Digital-First Leadership

The hardest part of leadership is not the big decision, it’s making it when you have nowhere safe to think out loud. We sit down with Andy Scott, a Vistage chair in the San Francisco Bay Area, to unpack why peer advisory groups have become a quiet advantage for CEOs and senior executives who want better judgment, stronger teams, and real accountability without hidden agendas. If you’ve ever felt t...

When everything looks the same, your brain tunes it out. When something is different, it gets noticed and remembered. That's the von Restorff effect, and it explains a lot about why most LinkedIn content gets ignored. This matters right now because AI is making everything look the same.  I told Nancy that every client I work with insists they need an image on their LinkedIn post.  And I ask t...

You can’t stand out online with the same polished lines everyone else uses. Claude turns the tables and interviews me about what actually happens when you try to “sound more human” with AI and why most people fail on the first try: they serve the boardroom version of themselves. We unpack the cliché laundering problem, where AI doesn’t fix generic messaging it can amplify it unless you explicitly...

AI doesn’t feel like a new app anymore. It feels like a new coworker and sometimes a brutally honest one. I sit down with Damien Riehl, a lawyer since 2002 and a product builder at Clio, to map what’s changing right now in legal work, sales work, and everyday leadership as AI accelerates from “helpful tool” to “full workflow.”  Damien breaks down Clio’s legal technology and Vincent, an AI system d...

My Claude AI walks onto the show as the guest and we keep it fully unscripted. Not a demo, not a parlor trick, but a real conversation about what leaders are missing when they say they’re “comfortable with AI” while only using it to write emails or summarize docs. I’m joined by Claude, using a generated voice with full transparency, to talk about the difference between getting answers and building...

Nancy Harhut is one of my favorite people to talk to. She wrote Using Behavioral Science in Marketing, a book my wife reads on vacation and my daughter was reading on maternity leave. When I tell you this woman's work validates everything I've been teaching about how people make decisions online, I mean it. In this conversation, we got into some territory I don't usually cover on th...

Career bets shouldn’t hinge on hopeful demos. We sit down with enterprise sales veteran Leon Treffler to examine why the traditional software deal stacks the deck in favor of the seller, leaving buyers to absorb the delivery risk, the politics, and the career fallout. From RFP theater to pocket vetoes, Leon breaks down the quiet mechanics that turn a straightforward purchase into a political campa...

Welcome to Digital First Leadership! I'm your host, Richard Bliss, and today we're diving into the essentials of effective online engagement for leaders of all stripes—from large corporations to solopreneurs. Joining me is a uniquely special guest, Austin Grammon, cofounder and president of SpeakerFlow, a CRM package tailored specifically for the professional speaking industry. In this e...

In this episode, Richard Bliss is joined by Zach Seipert, a marketing and communication specialist with a wealth of knowledge in word-of-mouth marketing. Together, they delve into the powerful impact of word-of-mouth marketing, emphasizing its influence on consumer decision-making, the importance of authenticity, and the strategic opportunities it presents for businesses. From dissecting influenti...

In today’s episode, Richard is joined by Karine Abbou, a content marketing consultant and a former lawyer and entrepreneur. She has years of experience in conceiving, launching, and implementing B2B content projects and marketing strategies. Karine is the founder of the French Content Marketing Academy, and the author of the book, Content Marketing, The American Methodology. Richard and Karine dis...

This crossover episode brings together two powerhouse podcasts. Join our hosts Richard Bliss from “Digital-First Leadership” and Lia Bliss from “Master Your Bliss Life” as they unravel game-changing concepts that will redefine how you present yourself personally and professionally. Ever wondered why some LinkedIn profiles grab your attention while others fade into the background? Richard and Lia d...

In this episode, Richard is joined by Sandee Rodriguez, a promotional marketing consultant and the owner of D and S Designs. She's also the founder and business advisor of Sandee Solves and leads the CEO Council's high-level masterminds for successful women founders. Listen in as they cover promotional marketing and uncover strategies to elevate your branding efforts. In the world of pro...

On this episode, Richard is joined by Lisa Apolinski, co-author of The Most Amazing Marketing Book Ever, along with Richard and over 30 other experts in marketing. Lisa shares her insights on the importance of customer experience in the digital world, emphasizing the need to make customer experiences personal and build trust through human connection. They discuss the risks of underestimating the p...

