Five days of Seattle Tech Week. Hundreds of conversations. Nearly 200 new connections. Then the adrenaline fades, the inbox takes over, and most of the value quietly slips away. The research is clear: the return on any event is created after you get home, not while you are there, yet most attendees follow up on only 20 to 30 percent of the people they meet. This issue breaks down the data on post-event follow-up and gives you a simple playbook to turn conversations into measu

A 5-mile hike with no cell service turned into a question: AI was supposed to give us shorter workdays, so why are so many teams working longer than ever? This issue digs into the data on vacation, disconnection, and the 996 overwork culture spreading through AI startups, then into what decades of productivity and health research actually show. The takeaway for leaders is not “work less.” It is that sustainable performance is an operational design problem, and the teams that

At a graduation party, a retired fisherman told me I was the first person ever to thank him for 30 years of work. It stuck with me. So I asked the research a question: does a simple, authentic thank-you still matter for customer loyalty and growth in the age of AI? The psychology is clear and freshly confirmed. The business case is real. And the part everyone is asking about, whether AI can replicate it, is exactly where the data runs out. Here is what the evidence says, and

Can kindness and high performance coexist? Decades of organizational research suggest they not only can, they often do. In this article, I explore what the data says about leadership, toxic high performers, workplace bias, and why the most successful healthcare and SaaS teams are often built on a combination of warmth, accountability, and execution.

Four people flew to the Moon. Over 30,000 made it happen. NASA didn't just celebrate the astronauts — they gave the ground teams, suppliers, and engineers their flowers too. Research shows 56% of employees hide their best ideas when they fear losing credit, and organizations that get recognition right see 45% lower turnover. This issue breaks down what Artemis II can teach every leader about equitable praise. Three recommendations you can act on today.

The top 2.8% of collegiate basketball takes the court this week. But the real game isn't on the floor — it's on the sideline. How do you lead people who've already mastered their craft? This issue breaks down leadership lessons from March Madness and Coach K — backed by research from Gallup, Harvard, and Google — on getting to know your people, asking better questions, and channeling ego toward a common mission. Whether you coach athletes, clinicians, or operators, the challe

I belong to the 0.37% — the percentage of Americans active in the labor force who served in combat in both Afghanistan and Iraq. The data shows 80% of staff expect a CEO to have a voice on major societal issues, and 56% have no respect for CEOs who choose to remain silent. There's no easy answer for when to address it or what to say. But I firmly believe you need to do it. "When in charge, take charge."