Leadership Strategies for High-Performing Teams with CX Expert Matt Marcotte

In this episode, I sit down with Matt Marcotte — a seasoned retail and customer experience leader who has shaped some of the world’s most iconic brands. We explore what it really takes to build, scale, and transform organizations through culture, leadership, and a relentless focus on the customer. Matt shares insights from decades of navigating high-pressure environments, leading teams through disruption, and finding clarity in complexity.

Throughout our conversation, we dig into the mindset shifts leaders must make to succeed today, why experience is becoming a non-negotiable differentiator, and how the best organizations create consistency without stifling creativity. We also get personal: Matt opens up about his own evolution as a leader, where he’s gotten it wrong, and what he’s learned along the way. If you’re looking to elevate your leadership, rethink how you serve your customers, or simply hear a refreshingly honest perspective from someone who’s been in the trenches — this episode is for you.

Book Description

Built on Belief: Why Cultures of Commitment Are the Competitive Advantage

What drives truly successful organizations? It is not just products, processes, or profits—it is belief.

In Built on Belief, leadership advisor Matt Marcotte reminds us that people are a brand’s greatest asset. When leaders and teams align around a shared belief, commitment naturally follows—and commitment always outperforms compliance.

This book is for leaders who want to inspire collaboration instead of control, employees who thrive in connection, and customers who stay loyal because of meaningful experiences.

Marcotte doesn’t offer empty corporate jargon or quick-fix trends. Instead, he distills three decades of leadership lessons into practical, human-centered strategies, including:

• How to clarify and codify the beliefs that define your brand

• How to shift from box-checking compliance to genuine commitment

• How to inspire people with a shared North Star

If you want to lead a culture that begins in the heart, aligns the head, and moves through the hands of every person in your organization, Built on Belief is your guide.

Author Biography

Matt Marcotte is the founder of M2 Collaborative, a leadership coaching and brand strategy consultancy. Over more than 30 years in the C-suite, Matt has helped build, scale, and reinvent some of the most iconic brands in the world, including Apple, Gap, Tory Burch, Bergdorf Goodman, and Salesforce.

He teaches MBA students at Boston College—his alma mater—on the power of brand and consumer relationships. A Columbia University–trained coach, Matt has been recognized as one of RETHINK Retail’s 100 Most Influential People and a Thinkers360 Top 100 Thought Leader.

Matt brings both wisdom and warmth to his work, balancing strategic insight with an unwavering belief in people. He lives in Boston with his husband and their dog.

Connect with Matt on LinkedIn