Hello and welcome to Modern CEO! I’m Stephanie Mehta, CEO and chief content officer of Mansueto Ventures. Each week this newsletter explores inclusive approaches to leadership drawn from conversations with executives and entrepreneurs, and from the pages of Inc. and Fast Company. If you received this newsletter from a friend, you can sign up to get it yourself every Monday morning.
CEOs appear to love artificial intelligence (AI). Nearly 95% of chief executives and founders running Inc. 5000 companiesthe fastest-growing privately held businesses in the U.S.say they are optimistic about AIs potential to run their operations. Thats up from 91% who held that same opinion in 2024. Nearly two-thirds of CEOs surveyed by IBM say they currently are adopting AI agentssoftware that autonomously performs tasks.
CEOs still on the AI fence
But many CEOspresent company includedare lagging when it comes to adopting AI in their personal and professional routines. When I recently sought responses from global CEOs on how they use generative AI to do their jobs, the only leaders who responded were entrepreneurs and tech executives. The New York Times recently published a piece highlighting the deficiencies of AI usage in corner offices. AI is weird and off-putting, Ethan Mollick, an AI expert and professor at the University of Pennsylvanias Wharton School, told The Times. Theres a lot of psychological resistance to using the systems even for people who know they should be doing it.
So, I was pleased when Jim OLeary, Weber Shandwicks North America CEO and global president, agreed to talk about his AI journey. Weber Shandwick is a 4,000-person communications consultancy, and OLeary advises CEOs on navigating business issues, including AI adoption and usage. Turning the office of the CEO into an experimentation test bed enhances Weber Shandwicks credibility with clients. If Im going to advise clients, I need to be able to master for myself what Im advising them on, he says. Having done it for ourselves, it puts us in a position to be able to show versus just tell.
Leadership’s lab experiment
OLeary says he started the process about six months ago by assembling his executive administrator, his chief of staff, Weber Shandwicks chief innovation officer, and a technologist to discuss what they ultimately wanted AI to enable. They decided that they wanted a tool that could summarize meetings securely; a system that could gather and prioritize information such as news and research; and a repository for all that knowledge but also Weber Shandwicks library of press releases, presentations, CEO memos, and more. They also wanted AI agents that could automatically generate specific projects and a way for all the software to work together. Maintaining privacy, confidentiality, and security protocols was table stakes.
Building this AI innovation ecosystem has involved considerable up-front work and some customization, but the end result, OLeary says, is a system that automatically processes, summarizes, and prioritizes the information he needs to do his job. And while his administrative assistant and chief of staff still review much of what the system creates for him, OLeary says the output keeps getting better.
Scaling the CEO
OLeary says this AI-powered approach has also allowed him to essentially scale himself. Knowledge doesnt just live in my head or inbox, he says. It exists in a widely accessible way that informs our work and systems. For an all-hands email, for example, OLearys writing agentwhich is accessible to everyone in the CEO officeis capable of producing a high-quality draft tapping the central repository for relevant meeting notes, timely articles hes saved via a news curation platform, and his library of memos (to get his writing style and tone right).
I asked OLeary if hes contemplated creating a chatbot that employees could query instead of coming to him for answers. (Nearly half of CEOs surveyed in 2023 by online learning company edX said most or all their work could be replaced by AI.) He says he hasnt turned himself into a bot, but Weber Shandwick employees do have access to a proprietary platform called Halo, whose AI agents leverage the consultancys intellectual property to produce client-specific press releases, proposals, and more.
OLeary says his offices embrace of AI has, in turn, stoked employee usage of AI software. I think its empowering the team, he says.
These tools are also giving the CEO the most valuable return: time. OLeary estimates hes saving one to two hours per day, which he can reinvest in higher-value activities. He says he now has more time for blue-sky thinking, more time for leadership development of my team on AI. Perhaps above all, maybe I get to spend a little more time with my kids.
How do you use AI?
As a CEO, are you leading by example on AI? What are some of the ways youve deployed AI, and what are you doing with the time youre getting back? Send your examples to me at stephaniemehta@mansueto.com. Ill feature some of the most compelling case studies in a future newsletter.
Read more: CEOs using AI
25 AI hacks high-growth founders swear by
How 7 startups are deploying AI now
Will your next CEO be AI?
Every human being, leaders included, has blind spots. These arent flaws in character or failures of competence, theyre simply the unseen gaps between intention and impact.
Most of us dont realize these blind spots are there until something goes wrong: a team misfires, communication breaks down, or feedback loops fall silent. But what if you could learn to detect, and even predict, those blind spots before they undermine your leadership?
The key lies in understanding your leadership style, particularly through the lens of personality diversity.
The Hidden Costs of Blind Spots
Blind spots can take many forms: an overemphasis on results at the expense of relationships, an aversion to conflict that stifles honest feedback, or a tendency to micromanage when stressed. Often, these patterns emerge because were wired a certain way, with our habits of perception, communication, and decision-making shaped by our personality tendencies.
When left unchecked, these tendencies become predictable pitfalls. And in the complex dynamics of todays hybrid, fast-moving workplaces, the cost of not seeing yourself clearly can be high: lost engagement, missed innovation, and eroded trust.
Leadership Style Isn’t Just a Buzzword
Understanding your leadership style isnt about fitting into a box, its about recognizing how you naturally lead, and where you might unintentionally lead others astray.
One powerful approach comes from personality diversity frameworks like the E-Colors, which segment human behavior into four primary tendencies: Red (action oriented), Green (analytical), Yellow (social and optimistic), and Blue (empathetic and caring). Most people exhibit a combination of two dominant E-Colors, which shapes how they communicate, make decisions, handle pressure, and relate to others.
