Blog

This audio was recorded by AI.   At Outthinker, we sit at the table with executives and strategy experts, working together to dig beneath the surface and uncover the patterns and insights others overlook. As I pored over stock charts, consumer behavior shifts, and performance metrics in preparation for our upcoming Outthinker List, one story […]

This audio was recorded by AI.   I’ve spent the past two weeks moving between boardrooms from San Diego to Boston to Mexico City to New York, comparing notes with CEOs and CSOs on what actually worked in Q3 and which ideas carried across industries. As I prepare for London to attend the Outthinker Summit

This audio was recorded by AI.   In our Harvard Business Review article published last week, my coauthors and I established that most companies don’t lack ideas; they lack efficient idea marketplaces that can reliably connect people who know the problems with people who can solve them. Here’s the hard truth: when a company spots

This audio was recorded by AI.   I’m eating lunch at a restaurant in the Pallazzo Hotel in Las Vegas and thinking about the keynote address I’m delivering tomorrow. After a restorative August of deep work, I’m entering the season of movement again—Vegas, Colorado, San Diego, Boston—speech after speech, conversation after conversation. The November Outthinker

This audio was recorded by AI.   In my hunt for the top companies to round out the upcoming Outthinker List, I’ve discovered that Sprouts Farmers Market offers a masterclass in CLV-inspired success. The outlier in its industry, Sprouts wins by getting sharper, not bigger. While most grocers chase breadth and promotions, Sprouts narrowed the

This audio was recorded by AI.   Earlier this year, I began a journey. I set out to interview entrepreneurs who had achieved something extraordinarily rare: breaking through $500 million in revenue, with many going on to scale their companies past $1 billion. So far, I’ve spoken with about 20 CEOs who have done it,

This audio was recorded by AI.   To prepare for the upcoming Outthinker Summit in London on November 5, I’ve been diving deep into a question that’s fascinated me for years: why do some companies surge ahead while others, with similar resources and opportunities, struggle to keep pace? It’s a search for the patterns, practices,

This audio was recorded by AI.   When investors talk about Urban Outfitters, Inc. (URBN) — the company that operates a portfolio of brands including its namesake Urban Outfitters, Anthropologie and Free People — the conversation often starts with volatility. Retail is a fickle business, tethered to shifting tastes and exposed to margin pressure from

This audio was recorded by AI.   What do Amazon’s recommendations, Celestica’s strategic pivot, and your Spotify Discover Weekly playlist all have in common? They’re reflections of a world that no longer sees customers as one-time transactions but as relationships. In today’s data-rich, digitally connected economy, the metric that matters most isn’t revenue or margin.

This audio was recorded by AI.   You may not recognize Celestica’s name, but odds are your digital life runs through them. Whether you’re streaming a video, backing up your phone, or accessing the cloud, the underlying infrastructure was likely designed, assembled, or managed by Celestica. The company is one of the world’s largest electronics