show in Virginia about curiosity, called Choose to be Curious. I have interviewed her twice and she’s one of my favorite people to listen to, mainly because of her approach to life using curiosity. Every time I talk to her, she reminds me how being curious about people and situations really changes how you approach problems – and helps you have a happier, more positive approach to live. From the conversations with Lynn, the key element to curiosity rests in asking questions – and then listening.

Curiosity provides you with an opportunity to look at a person or situation in a new, non-judgmental way and to be open to a new perspective. This is great for learning. When you are learning, typically you aren’t judging what you are learning as right or wrong. It just is. It’s like a fact. The earth is the third rock from the sun. Nothing to debate. Water is wet. Nothing to debate. My client would prefer if I offered an online course so he could attend when he wants. Nothing to debate.

Sometimes I think we need to approach customer feedback with curiosity. The phrase “the customer is always right,” alludes to this idea. The customer’s perspective of the situation is what you need to learn about, and is all that matters. I have heard business owners express contrary reactions to this idea, some outright rejecting that a customer could be right about a situation.

However, I would challenge that statement, “the customer is always right.” There isn’t a right or wrong angle regarding a customer situation. What we are really talking about is the customer’s perspective. And the challenge of the business owner is to reach an understanding about that situation that provides a positive experience for everyone involved.

Conversations typically aren’t battles, except for debates, which are a separate matter. There is no winner or loser in a conversation. The real goal of a conversation is to find commonalities, shared experiences, connection and ultimately, build a relationship.

If you are looking to build a relationship with your customer, start a conversation with them by being curious. You can only come to consensus and understanding when your motivation is to learn what the other person’s perspective is. The first step is to be curious; the next step is to listen closely; the next step is to connect empathetically, and more on that soon.

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Curiosity: the motivation for being a great listener

What have I been up to for the past year?

Gearmark1 Comment

Last year, I decided to get a second master’s degree, this time in Corporate Communications. I attended a blended program, meaning I worked and went to school part-time (more like full-time, but who’s counting), that was virtual through IE University in Madrid.

I had four reasons:

  • Effective communication is more important than ever before, especially with the increasing adoption of technology. Today, all companies are technology companies. Chatbots use is on the rise, and natural language communication will continue to replace tapping and typing. How should talking to a computer about a company work? I wanted to better understand communication theories and ideas to better understand this.
  • Every company I worked with treated crafting a message differently. It was hard to discern best practices. I figured by taking classes in this area, I’d get a solid baseline for constructing an effective message and what to consider while doing that.
  • We live in a global world, but what does that mean? Yes, in the US we work with people in other countries, but often that means that the project is US centered – from meeting times to communication style. I wanted to broaden my understanding of the world.
  • Learn how to speak to executives and understand what they value so I could sell to them directly. I wasn’t getting the type of gigs I wanted to get for my business and expand it properly. I kept realizing that I didn’t know how to speak to them. I had a number of ah-ha moments during the school year to change all that. And I know I don’t think the same way anymore about business or projects.

It was exhilarating, exhausting, challenging, and one of the best personal growth experiences ever. Sure, it had its high and low points (I worked on over 9 papers in February alone) but I learned more than how to communicate more effectively.

  • There are many factors that influence how we each see the world. I know, that sounds obvious, but it is something that we sometimes take for granted. Our country’s government structures, national leadership, religion, values, perspective of what equality means – it all has an impact on our world experience. We say travel is important to understand another country’s values and culture, but a 2 week trip doesn’t immerse you into an environment where you can really understand a different life perspective and experience.
  • Working in a global US company doesn’t mean that you understand what it means to work with a global team. In other countries, the teams will rearrange their schedules to accommodate who pays their bills – that US company. By attending a program in Madrid, I got to experience what it’s like to be part of a team not centered in my home country. It feels very different, but it is very humbling and mind expanding. Flexibility is key for this to work.
  • Measurement is key to communication. I always knew this, but now I understand the value even more. Effective communication has a purpose. Before you craft a message, you need to define that purpose and if it isn’t clear, then it won’t do anything. I know that this is obvious, but many companies don’t do this. It’s shocking.
  • Branding is the starting point for any company. If you don’t have a strong brand, your company may have a hard time surviving. How you communicate that brand is even more important. If you don’t communicate the identity of a company properly, creating great messaging or experiences will be difficult.
  • Business matters, but people matter too. I’ve known this for years now, but it’s always a good reminder when you work on a fantastic team and get solid results, what made those results.
  • Being humble isn’t a bad thing. I think Americans at times are addicted to fame. I got an earful a few times about the thought leadership movement in the US and how it can be nonsense – and they have a point. I’ve heard some thought leaders who get the mic provide inaccurate information to their listeners. It’s shocking to hear the lies and misinformation that is spread on a daily basis.

Part of the challenge is the motives of these thought leaders – are they looking to help their audience? Or are they in it just for fame? (the ones in it for fame tend to be the ones who give the rest of us a bad reputation. I write my blog to help companies see content in a new way. I knew many thought leaders who genuinely want to help their audience. I respect and applaud them.)

If people read more and talked a little less, maybe we’d have more quality information in the world.

Had to share this video I found today, posted by a colleague on LinkedIn….it’s exactly what my classmates and professors thought about this “thought leadership” thing. Not all of us are like this, but some out there want easy fame so they contribute to the mess.

  • There’s room in the world for formal education. I often hear business experts say that an MBA isn’t necessary to succeed in business. That may be true, but man, I can now see how it helps. If you have an opportunity to get an MBA, do it. If you get an opportunity to get a master’s degree of any sort, do it. But don’t do it unless you have a clear purpose of what you want to get out of it. I think that’s the challenge of formal education – you need to have a clear goal for doing it. In my case, I achieved all of my goals, and then some. I think in the US we could use some formality (I also think that in Europe, they could use some loosening up). Formality can help drive results. Too much is bureaucracy, and we already have enough of that.

What’s next? 

Getting back to business as usual. I have missed writing my blog and working on thought leadership content. (Yes, I am one of those Americans who creates that stuff, but I like facts!). I have also missed reading for pleasure. I’ve started doing both again. I can’t wait to share ideas!

In May, I will be giving a talk about listening.

Don’t miss it!

I’ll be at CXTalks on May 22.

I’m giving a 10 minute talk, “Listening with Empathy to Connect.”

And don’t be shy – use my discount code for 20% off: MARY20

This idea has been fueling a shift in how I present my material in general. More to come. Yes, a book is in the works. Revised training videos are in the works too.

Revise the Gearmark business model. More coming soon on that! I’m really excited where this is starting to go.

It’s great to be back and I’m looking forward to everything coming up!  Can’t wait to hear from you!!

What have I been up to for the past year?