For example:
A leader with Red/Yellow tendencies may be dynamic and persuasive, but risk steamrolling quieter team members.
A leader with Blue/Green tendencies, meanwhile, may be thoughtful and supportive, but struggle with quick decision-making under pressure.
Recognizing these patterns is all about awareness. Once you understand your natural style, you begin to see not just what you bring to the table, but what you might be missing.
Three steps to spot and manage your blind spots
1. Know Thyself (Really)
Most leaders assume theyre self-aware. But research from Tasha Eurich and her team has shown that while 95% of people think theyre self-aware, only about 10% to 15% actually are. Personality assessments, when well-designed and behaviour-based, can act as a mirror that reflects back not just your strengths, but also your triggers and tendencies under stress.
Ask yourself:
What kind of situations bring out the best in me?
When things go sideways, how do I typically react?
What do others frequently thank me, or warn me, about?
A Red/Green leader, for instance, may pride themselves on logic and decisiveness. But under pressure, that same logic can turn into coldness, and decisiveness into dismissiveness. Recognizing that pattern is the first step toward managing it.
Leadership blind spots by personality style
E-ColourCore StrengthsPotential Blind SpotsWhen Under Pressure Red (action oriented)Decisive, driven, results-focused, quick to actCan appear bossy or impatient, may override others’ input, struggles to listen deeplyMay become controlling, aggressive, or dismissive of emotions Green (analytical & logical)Detailed, logical, process-driven, focused on accuracyMay overanalyze, resist change, delay decisions, lacks emotional expressionCan withdraw, become overly critical, or shut down communication Yellow (social & optimistic)Enthusiastic, inspiring, people-centered, creativeMay talk over others, avoid structure, dismiss detail, or fail to follow throughMay become disorganized, reactive, or emotionally erratic Blue (caring & empathetic)Supportive, patient, dependable, relationship-focusedCan avoid conflict, resist fast decisions, fail to speak up, and over-accommodateMay become passive, disengaged, or overwhelmed by others’ needs
2. Invite honest feedback, then listen deeply
Blind spots are, by definition, hard to see. Thats why intentional leaders proactively seek feedback, not just once a year, but as an ongoing dialog. The trick is not just asking for feedback but making it safe for others to give it. This is especially important when your leadership style may unintentionally discourage openness.
For example, a Yellow/Red leader might radiate enthusiasm but dominate conversations, making it hard for others to express disagreement. By understanding this, they can slow down, ask more open-ended questions, and truly listen, creating space for perspectives they might otherwise miss.
Try this: At your next team meeting, ask, Whats one thing I could do more of or less of to support your work better? And then say thank you. No justifications, no explanations, just listen.
3. Use Personality Diversity to Build Balanced Teams
Diversity isnt just about backgrounds, its also about brains. A Yellow/Blue leader might be great at building a nurturing, collaborative culture but benefit from having a Red/Green colleague to inject structure and drive results.
High-performing teams arent made up of people who all think alike, theyre made of people who understand how they think differently and can adapt accordingly. When team members know each others personality styles, theyre better equipped to resolve conflict, leverage strengths, and avoid collective blind spots.
4. Bridging Awareness and Action with Personal Intervention
While recognizing your leadership blind spots is one thing, responding to them in the moment is another. Thats where Personal intervention becomes invaluable. While the lens of personality diversity allows you to identify your natural behaviors and preferences, Personal intervention is the actionable skill that allows you to pause, reflect, and choose your response, especially in those critical moments when your default tendencies might otherwise take over.
At its core, Personal intervention is a simple but powerful self-regulation tool that empowers leaders to break free from autopilot reactions. Whether its choosing not to interrupt (if you’re naturally dominant), taking a stand (if you tend to avoid conflict), or slowing down your decision-making (if you’re overly action-oriented), personal intervention creates the space for intentional leadership.
In high-pressure, emotional, or high-stakes situations, the very environments where blind spots often surface, this practice can be the difference between a reactive misstep and a response that aligns with your values, your vision, and the needs of your team. Developing this muscle of choice transforms awareness into action and helps leaders show up in ways that inspire trust, adaptability, and effectiveness.
From Awareness to Action
Spotting your blind spots is a practice built and refined over a lifetime. It means choosing response over reaction. It means embracing vulnerability and being willing to grow in public. It means moving from autopilot to intentional leadership.
Understanding your leadership style is merely the first step to a more connected, more resilient, and more effective way to leadan evermore essential skill in a world that demands more humanity from our leadership than ever before.
Over the past three years, Ive changed email providers three times without ever changing email addresses.
Thats because my address is entirely under my control. Instead of relying on an email that ends in gmail.com, yahoo.com, or the link, I can send and receive mail from my @jarednewman.com domain, which I can transfer between email providers at any time.
This is called using a custom domain for email, and its one of the most liberating tech things Ive ever done. When Skiff Mail shut down in 2023, I simply packed up and moved to Proton Mail instead. And after getting frustrated with Protons limitations, I migrated over to Fastmail and took my address and messages with me.
After I mentioned custom domains in my story about Proton and Fastmail last month, a bunch of folks asked for more details. Fair warning: Setting this up can be intimidating, but its worth the effort it you want to control a core piece of your online identity.
This story first appeared in Jared’s Advisorator newsletter. Sign up to get more advice every Tuesday.
