About this episode

Marcus Buckingham discusses the importance of emotional connection in customer loyalty and the concept of the Love Threshold.

👉 NEW EPISODES COMING UP IN SEPTEMBER. Marcus Buckingham — one of the most influential researchers on human performance — just published something that stopped me. Human behavior does not change in response to mildly positive experiences. It only changes when someone says: I love this. Not "I like this." Not "this was good." Love. And most companies are spending all their energy moving people from bad to okay — while ignoring the ones who already love them. Harvard Business Review, May/June 2026. Marcus Buckingham. Outcomes — loyalty, performance, advocacy — accelerate only after crossing a critical emotional threshold. Below it: forgettable. Above it: irreplaceable. Five conditions create love: Control, Harmony, Significance, Warmth, Growth. What We Cover in This Episode Why incremental improvement is spinning your wheels — and what the Love Threshold actually is The five conditions that create love — in customers and employees equally Two restaurants in Berlin, one weekend, two extremes: Love Threshold crossed vs. shattered Why love is the core ingredient of Human Experience Design — like the tomato in Italian cuisine The biggest mistake: studying your detractors while…

People in this episode

Host: Peggy Amelung

Guest: Marcus Buckingham

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Harvard Business Review

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