About this episode

The episode explores the importance of designing love into business practices for better outcomes, featuring insights from Marcus Buckingham and Lifang He.

This week, we dive into the architecture of trust, brand, and why the most resilient organizations don’t rely on quick fixes. We revisit the case of Johnson & Johnson’s Tylenol crisis, looking beyond textbook crisis management to the underlying fabric of a company built on values that withstand disaster. We’re joined by Marcus Buckingham , author of Design Love In , who reveals why “love” isn’t just a luxury in business, but the essential driver of extreme positive outcomes—far beyond mere employee engagement or customer satisfaction. Marcus challenges us to take love seriously, backing it with data, and offers a blueprint for designing it into day-to-day experiences. We also talk with Lifang He , author of Brand Power Built In . Drawing on her experience at Apple, Amazon, and Ring, she argues compellingly that the strongest brands emerge not from a logo or a campaign, but from products meticulously embedded with care and meaning across every customer touchpoint. Throughout both conversations, we interrogate the difference between what’s built in and what’s simply bolted on—and why every leader should care about which side of that divide they’re on. Five Key Learnings “Love”…

People in this episode

Host: Todd Henry

Guests: Marcus Buckingham, Lifang He

Topics covered

• trust
• brand
• organizational resilience
• employee engagement
• customer satisfaction
• designing experiences

Keywords

• trust
• brand
• love in business
• employee loyalty
• customer retention
• crisis management
• organizational values

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Johnson & Johnson, Apple, Amazon, Ring

Products: Tylenol

Books & works: Design Love In, Brand Power Built In

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