Catch-all aliases in Fastmail
Why you might want a custom email domain
Freedom from your email provider: Being stuck with an address from your email provider represents a powerful kind of lock-in, because changing addresses is a hassle. Youll have to nag people to update their address books, and possibly set up forwarding rules so that emails continue to trickle in from your old address.
Once youve committed to a custom domain and get everyone to use it, youll never have to make that effort again, and the biggest obstacle to switching email providers is gone. Id probably never have left Proton for Fastmail (which, so far, Im enjoying a lot more) if I had to switch addresses.
Control over your logins: Most online services use your email address as your login, and while you might trust Google (or Yahoo, or another email provider) with that information, Id rather control it myself. If I want to switch email providers againor my email account gets shut down for some reasonit wont affect the logins Ive set up under my domain.
More powerful aliases: Email aliases are a great way to tame your inbox. For instance, I have an address just for receiving newsletters, and I automatically filter them into a Newsletters folder when they arrive.
If youre using Gmail, youd create an alias that looks like yourname+newsletters@gmail.com for this purpose. But marketers are learning to ignore these tricks, and you can do more with a custom domain. Fastmail, for instance, can take any alias you havent set up in advance and sort it into a folder. If a store asks for my email, for instance, I can give them nameofthatstore@jarednewman.com, and their mail will automatically land in a Junk folder. (This is especially useful for sites that block the use of masked email addresses.)
Vanity purposes: If youre conducting business via email, an address like hello@yourname.com looks more professional than a Gmail or Outlook address. Its also a fun way to impress friends and family.
Custom domain setup in Fastmail
Potential pitfalls
While having a custom domain for email is empowering, it comes with some baggage that Ive experienced firsthand.
It costs money: Registering my jarednewman.com domain costs $30 per year (though Ive been paying that toll for years regardless), and most email providers charge extra to use a custom domain with their services.
Setting it up can be intimidating: Connecting a custom domain requires digging into your sites DNS settings and following some very specific instructions from your email provider. Youll have to copy and paste a few lines of cryptic text, then hold your breath while waiting for new emails to go through. I still find this a bit nerve-racking, especially when switching a domain from one email provider to another.
Some email providers will sell you a custom domain and set it up automatically, but be careful with this option. You may need to transfer the domain before switching email providers, otherwise you could lose access to your address.
Exporting mail is another story: While a custom domain removes a major barrier to switching email providers, taking your old emails with you is a separate process. Each provider has its own import/export flow, and sorting through it takes extra time and effort.
What it looks like to edit your DNS records
How to get started
Unless your email provider offers automatic setup youll need to register a domain name first. Cloudflare, iwantmyname, and namecheap are all solid registrars recommended by various email providers, and Google has a longer list of options here.
After purchasing a domain, you can connect it with your email provider. Here are some notable email providers with custom domain support, what they charge for it, and links to their setup instructions:
iCloud Mail: Requires iCloud+ ($1/mo. and up). Offers domain registration and automatic setup via CloudFlare. See instructions to purchase a domain or set up an existing one.
Gmail: Requires Google Workspace ($7/mo. and up). See instructions.
Fastmail: Subscription required ($5/mo. and up). Offers domain registration and automatic setup. (Important: If you use automatic setup and later decide to switch email providers, you must transfer the domain from Fastmail to a new registrar first.) See instructions.
Proton Mail: Requires a paid plan ($5/mo. and up). See instructions.
Zoho Mail: No subscription needed, though the free plan is buried here. See instructions.
Want more practical tech advice like this? Sign up for my Advisorator newsletter and I’ll send you new tips every Tuesday.
Youve carried the weight of big decisions, the pressure to perform, to lead and deliver, all despite whats happening behind the scenes. Youve navigated through uncertainty and change, providing the space for everyone else to thrive. Its a feeling that the most capable leaders feel. Its not quite burnout, but a kind of dullness. A slow drain. A fog that creeps in quietly and makes it harder to stay clear, connected, and grounded.
According to the World Health Organization, workplace stress and burnout now account for a significant portion of global absenteeism and reduced productivity, and the numbers continue to rise. Im seeing a common thread when I work with leaders across industries, whether that be law enforcement or wellness retreats. People arent running out of time, but theyre running out of energy. When energy drops, so does everything elseperformance, presence, and purpose.
Its not about time, its about energy
Weve all been taught to manage time. But the real performance driver isnt time, its energy. Energy is what allows you to think clearly in complexity, connect with others under pressure, and make confident decisions without tipping into fatigue.
When your energy is low, you still function, but youre surviving, not thriving. This is where leadership needs to evolve. Rather than controlling outcomes, you need to sustain the people driving them. When youve optimized your energy, you can be more creative, consistent, and connected in your performance.
A tool for performance and reflection
To help people understand and manage their energy, my team and I developed a framework that assesses four key domains in under 60 seconds:
Physical: Stamina and recovery
Mental: Clarity and focus
Emotional: Resilience and regulation
Social: Connection and support
Its not about perfect scores. Its about cultivating awareness and building habits that support performance and well-being, day after day. We call this Human Energy Intelligence. Its a measurable approach to well-being that fuels consistent output, healthy cultures, and resilient teams.
From reactive to regenerative
Many organizations rely on reactive strategies like Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs). Theyre valuable, but in my observation, they tend to step in after burnout hits. Research from an Australian State Insurance Regulatory Authority shows that EAP usage rates often fall below 10%, despite widespread availability. A proactive Employee Empowerment Program focuses on daily energy management, equipping people with tools to recharge before breakdowns occur. This shift from “problem solving” to “performance enabling” creates environments where people dont just survive the demands of leadership, but grow through them.
