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Word Nerd Wednesday – Vexillology
Happy almost 4th of July to my fellow Americans! Hopefully there are plenty of Star Spangled Banners flying where you live this week. I’m not far from Lexigton & Concord, MA, so we see the 50-star and 13-star versions all the time. It turns out the study of flags – US and global, past and … Read more
Word Nerd Wednesday – GOODHART’S LAW
This week’s WNW entry is an idea, not a word. But it’s important. Goodhart’s law formally says: “When a measure becomes a target, it ceases to become a good measure.” The man credited with saying this, Charles Goodhart, was an economist. He was talking about issues of monetary policy in the UK when he made … Read more
Word Nerd Wednesday – Greatest Hits Vol. 1
It’s hard to believe, but my #WordNerdWednesday series has been going for almost five years. During a recent spin through the archives I found a few older but evergreen entries that people loved at the time and are worth sharing again. â‘ Watermelon – A watermelon is a customer journey that seems green on the … Read more
Word Nerd Wednesday – RECAP
I’m away next week so I decided to plan a recap of some of the more popular #WordNerdWednesday posts while I’m gone. Of course, that made me wonder why we call it a “recap.” (I’m not joking. This is how my brain works.) “Recap” is a shortened version of “recapitulate,” which means to sum up … Read more
It’s Not What You Do, It’s What They Think: Building Trust in an Age of Corporate Skepticism
When Amazon announced its return-to-office mandate, CEO Andy Jassy explained it as a way to boost creativity, collaboration, and culture. When Chipotle customers accused the chain of skimping on portions, CEO Brian Nichols said it was a training issue at a handful of stores. In both cases, the public’s reaction was the same: we don’t … Read more
Word Nerd Wednesday – ETIQUETTE
How do you politely leave the conversation at a networking event? What do I wear to a client meeting when their dress code is business casual? Who orders first at a business dinner? When (if ever) is it okay to use emojis in professional emails? I’ve been working for 25+ years and still struggle with … Read more
Word Nerd Wednesday – DEPENDENCE
As I talk to leaders about the the ebb and flow of trust in their relationship with vendors, one question I love to ask is why they stick with providers they don’t trust. The top answer by far is dependence. Trapped customers would love to go elsewhere but don’t for one of two reasons: âž¾ … Read more
Word Nerd Wednesday – ONBOARDING
The onboarding journey sets the tone for new customer relationships. Unfortunately, many organizations don’t think or talk about it from the customer’s perspective. People don’t want to be “onboarded.” They want to start using your product or service to accomplish their goals. If that takes 90 days, fine. If it takes 90 minutes, even better. … Read more
Three Invaluable Types of Trust that are Often Overlooked
In my years working with Fortune 500 companies, I’ve seen firsthand how systematically building and maintaining customer trust creates what I call “The Trust Tailwind” — an accelerating force that fuels growth through shorter sales cycles, smoother cross-sells, and stronger advocacy. These advantages compound over time, helping trusted brands outperform their competitors by as much … Read more
