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January 2026

From Fixed to Flourishing: How Leaders Build Teams That Embrace Growth

/ 10 minutes of reading

As we kick off 2026, I’ve been thinking about an uncomfortable truth: the biggest limitation on most teams isn’t talent, resources, or market conditions—it’s the invisible beliefs team members hold about their own potential. After spending three decades building and leading teams across multiple industries, I’ve watched countless smart leaders inadvertently create cultures where …

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What Rock, Paper, Scissors Can Teach Us About Marketing

/ 5 minutes of reading

As we settle into 2026, I’ve been thinking about an unlikely source of marketing wisdom: the game of Rock, Paper, Scissors. Recent neuroscience research reveals that this simple game, which we’ve all played as children and adults, is actually a microcosm of human decision-making under competition—and the insights have direct implications for how we …

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The Sunk Cost Trap: When Loyalty to a Bad Bet Drains Your Future Growth

/ 6 minutes of reading

You’ve invested eighteen months and $2 million into a product that was supposed to revolutionize your category. Customer pilots came back lukewarm. Your team keeps finding reasons why next quarter will be different. But pulling the plug means admitting those 18 months were wasted—and nobody wants to be the executive who burned through capital …

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The Halo Effect: Why Your Best Hire Might Be Your Worst Decision

/ 6 minutes of reading

January’s here, which makes this the perfect time to address one of the most expensive biases in business. The fresh start effect—a behavioral science principle showing that temporal landmarks like New Year’s Day boost our motivation to change—gives us that extra push to tackle hard truths (Dai et al., 2014). Here’s one worth facing: …

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RICH SMITH'S BlOG

Award winning Chief Marketing Officer, Founder, and Investor with a history of building profitable companies and top-tier brands for the financial services, fintech, data, martech, health care, insurance, and consumer financial products industries.  

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