Leadership isnt lonely, it just feels that way
One of my favorite things to do is to sit in nature with a leader, no agenda, no phone, just space and silence. And its always in those quiet moments that the truth surfaces: they talk about purpose, doubt, and the invisible weight they carry. And what Ive learned is this: even high-achieving leaders can feel deeply disconnectedfrom themselves, their teams, and their sense of clarity.
Connected leadership changes that. It invites leaders to lead from within, not just in front. It encourages them to be real, rather than just responsible. Its not soft, its strategic. And its what the future of leadership demands.
You cant scale burnout
Across every sector Ive worked in, whether its elite performance or public service, one truth is clear: you cant scale outcomes without energy. People arent leaving jobs because of KPIs. Theyre leaving because they feel exhausted, unseen, or disconnected. According to McKinseys 2023 Health Institute Report, over 60% of employees globally report struggling with their well-being at work. After all, culture isnt just what happens between colleagues; its how people feel inside themselves. And leadership has a direct impact on that internal state.
So consider asking yourself, Hows the battery? If youve been running on autopilot lately, powering through but feeling foggy, reactive, or a little flat, that matters. Because what you build out there will only go as far as what you sustain inside. So, take a moment. Breathe. And ask yourself: Hows your battery, really?
A San Diego restaurant owner who serves many immigrant customers has seen business plummet. A cleaning woman avoids bringing tools to work to avoid drawing attention to herself. Her husband, a construction worker, has been unemployed for over a month. A California farm had to hire an attorney to protect workers with approved visas from deportation.
Californiaand other states across the countryrely heavily on the labor of immigrants. Many of those workers are living in fear of Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids, making it harder to do their jobs. Experts say this fear is restricting the rights of all workers and hurting the states broader economy.
Capital & Main spoke to workers and an employer in California about how President Donald Trumps campaign against immigrants is affecting their ability to work. All of them requested anonymity out of fear of retaliation from the federal government.
The restaurant owner said traffic to his business dropped immediately after ICE officials targeted another restaurant, Buona Forchetta, in a highly visible operation that drew community protest and a violent response from ICE.
Since then, the owner said, his sales have dropped by 30% to 40% because immigrant customers arent leaving their homes except for essential tasks like work.
The owner, who is a naturalized U.S. citizen, said one of his workers self-deported at the beginning of the Trump administration and another is out on maternity leave. He hasnt replaced either of them.
The restaurant owners experiences line up with findings in a recent research brief from the University of California, Merced, Community and Labor Center, which found that fewer Californians, both citizens and noncitizens, went to work the week that intense immigration raids began in Los Angeles in June.
Private sector employment in the state declined just over 3% from the previous month, researchers found.
Edward Flores, faculty director of the UC Merced Community and Labor Center, said that shift is significant.
The only time we see a decline in private sector employment like that at that time of year is really comparable to the Great Recession or to COVID, Flores said.
That decline continued the following month, the researchers later said in an update.
Flores listed several possible reasons for the drop, including that workers were afraid to go to work, a supply chain slowdown from missing immigrant labor could be creating less available work oras in the restaurant owners casefrightened customers might be shopping less.
Flores said the fact that U.S. citizens showed a significant drop in employment goes against the Trump administrations claims that deporting noncitizens will free up jobs for people born in the U.S.
Most people that understand economics pretty well will tell you thats not how the economy works. Its more complicated than that, Flores said. Were seeing the actual consequences of people very aggressively being takenwithout any due process in some casesand, confronted with those realities, if the administration continues to advance their very aggressive efforts to have the largest deportation campaign in history, we have to wonder what is the actual intent of it.
The intent is clear to many undocumented workers, including a woman who cleans buildings and houses.
Things are getting more difficult for the simple fact of the color of our skin, the woman said in Spanish. We are the most looked for [by ICE].
She said shes been in the U.S. for more than two decades and has two U.S. citizen children with her husband, who is also undocumented. The pair met in San Diego soon after she arrived from Guerrero, Mexico, she said.
The woman said there arent enough workers in her industry. She said shes afraid to go to work, but she has no choice because she has bills to pay. She added that construction work has slowed down since Trump came into office, leaving her partner without a way to make a living.
She works for a cleaning company full time and cleans homes as a side job. She works seven days a week.
She said she tries not to carry as many tools and supplies when she goes to work at the private homes so that she doesnt attract attention to herself.
I never felt so afraid since the time I got here as in this time period since January 20, 2025, she said.
She admitted that she often avoids going out for anything besides work, preferring to skip birthday celebrations and other events to stay safe at home.
Sometimes people dont want to pay her after she finishes cleaning, she said, and they threaten that they will call immigration officials if she objects.
Those situations have always caused some fear, she said, but its even more so now.
She and her partner are seriously considering returning to Mexico after their youngest finishes high school, she said.
She is afraid to go back to Guerrero, where her family has experienced the violence that has caused many to flee the state and seek asylum elsewhere.
But, she said, in the current situation, she feels more afraid to be here.
Its not the American dream anymore, as they say, she said.
Satomi Rash-Zeigler, executive director of the University of California, San Diego, Labor Center, said that Trumps policies have a chilling effect not only on immigrant labor but also on workers ability to advocate for their rights, regardless of their immigration status or country of origin.
By targeting the folks that are the most vulnerable, we are undermining all workers, basically creating a system where you have bad employers that will be able to thrive with little to no accountability, Rash-Zeigler said.
