A few weeks ago, Carol Marshall, COO at Active Engage, gave me a mantra that's reshaping how I think about leadership: "No throwaway work."
Her CTO coined it, but Carol's team has embraced it as their north star for resource allocation. This simple phrase has fundamentally changed how everyone at Active Engage evaluates every decision that crosses their desk.
Active Engage has agents who've been with them for seven years. In an industry where turnover is the norm, they've cracked retention through something surprisingly simple: trust.
"The hardest part is earning the trust of the folks that you work with," Carol told me. "People know that there's a mission before us. It's not Survivor Island where everyone is left wondering who's getting voted off next."
Operating in the automotive industry—where buying a car ranks as the second most painful experience behind going to the dentist—they've built their business around overcoming decades of bad reputation through one core mission:
"Create meaningful conversations that generate trust and action."
Apply that phrase to your next board meeting. Your next team restructuring. Your next budget allocation. Are you creating meaningful conversations that generate trust and action, or just managing through PowerPoint presentations?
Whether managing employees or customers, Carol identified two universal barriers every leader faces: fear and mistrust. These aren't industry-specific challenges—they're human challenges in every boardroom and customer interaction.
"You have to overcome that fear and mistrust," Carol explained. "We look at ourselves like a hostess in a restaurant—to meet and greet that guest and make them feel comfortable."
Your role isn't just strategic—it's hospitality. You're the hostess for every stakeholder interaction. The question: Are you making people feel comfortable moving forward with your vision, or reinforcing their fears about change and uncertainty?
As someone who runs an AI-based company, I was fascinated by Carol's perspective on human-AI balance. Active Engage is 100% human-based in an increasingly automated world, and they're not apologizing for it.
"Shoppers want to know they were heard and understood," Carol said. "Until we rephrase and restate 'This is what I heard you asking about,' they don't move forward."
Her drive-through analogy made it click: "If I order a peach milkshake, I wait to hear my order back before I move forward. I won't move until I know you got my order right."
This isn't anti-AI thinking—it's strategic AI thinking. They're piloting AI digital assistants to help human agents find inventory faster. They understand that AI handles the transaction while humans handle the trust-building.
The strategic question for every C-suite leader: Where do you need AI for efficiency, and where do you need humans for trust? Companies that master this balance will dominate their markets.
Carol's team evaluates every decision with three questions:
But great leaders don't ask these questions in isolation. Carol's process involves executive discussion, departmental input, and then—because she's "the most impatient person here"—she goes around asking everyone what they're thinking.
"Nine out of 10 times, everyone's thinking the same. We coalesce around the same decision. Then it's time to get moving."
This isn't consensus-building paralysis. This is strategic alignment that accelerates execution.
When I asked what typically derails their decision-making, Carol's answer was immediate: "Problems always come down to communication. Always."
She identified three specific breakdowns:
This hit home…I communicate in ASAP constantly. But when my team gives me actual dates, I accept them. It starts with the CEO setting better communication standards.
Carol shared something every C-suite leader thinking about AI ROI should hear: They're moving beyond using AI to help agents work faster. Now they're using AI for what it does best—analysis and reporting.
This creates new revenue streams rather than just reducing costs. They're not replacing humans—they're amplifying human insights to create completely new value propositions for clients.
Carol ended with advice every C-suite leader needs:
"Be steady. Do not fear. I will not make a decision based on fear, personally or professionally."
How many decisions do we make from fear versus steady confidence? How often do we react to headlines instead of staying focused on what we actually bring to the table?
Audit your last five major decisions through Carol's "no throwaway work" lens. How many will serve you for a year or more? How many created meaningful conversations that generated trust and action?
After interviewing dozens of successful leaders, I've learned: The best decisions aren't just strategic—they're relational. They don't just move numbers—they move people. They don't just solve today's problems—they build tomorrow's capabilities.
The companies that master this balance will thrive. The ones that don't will become throwaway work themselves.
P.S. If Carol's "no throwaway work" philosophy resonates with you, share this newsletter with your leadership team. Sometimes the most powerful frameworks come in the simplest packages.
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Until next time, keep questioning, keep growing, and keep leading with purpose!