In this episode, Richard sits down with guest Ian Anderson Gray, who collaborated with over 30 experts to write The Most Amazing Marketing Book Ever. If you're a beginner in live streaming, this episode is a must-listen. Ian's most basic advice is to keep it simple and start without waiting for fancy equipment. Join the conversation as they tackle the importance of authenticity, overcomi...

On this episode of Digital-First Leadership, host Richard Bliss welcomes award-winning Corporate Communications and Marketing Innovator, Dan Nestle. Dan emphasizes the importance of companies becoming a publisher and being able to tell their own stories, as traditional PR methods of getting media coverage are becoming less effective and costly. By focusing on publishing their own stories through o...

In this episode of Digital-First Leadership, Richard’s guest is Jeff Tarran, the COO of Gunderson Direct, one of the US's largest independent direct mail agencies. For over 25 years, he's helped businesses of all sizes, from startups to Fortune 500 companies, start and grow successful mail programs. Today's discussion with a co-author of The Most Amazing Marketing Book Ever emphasiz...

In this episode, Richard Bliss is joined by Katelyn Richards, founder of Crafted Careers. Katelyn’s focus and expertise are in employee retention, advocacy, and talent acquisition using the LinkedIn platform. Companies that have succeeded on LinkedIn have utilized LinkedIn’s untapped potential as a platform for turning employees into brand advocates. Richard and Katelyn’s discussion includes findi...

In this episode, Richard is joined by Giuseppe Fratoni & Al Boyle, who co-authored a chapter in The Most Amazing Marketing Book Ever in collaboration with Richard and other experts in marketing. Giuseppe and Al wrote Chapter 13: Create a Powerful Marketing Message to Grab Your Ideal Client's Attention. Their chapter covers the differences and similarities between copywriting and messaging...

In this episode, Richard Bliss is joined by Patricia Fripp. Patricia, the author of “Deliver Unforgettable Presentations,” specializes in turning brilliant executives, engineers, and experts in all fields into corporate rock stars. As Patricia says in the interview, “The most important part is building your confidence that you are a charismatic speaker. You cannot expect to be good at any skill th...

In this episode of Digital-First Leadership, Keith Gilbert joins Richard. Keith is a specialist in sales enablement. One of the things that leaders find challenging today, particularly in this selling environment, is how to teach their team to find their customers, engage with them, and talk to them. There are three key elements for companies to build a comprehensive sales enablement program, and...

If you want to find a platform to share your message with the world, look no further than Podcast Hawk, co-founded by the dynamic Stewart Townsend, who joins me today on Digital First Leadership. While LinkedIn is an excellent platform for sharing your ideas, nothing beats having a genuine conversation with your audience, and that's exactly what a podcast offers. Whether you're a solopre...

In this episode, Richard Bliss and Richard van der Blom announce a soon-to-be-released book they are co-authoring. It will be packed with immediately useable strategies to use LinkedIn effectively. LinkedIn is not just a platform for finding jobs. There is so much untapped potential on LinkedIn for social selling, finding and connecting with prospects, finding buyers, as well as finding hires. Thi...

Susanne Tedrick is my guest in this episode of Digital First Leadership. She advocates for women of color entering the tech industry and helps make the transition less intimidating. Susanne is the author of Women of Color in Tech and will soon publish another book, Innovating for Diversity, in April 2023. Richard and Susanne discuss how women of color can prepare for these careers and discuss some...

In this episode, Richard is joined by Robbie Fitzwater, who is a professor in the marketing MBA program at Clemson University and the founder of MKTG RHYTHM. Robbie's company focuses on helping eCommerce businesses develop marketing campaigns. Today's conversation revolves around digital marketing strategies and what's happening in the business world, particularly SaaS and the subsc...

In this episode of the Digital First Leader Podcast, Richard and Shep Hyken, a customer service experience expert, a Wall Street Journal and New York Times best-selling author, and an award-winning keynote speaker, talk about customer experience. In Shep's newest book, "I'll Be Back -  How to Get Customers to Come Back Again and Again," the point is clear: rather than just meas...