She said employee fear of reporting hazards in the workplace can lead to public safety issues, such as farm workers not feeling safe to report an employer using a toxic pesticide on crops.
Rash-Zeigler said documented and undocumented workers alike are afraid of ICE raids because of the violent tactics that the agency has used.
People dont want to interact with that, she said. They try to keep their heads down and not be caught in the fray of these sweeps. Its impacting everyone.
She said even U.S. citizen workers could be afraid to report workplace abuse because it could attract the attention of immigration officials.
Fear is a policy tool of fascism, Rash-Zeigler said. They want the boss to have all the power. They want to keep workers silent and compliant under any and all circumstances and thats justits not good for workers. Its not good fr our country.
A woman from Sonora, Mexico, said she hasnt been looking for work even though her family is struggling because she is afraid of ICE.
She said she knows firsthand about the struggles with workplace exploitation as an undocumented worker. She worked for more than a decade at a bakery in San Diego.
When it was her shift, she said, she was the only one on duty in the kitchen. Eventually, the work wore her down physically, causing debilitating arthritis in her hands and knees, she said. She asked for help from her employer so that she wouldnt have to do the work alone. Instead, the bakery cut her hours, she said.
When they hired other workers to replace her, she said, the bakery staffed more people in the kitchen.
A doctor told her she could no longer do the work, but the bakery has refused to compensate her.
The truth is I feel sad because what one wants is to work, and one puts in a lot of effort, and thats not the way they should behave with one, she said in Spanish.
Her oldest daughter, who was born in the U.S. and is still in high school, now works to help support the family. But the family struggles to make ends meet, often receiving support from friends and neighbors.
As immigration raids have grown increasingly common, the mother has stopped leaving the house, she said. Her daughter does the grocery shopping and other errands.
The mother feels proud of what she has been able to provide for her children during her time in the U.S., she said, but she also worries that her life is now at a low point.
She has thought about trying to find another job that she can do in her condition, but she said she hasnt because of fear of the raids.
That fear has even reached agricultural workers here on visas. On a recent day at the immigration court in downtown San Diego, a group of men faced potential deportation even though they said they were here on current H2A visasthe visas given to temporary or seasonal agricultural workers.
The men had previously been in the U.S. working for the same employer, according to Kathrin Mautino, an attorney. The employer, a farm in Fallbrook, California, had tried to extend the mens visas last year, but the men ended up leaving for the winter holidays to go home, many to Jalisco, Mexico, before the date on their original visas, according to the attorney and several of the men.
The men came back again in June and July.
They werent afraid when they entered the country, one of the men said, because they thought all of their paperwork was in order. But then documents indicating they had pending immigration court cases arrived at their workplace.
Were clean. We thought everything was fine, the man said in Spanish standing in the hallway of the immigration court. We didnt expect this.
Now theyre nervous, and losing time at work to show up for court hearings. Their employer paid for Mautino to represent them.
Work is the same, but all of a sudden youre thinking, Theyre going to send me to Mexico again, one of the men said.
One man said he had just entered the country the week prior, and a customs officer informed him that he had a pending deportation case.
Were coming legally and leaving legally, one of the men said. Its a little bad what theyre doing. We have papers. Kate Morrissey, Capital & Main
This piece was originally published by Capital & Main.
When Everett Rogers introduced the S-shaped diffusion curve in the first edition of his book, he was directly following the data. Researchers like Elihu Katz had already begun studying how change spreads and noticed a consistent pattern in the adoption of hybrid corn and the antibiotic tetracycline.
Yet it was Rogers who shaped our understanding of how ideas spread. Publishing more than 30 books and 500 articles, he studied everything from technology adoption to family planning in remote societies and just about everything in between. In doing so, he laid the foundation for an evidence-based approach to change.
Still, while Rogers showed us how change works, he didnt offer much insight into why it works that way. This is where I think Michael Morriss book, Tribal, can be helpful. By exploring how our tribal instincts lead us to adoptor resistchange, we can learn to work with human nature rather than against it. Smart leaders dont try to override instinct. They harness it.
The peer instinct: Connecting outside the community
Humans instinctively learn from our peers in ways other animals do not. Research by Michael Tomasello at the Max Planck Institute found that while human infants can share intentions by pointing, apes cannot. In a similar vein, Esther Herrmann and her colleagues found that humans have evolved unique skills for social cognition such as social learning, communication, and theory of mind.
This peer instinct shapes how we perceive and respond to risk. For the Iowa farmers in the hybrid corn study, their judgments were grounded in the concerns of their local community, such as rainfall, crop infestations, and other dangers. Most doctors were understandably reluctant to prescribe a new medicine that they were not familiar with.
One of the first things researchers noticed in both studies was that the early adopters were more connected outside their communities. The Iowa farmers who adopted hybrid corn early also traveled to Des Moines, the nearest city, more often. The doctors who were early to prescribe tetracycline were also the ones that most often attended out-of-town conferences.
David McRaney made a similar observation in his book How Minds Change. People who changed their minds about something important to them, like those who abandoned conspiracy theories or found the courage to leave cults, tend to have a change in their social networks first. Being around different people helped them see the world in new ways.
Everett Rogers saw the peer instinct at work in his own family. Although his father loved new electromechanical gadgets, he was reluctant to adopt hybrid seed corn. But during a severe drought in 1936, he noticed that his neighbors crop thrived while his own wilted, and that finally convinced him to make the switch.
