Everyone loves talking about “culture.” Most leaders don’t actually build one.

Tonight’s national championship isn’t being decided by hype speeches or talent alone. It’s being decided by standards, the kind most organizations say they have but don’t enforce.

In this week’s Insights episode, I break down what Curt Cignetti’s leadership teaches us about winning:

• Why motivation is overrated

• How performance earns opportunity (not potential)

• The danger of hiring résumé instead of fit

• How belief is built with proof, not posters

• Why calm leaders outperform loud ones

Five minutes. One story. Five takeaways.

If your culture collapses under pressure, don’t blame your people. Blame your standards.

Listen before the game. Then ask yourself, would your team win tonight?

Read Emil’s book Leading With Trust:

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Visit Us at: ⁠ThinkNewAmsterdam.

He’s been behind some of the biggest power shifts in modern sports, yet most people have never heard his name.

Free agency, athlete compensation, equal pay, and structural reform didn’t result from clever words at the table. They came from leverage built long before negotiations even began. Nearly 70% of his most important cases never went to trial; they settled because the system itself was under pressure.

In the latest episode of Insights, I break down how he approaches negotiation, how he builds leverage before the conversation, shapes the narrative to shift power, anchors decisions in objective standards, and negotiates for systems rather than just one-time wins.

If you lead, influence decisions, or negotiate at any level, this episode will change how you prepare for your next conversation.

Most people still see AI as just a research tool for negotiations, but that belief is outdated.

In 2024, Amazon announced that AI agents were negotiating supplier contracts and cloud-service pricing directly with partners, analyzing patterns, adjusting concessions, and closing deals more quickly and sometimes more effectively than human teams. This wasn’t just experimentation. It was operational. It worked.

Negotiation is no longer solely a human skill. It’s evolving into a hybrid approach: partly strategic, partly relationship-focused, and partly AI-led.

In this Insights episode, we examine what AI negotiators can currently do, how they will transform deal-making, and what leaders must begin doing now to remain competitive as AI progresses from being an assistant to an active participant.

Read Emil’s book Leading With Trust:

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Sign up for the Insights email: ⁠ThinkNewAmsterdam.com⁠.

As we wrap up the year and get ready for 2026, here’s a quick five-minute boost for anyone looking to lead with more clarity, calm, and purpose.

This week’s Insights episode uses the eagle-and-crow metaphor in a fresh, practical way, transforming it into five actions leaders can apply right away to rise above the chaos, conserve their energy, strengthen their teams, and foster an environment where great work thrives.

If you want a quick, meaningful reset to start the new year on the right foot, give this episode a listen.

Read Emil’s book Leading With Trust:

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⁠Barnes & Noble⁠

Sign up for the Insights email: ⁠ThinkNewAmsterdam.com⁠.

Remaining calm in a negotiation is wise… until it becomes the reason you’re being exploited.

There’s always a moment when the other side tests your boundaries. They push past fairness, assuming you’ll keep giving ground.

That’s when you need what I call a Conviction Spike, a controlled burst of intensity that clearly shows your value isn’t negotiable.

It’s not about losing control; it’s about resetting respect and shifting leverage back in your favor.

In this Insights episode, I explain when the Conviction Spike works, how to use it without damaging the relationship, and why top negotiators rely on it more than you might think.

Read Emil’s book Leading With Trust:

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Sign up for the Insights email: ⁠ThinkNewAmsterdam.com⁠.

Outstanding leadership doesn’t occur by chance; it’s developed through purpose, humility, and daily decisions that add up to excellence.

That idea really resonated with me when my twins recently attended a Penn State wrestling match against Drexel, connecting our family’s history (Doug Frey '53) with today’s leading college program.

This week on Insights, we examine Cael Sanderson’s leadership blueprint and what any leader can learn from it.

Five minutes. One compelling story. Five useful insights you can apply today.

If you want a quick, meaningful boost to your week, this is it.

Read Emil’s book Leading With Trust:

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Sign up for the Insights email: ⁠ThinkNewAmsterdam.com⁠.

Many leaders cut costs to protect the present but forget that these same cuts can quietly weaken the future.

Cost discipline is smart and responsible. However, when it becomes a fundamental part of the culture and every decision is based on “what’s cheapest” instead of “what creates value,” the organization doesn’t become leaner; it becomes smaller.

Innovation slows down. Risk tolerance collapses. Builders leave. Suddenly, the company is no longer prioritizing the mission; it’s focused on protecting the margins.

In this week’s episode of Insights, we explore how well-intentioned cost-cutting can lead to cultural drift, why great talent often senses it first, and how strong leaders can stabilize today without sacrificing tomorrow.

Read Emil’s book Leading With Trust:

⁠Amazon⁠

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Sign up for the Insights email: ⁠ThinkNewAmsterdam.com⁠.

Silence isn’t awkward; it’s powerful.

In negotiations, and meetings, we often rush to speak, defend, or fill space. But research from MIT Sloan shows that even a three-second pause can transform outcomes. It creates space to think, listen, and discover value neither side had recognized before.

In this Insights episode, I explore how deliberate silence can change the tone, tempo, and results of your most important conversations.

Read Emil’s book Leading With Trust:

⁠Amazon⁠

⁠Barnes & Noble⁠

Sign up for the Insights email: ⁠ThinkNewAmsterdam.com⁠.