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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 Employee Engagement Programs Fail (And What Actually Works Instead)

Gallup's latest polls show that employee engagement has dropped in historic fashion. In 2024, global employee engagement dropped to 21%. That is a two-point fall from last year, and last year’s numbers were already a whisper, not a roar. The result? A staggering $438 billion loss in productivity. That is the GDP of a medium-sized country, gone. Vanished into thin air. When the ship is leaking, more ping pong tournaments will not plug the holes. You need to find out what matters most to people, and give them more of that. In other words, you need to identify shared values.

David Alison

Employee Engagement

Why DMO Staff Don't Believe in Their Own Destination: And Why It Matters

Your tourism office promotes a destination that your own employees won't recommend to friends. Your marketing team crafts compelling messages about experiences they've never had. Your visitor center staff sounds like they're reading from scripts because they are.

David Alison

Employee Engagement

Why DEI Programs Fail: The Values Approach Nobody's Using

Your DEI training attendance is mandatory. Your employee resource groups have budgets. Your recruiting targets are visible on every dashboard. And somehow, people don't feel any more included than they did before you started.

David Alison

Employee Engagement

Leadership Development

Why Customers Really Buy (It's Not What You're Selling)

Your sales training focuses on features, benefits, and closing techniques. Your marketing emphasizes competitive advantages. Your pitch decks compare specifications. And you keep losing deals to competitors with inferior products.

David Alison

Sales

Why Creativity Demands Courage

Every creative person knows this feeling: you put your work into the world and wait. Will it be loved, ignored, or torn apart? Creativity is a leap of faith that requires you to show who you are inside, and that leap takes courage.

David Alison

Employee Engagement

Why Change Management Fails: The Values Resistance You're Ignoring

The communication plan is flawless. The executive sponsorship is visible. The training is comprehensive. And still, six months later, the change hasn't actually happened. People reverted to old behaviors the moment pressure relaxed.

David Alison

Employee Engagement

Leadership Development

Why Banks Keep Losing Wealth Clients: The Values Gap in Client Acquisition

Your private banking offer is competitive. Your rates are attractive. Your platform is sophisticated. And affluent clients keep walking past you to competitors with fewer capabilities.

David Alison

Sales

Why Banks Are Struggling with AI Adoption And What the Values Data Reveals

Financial services spent more on AI than almost any other industry. Adoption rates are still stuck in the basement. There's a reason for this, and it has nothing to do with legacy systems.

David Alison

Sales

Employee Engagement

Why AI Plus Human Values Beats AI Alone: The Key to Better Customer and Employee Experience

AI is redefining how we live, work, and interact. And it’s only just getting started. I had a call with one of the founders of RWI Synthetics, a perfect case study of AI’s enormous potential for good.

David Alison

Sales

Employee Engagement

Leadership Development