The hero instinct: Spreading success
One of the most interesting aspects of both studies is that the farmers and the doctors reported getting information from conventional sources. In both cases, about half said they first heard about the innovation from salespeople and nearly a quarter from direct mailtogether making up roughly 75% of respondents. (Radio and TV were still nascent.)
Yet while conventional media introduced the innovation in both sets of studies, respondents reported being most influenced by someone they knew. Other research has shown something similar: Weak social ties tend to provide information, while strong social ties shape decisions.
Morris calls this the hero instinct. When we see people who are successful and admired, we tend to imitate them. Its why kids not only want to wear their favorite players number, but copy how he walks up to the plate. These hero codes act as ideals we aspire to. And unlike the peer instinct, we dont need to know the person. Stories of success are enough to shape behavior.
Hero codes act as models for behavior. In the Soviet Union, stories of miner Alexei Stakhanov not only served as a Communist ideal, but were featured on the cover of Time magazine and influenced HR practices in the West. In Latin America, soap opera heroes were shown to positively influence literacy and family planning.
While the peer instinct drives adoption in the earlier stages of the S-curve, the hero instinct drives its acceleration.
The ancestor instinct: Making change stick
One of Rogerss most consistent findings was that the tipping point for change usually lies between 10% and 20% participation. Thats also the point of maximum resistance. Some innovations, like lean manufacturing and agile development hit that threshold and stay stuck there for decades, never reaching the steep part of the S-curve.
Leaders often use precedent signals to leverage our respect for tradition. Its no accident that Abrahamic holidays often fall on the same dates as earlier pagan rituals. For many of the same reasons, when Lou Gerstner set out to turn around tech giant IBM in the 1990s, he frequently invoked the companys history and culture to support changes he made.
Morris calls this the ancestor instinct and it can be incredibly powerful. We have a natural reverence for what has come before us and pass down traditions through the generations. These can be religious traditions, legal precedents like the U.S. Constitution, or, as in the case of Lou Gerstner and IBM, elements of organizational culture. Framing omething new as being rooted in old traditions can make it feel safer to adopt.
Both hybrid corn and tetracycline eventually became part of the fabric of their industries. Today, we grow 20% more corn on 25% less land due to innovations like hybrid corn. Tetracycline represented a new class of antibiotics, but soon became a standard of care. What was once new, exciting, and even a little scary, became mundane, ordinary, and routine.
Putting tribal instincts to work for you
The S-curve has become so ingrained in the lore of innovation and change that we scarcely think about where it came from or what drives it. We know that change starts slowly, with a few enthusiasts experimenting with something new. If it gains traction, adoption can accelerate exponentially before the market saturates and levels off.
Yet Michael Morriss work on tribal signals can help us understand the original research in new and interesting ways. Weve long known that early adopters tend to venture outside their communities to explore. But when we understand the peer instinct and prevalence signals, we can begin to see how the structure of our social networks affects what we can achieve.
In a similar vein, understanding the hero instinct and prestige signals allows us to accelerate adoption by celebrating success stories and telling them well. Leveraging the ancestor instinct and precedent signals can help us frame new things in terms that honor and respect traditions that people already value.
At its root, innovation is less about technology and disruption than it is about people. Good ideaseven great onesfail all the time. If you have an idea you care about and want it to succeed, you cant ignore the basic instincts that drive human nature. You need to harness them and let them work for you instead of against you.
To play is human. Its how toddlers experience and learn about the world they just entered. Its also how we as adults rewire our brains and learn new things most effectively. In a world in which consumers are flooded with choices, companies are fighting ferociously to capture and maintain the consumers attention. The business leaders who are successfully steering their organizations in this digital-first world are using a secret weapon that taps into our most human desire to play: video games.
Eighty four percent of all internet users regularly play video games. That comes out to 3.4 billion people globally that play video games almost dailya number that is projected to reach 3.8 billion by 2027. Contrary to the still far too common stereotype around what constitutes a “gamer,” gaming is the only medium that actually reaches all demographic cohorts. Yes, GenZ and Gen Alpha spend more time in games like Fortnite, Minecraft, and Roblox than on all social media channels combined. But according to a report from the Entertainment Software Association, over 35 million Americans over the age of 50 play video games for at least an hour a day. Video games are a multigenerational force.
Companies are starting to wake up to this reality and leverage video games as a touch point in their strategies to engage consumers more effectively. Here are four strategies of how companies from any industry can leverage video games for their own business.
Integrate with existing video games
Identify an existing video game that offers your brand access to an already established audience youd like to reach and integrate with that game. Without a doubt this is the easiest jumping-off point to get into gaming and the best place to start for companies who want to dip their toes into the gaming waters to learn. In 2021, in search of ways to engage with a younger audience, casual dining company Chipotle integrated a Halloween-themed gaming experience into Roblox, a multiplayer online game that features a vast library of user-generated games spanning everything from racing to role-playing games.
The collaboration allowed players to dress up their avatars in Chipotle-inspired costumes like Burrito Mummy or Guacenstein, visit the companys first virtual restaurant, and navigate the Chipotle Boorito Maze. The first 30,000 Roblox players to visit during the four days leading up to Halloween received a code they could redeem online, on the Chipotle app, or in a restaurant for a free entrée.
In total, Chipotle gave away $1 million in burritosan investment that resulted in 5.2 million gameplays and over two million unique visitors, but also went beyond generating brand exposure. The collaboration delivered a top 10 enrollment day of all time for Chipotles rewards program.
