Why the Loudest Leader Isn’t Always the Strongest!
For Retail Leaders Who Refuse to Plateau!
Sponsored by Bellwether, Simplesat.io and Nexlytix
Empty Wagons Make the Most Noise!
Yesterday, I was catching up with my brother Stan. During our conversation we spoke about everything, including leadership.
He then mentioned something I hadn’t heard before in this context:
“Empty wagons make the most noise.”
He was talking about presence.
The kind of presence that doesn’t need to dominate a room to make an impact.
In leadership I've learned that the loudest voice isn't always the most confident or capable one.
Often, it’s the most insecure.
Both of us being former military, Stan a Marine and myself in the Air Force, we saw this play out throughout our careers.
We both believe the best leaders don’t need to prove how much they know - they show it in how they listen, how they develop others, and how they handle hard conversations without making everything about them.
Noise is easy. Substance is quieter and more powerful.
Thanks, Stan. That one’s staying with me.
Trusted Tools & Insights
The Comment That Changed Everything
A few years ago, I walked into one of our top-performing stores, everything looked sharp, metrics were green, and the team seemed dialed in.
I was proud. Confident. Until a casual customer comment changed everything.
She wasn’t angry. She wasn’t dramatic. She just said it in passing as she walked out:
“You guys are always nice, but I never feel like anyone’s listening.”
That hit me harder than any NPS score ever had.
I remember sitting in the back office later that day, thinking: How long has this been true? And how many other customers felt the same but never said it out loud?
We’d been measuring performance—but not perception. And those are not the same thing.
That moment taught me something: the most dangerous kind of feedback is the kind you never hear. Because you can’t fix what you can’t feel.
That’s why, to this day, I’m a firm believer in making real-time feedback part of how leaders lead, not once a quarter, not when the data is cleaned up, but as close to the truth as you can get it.
Tools like Simplesat make that possible.
Not just for customer service teams, but for leaders who want to know what’s working, feel what’s missing, and move faster toward what matters.
Watch the clip with Simplesat’s Head of Growth - Eric Sangerma
Watch full episode: HERE
Listen to full episode: HERE
2025 - Retail Leadership Development Study
On May 15th, we released this study;
621 Global Retail Leaders
10,577 Data Points
One clear message: RETAILERS ARE ONLY PREPARING LEADERS ENOUGH TO FUNCTION ... BUT NOT ENOUGH TO FLOURISH.
During the Newstore Endless Aisle Live Conference in London, I was able outline a few major takeaways from the study. Be on the lookout, I’m creating an entire podcast series for the study.
DOWNLOAD STUDY HERE
Most leaders are tired of being unseen, passed over, or just plain neglected. A high percentage of leaders want to grow and desire to be developed at a higher level.
However, their company only provides them with the resources and content relevant to their company.
What you need is - custom, relevant coaching and training that considers you and your schedule.
This is an absolute truth!!