Blog

David's Blog

Useful insights on What Matters Most to you and me and everyone else.

A Year on Stages Around the World (And What It Taught Me About What Matters Most)

I'm supposed to be writing a book right now.I'm sitting at my desk in Vancouver, third cup of coffee going cold beside me, staring at a manuscript that needs my attention. But I've got my speaking calendar pulled up on a second screen because I was looking for a specific date I needed for a chapter, and then I just started scrolling. I didn't mean to go down this road. I do this sometimes, though. I get lost in the memories of my travel itinerary, the way some people get lost in old photo albums.

Written By

David Alison

All Articles

Why Your Best Financial Advisors Keep Leaving

You hire them, train them, build their books—and then they walk across the street. Or worse, they take their clients with them. The industry treats this as an unavoidable cost of business. It's not. It's a values failure you can see coming.

David Alison

Employee Engagement

Why Your AI Rollout Is Failing: The Human Side of Getting Employees to Adopt AI

At CES 2026, the tech industry's message was deafening: AI in everything. Robotics, banking interfaces, employee platforms, health monitors, creator tools. If it plugs in or connects to the internet, it now runs on AI.

David Alison

Employee Engagement

Leadership Development

Why Values-Based Leadership Actually Works: The Data Behind the Philosophy

Leadership books love to preach values. Authenticity. Integrity. Purpose. It sounds good. But does it actually work? Is values-based leadership just inspirational rhetoric, or is there something real behind it?

David Alison

Leadership Development

Why Values Beat Perks Every Time: The Real Engagement Science

The ping pong table sits unused. The unlimited PTO goes untaken. The free snacks get eaten, but nobody seems happier. You've built the perfect perk-laden workplace, and engagement scores haven't budged.

David Alison

Employee Engagement

Why Upselling Fails: And How Values-Based Selling Changes Everything

Your upsell training is solid. Your products are valuable. Your timing is right. And customers still feel annoyed, pushed, and resistant, often damaging relationships for marginal revenue.

David Alison

Sales

Why Trust Beats Performance in Financial Services Sales

Your fund has great numbers. Your fees are competitive. Your track record is solid. And prospects still choose the advisor down the street with inferior returns.

David Alison

Sales

Why Tourism Marketing Keeps Missing the Point: What Travelers Actually Want

Your destination has stunning photos. Your experiences are well-curated. Your campaign won awards. And travelers keep choosing somewhere else, or worse, coming once and never returning.

David Alison

Sales

Why Tourism and Hospitality Can't Keep Staff, And What Values Data Reveals

The industry with the worst retention rates keeps applying the same solutions. Signing bonuses. Flexible scheduling. Career ladders. And somehow, people still walk out the door at rates that would bankrupt other industries.

David Alison

Employee Engagement

Why Succession Planning Fails: The Values Alignment Nobody Considers

Your succession plan identifies high-potential leaders. Your development pipeline is full. Your competency assessments are sophisticated. And when transitions happen, they still go badly, not because successors lack capability, but because something essential was missed.

David Alison

Leadership Development