Create new video games
This is a harder, costlier, and riskier approach that offers greater upside. This is a great fit for companies who are committed to making video games an integral part of their customer engagement strategy instead of using them for isolated marketing campaigns. Creating a new game from scratch means you get to shape the entire gaming experience so that it aligns perfectly with your companys brand and goals. This also opens up a path towards creating and learning from highly valuable first-party data you own about your customers.
The New York Times Games offering is a perfect example. A key part of the NYTs digital subscription offering, Games, now includes nine different word and puzzle games that have been the primary driver of the companys digital subscription growth to over 11 million subscribers since the NYT decided to double down on video gaming in 2014. Subscribers that engage with both news and games in a given week exhibit the strongest long-term retention metrics among its customer segments. The Atlantic is now pursuing this strategy.
Leverage Web3 games
This strategy includes the previous two approaches, but offers distinct opportunities for marketing and monetization due to the underlying blockchain technology. For example, luxury fashion house Burberry partnered with game developer Mythical Games to launch its latest fashion line in their Web3 game called Blankos. Blankos is a multiplayer game that lets players play a variety of mini games with friends as well build their own levels. Burberry created limited-edition in-game characters for Blankos alongside digital clothing items from its newest collection. In just 22 seconds, the entire virtual collection sold out, generating $225,000 in revenue while giving Burberry direct engagement with a different audience.
Make the video game the product
This is the most advanced strategy where the video game itself becomes the product. Companies embarking on this path ideally have staff with game design experience. For example, fitness company Peloton created a video game called Lanebreak that riders of the Peloton bike can engage in as their workout content. Rather than following instructions from a trainer, the video game simulates a workout in the form of an immersive bike race. The results have been astonishing: 50% of all workouts done on Peloton bikes are now completed in the video game, and those riders tend to complete more and longer workouts in a given week.
Video games provide business leaders with the unique opportunity to let their brand come to life in ways that are much harder to achieve in other channels such as social media.
Business leaders who want to ensure that their organization is equipped to meet consumers where they are and drive engagement should consider gaming as a strategy. Games are fun, authentic, and most importantly highly effective at driving engagement.
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To conduct our first-ever real estate agent survey, ResiClub partnered with Zoodealio, a cash-offer platform and iBuyer-management software designed for real estate agents. Among the 238 agents who took the survey, half (50%) have been real estate agents for 15 years or more.
The Zoodealio-ResiClub Real Estate Agent Survey was fielded between July 28 and August 24, 2025. Respondents included real estate agents spanning all regions of the U.S., giving us a ground-level view of buyer urgency, seller motivation, leverage shifts, commission structures, and expectations for the next 12 months.
Heres what the results revealed.
Buyers are gaining power
Agents report that buyer urgency in their local market has cooled off compared with a year ago, while sellers have become more urgent. In the Southeast, Southwest, and West, agents say seller urgency is picking up the most, while Midwest and Northeast sellers are steadier.
Many agents describe their local markets as more balanced, with leverage tilting back toward buyers as inventory builds. Buyer power is particularly strong across markets in the Southwest, with 96% of agents surveyed in the region reporting buyers gaining leverage in their local market over the past 12 months.
Looking ahead: Agent expectations for clients and home prices
When asked who they expect to drive business growth over the next 12 months, agents pointed to sellers seeking downsizing options. This growth is possibly downstream of todays strained housing affordability and aging demographics.
Agents also expect the move-up buyer category to grow.
On a relative basis, agents in the Midwest are slightly more bullish about local home prices over the next 12 months. In contrast, many agents in the Southeast, Southwest, and West anticipate slight home price declinesor even notable dropsover the next 12 months as affordability pressures continue to squeeze.
National perspective on mortgage rates and NAR
On mortgage rates, nearly half of our surveyed agents (49%) anticipate the average 30-year fixed mortgage rate will finish 2025 in the 6% to 6.5% rangelower than today but still well above the pandemic lows. More than a third of respondents (38%) still think the average 30-year fixed mortgage rate will be in the 6.5% to 7% range.
When it comes to the National Association of Realtors (NAR), sentiment skews negative: 31% describe their view as very unfavorable, another 31% somewhat unfavorable, and 28% neutral. Only a small minority of surveyed agents expressed a favorable opinion of the organization.
Bluntly put, NAR has an image problem.
Commissions
After the March 2024 National Association of Realtors settlement, many expected commissions to drop sharply. Our survey shows some change on that frontbut not a major one.
On the sell-side, a dominant 92% of agents say their most recent commission was a fixed percentage, compared with 78% on the buy-side. Nearly 1 in 5 buy-side deals now involve either a flat fee, client-negotiated model, or other form of commission.
Additionally, the majority of agents remain in the traditional 2% to 3% commission ballpark: 87% of sell-side agents and 78% of buy-side agents report their typical commissions fall within that band.
Big Picture
The Zoodealio-ResiClub survey results show a housing market in which buyer urgency is cooling, sellers are growing more motivated, and leverage is shifting back toward buyers. In the next 12 months, agents expect the most client segment growth from downsizers and move-up buyers. They also predict modest home price gains in the Northeast and Midwest; softer trends in the Southeast, Southwest, and West; and mortgage rates ending 2025 between 6% and 7%.
Post-2024 settlement, sentiment toward NAR is largely unfavorable, while commissions remain fairly stable.
If you dread the weekly grocery shop, or get sidetracked by fun snacks only to end up with no real meals, this might be the hack for you.
The 5-4-3-2-1 method gives shoppers like you a simple template the next time youre about to crash out in the produce aisle. Instead of tossing random items into the cart and realizing later you have nothing to cook, grab five vegetables, four fruits, three proteins, two starches, and one treat, and call it a day.
The idea is that everything can be mixed and matched for different meals, helping to cut costs and prevent food waste. Having a number in mind for each category brings just enough structure to make grocery shopping less stressful, and maybe even enjoyable.
The method traces back to content creator and chef Will Coleman, who posted a video of his grocery tips in 2023. He said he could make between four and six meals for two people for under $100 using the formula. Since then, others have tested out his method for themselves.
@chefwillco GROCERY SHOPPING TIPS FOR BEGINNERS (and those who are looking to save money.) If youre not the best at grocery shopping or never know what to get, dont sweat it or be embarrassed! Lets step up your game with my 5-4-3-2-1 method. Tag @Whole Foods Market in the comments if you think I should make this a series #adulting #tips #groceryshopping #hauls #howto #cooking #budget #nyc #budgetmeals #comewithme #vlog #explorepage #fyp #viral #nyc #comewithme original sound – Chef Will Coleman
A new poll from the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research finds that almost 90% of American adults are stressed about grocery costs, which means the viral hack couldnt have resurfaced at a better time.
The Consumer Price Index shows grocery prices are up 2.4% compared to last year. Instead of overspending on produce that goes bad at the back of the fridge, focus on staples: a bag of salad, broccoli, zucchini, onions, peppers. Add a few fruits like berries, bananas, kiwi, grapes. Throw some protein in your cart, like salmon, eggs, or tofu, as well as starches like rice or pasta.
Of course, youll likely need to buy more than 16 items in order to have a fully stocked kitchen. But its a great starting point for your grocery list if you tend to wander the aisles overwhelmed. On your way to checkout, dont forget something funa seasonal snack or sweet treatbecause you deserve it.
Monday, September 1, 2025, is Labor Day, which is one of 12 official federal holidays in the United States. The day is observed on the first Monday of every September.
Labor Day celebrates the labor movement in the United States and the contributions that workers of all stripes make to the country, to companies, and to the economy. It recognizes that America would not be the economic powerhouse that it is without the average worker.
However, in recent decades, Labor Days original purpose of celebrating Americas workforce has taken a back seat to commerce. Retailers often hold significant sales on Labor Day, with many choosing to remain open instead of closing for the holiday. Labor Day is also seen as the unofficial end to summer and the beginning of fall.
As for what is open and what is closed on Labor Day 2025, heres what you need to know.
Is Labor Day a federal holiday?
Yes. Labor Day is a federal holiday in the United States. It is one of the 12 federal holidays recognized by the U.S. government in 2025 (the previous being Independence Day on July 4 and the next being Columbus Day on October 13).
Since Labor Day is a federal holiday, many government institutions and offices will be closed for the day. However, other businesses may be open.
Are banks open on Labor Day?
No. Most banks will be closed on Labor Day as banks choose to observe federal holidays. This includes banks like Chase, Citi, PNC, Wells Fargo, and more. However, while bank branches will be closed, online banking services will be operating as normal.
Are ATMs open on Labor Day?
Yes, ATMs will continue to operate as normal on Labor Day. However, if you are going to need cash, it may be best to go to an ATM sooner rather than later. This is because on holiday weekends, ATMs tend to be used more heavily by those needing cash, so their internal cash reserves may get depleted faster than normal.
Is the post office open on Labor Day?
No. The United States Postal Service (USPS) is closed on Labor Day. As a federal organization, the USPS observes federal holidays and closes its postal branches.
Is mail delivered on Labor Day?
No. The United States Postal Service (USPS) wont be making mail deliveries on Labor Day.
Are FedEx and UPS operating on Labor Day?
Many FedEx services will be closed on Labor Day, according to the companys holiday schedule. This includes most FedEx locations as well as FedEx Freight. The company also says it will have modified FedEx Office services. However, its FedEx Custom Critical services will be running as normal.
UPS says it will have no pickup or delivery services on Labor Day, but its UPS Express Critical service will be operating as normal. The company also says its UPS stores may be closed, but its best to check with the location near you to see if it will have modified hours.
Is the U.S. stock market open on Labor Day?
No. U.S. stock markets will be closed on Labor Day. This includes the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and the Nasdaq. However, international stock markets will remain open, barring any public holidays in their respective countries today.
Are schools open on Labor Day?
No. Public schools in the United States will be closed on Labor Day. Most private schools should be closed as well.
Are restaurants open on Labor Day?
Expect nearly all chain fast food establishments and restaurants to remain open. This includes establishments such as McDonalds, Taco Bell, Chipotle, Burger King, and others.
However, many chains operate on a franchise model, allowing the franchisees to set their own opening hours. Its possible then that some franchise-owned stores may be closed.
Are retail stores open on Labor Day?
Nearly every big-box retailer will be open on Labor Day. This includes Best Buy, Target, Home Depot, Lowe’s, and Walmart.
However, there is one major omission from the list of open retailers: Costco. The warehouse goods giant will be closed on Labor Day, according to the companys holiday schedule.
Are pharmacies open on Labor Day?
Most chain pharmacies, including Walgreens and CVS, are expected to be open on Labor Day. However, it’s a good idea to check your local location to see if it will have modified hours. Similarly, smaller privately owned pharmacies may be closed, so its best to plan ahead.
Are grocery stores open on Labor Day?
Yes, most regional grocery stores are expected to be open on Labor Day. This includes Kroger, Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s, Aldi, and more. However, some locations may have altered schedules on Labor Day, so it’s best to call ahead to confirm the stores hours on Monday.
