With the eyes of the world on Italy for the 25th edition of the Winter Olympics, which events are you looking forward to? In the spirit of previous leadership series here on my blog, I've asked a dozen leadership and marketing experts to respond to five questions with the hope that both the questions and answers lead you to think about leadership, personal branding, and the Olympics in new and interesting ways.
For today's post, I'd like to introduce Dan Gingiss, based in Chicago, an international keynote speaker and customer experience coach who believes that a remarkable customer experience can be a brand's best form of marketing. His 25-year professional career has consistently focused on delighting customers, spanning multiple disciplines including customer experience, marketing, social media, and customer service at companies such as McDonald’s, Discover, and Humana. Dan's books provide practical tools to build loyalty, spark word-of-mouth, and grow businesses through remarkable experiences.
QUESTION: What is your favorite WINTER Olympics sport, and why?
DAN GINGISS: My favorite Winter Olympics sport has to be downhill skiing. There’s something mesmerizing about watching athletes push themselves to the limit — balancing speed, precision, and control on a razor’s edge. It reminds me a lot of business and customer experience. To deliver something truly remarkable, you’ve got to take calculated risks, stay laser-focused, and trust your preparation even when the terrain changes beneath you.
I love how downhill skiers commit fully — once they push off that starting gate, there’s no turning back. That’s the mindset I try to bring into my work: commit to the experience, stay present in every twist and turn, and make the ride unforgettable for the audience.
QUESTION: What WINTER Olympics sport most “visually” demonstrates teamwork, and why?
DAN GINGISS: For me, it’s synchronized skating. You’ve got multiple athletes moving as one, adapting in real time, and making split-second adjustments while staying beautifully aligned. That’s what great CX cultures do — they synchronize across departments so the customer experiences seamless grace, not internal chaos. The best teams make the hard work invisible and the experience effortless.
QUESTION: According to Suzanne Robb, COO of Alloy, “Define what victory means to you, and keep that vision in mind. You’re the one who gets to determine when you’re making progress, what success means, and what your focus should be. When you get a win, take time to celebrate. In business as if life, you’ve got to run your own race.” With this quote in mind, which Winter Olympics event or result stands out in your memory, and why?
DAN GINGISS: The one that sticks with me is the U.S. men’s curling team winning gold in 2018. Nobody expected them to win — they weren’t the favorites, they just kept showing up, learning from every mistake, and staying focused on their own race. That perfectly reflects Suzanne’s point: you define your own version of victory For them, victory wasn’t about beating Canada or Sweden — it was about constant progress and trust in their process. That mindset is gold for business leaders too.
QUESTION: During the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, entertainer and businessman Snoop Dogg used the hashtag #FollowTheDogg and shared his Olympic experiences on social media. My favorite story and related photos were when he and friend Martha Stewart dressed in equestrian clothing and attended the dressage competition. According to reports, Snoop’s involvement was intended to attract a new audience to the Olympics. If you were in charge of the Winter Olympics, who would you invite to attract a new audience, and why?
DAN GINGISS: I’d bring in Ryan Reynolds. He’s mastered the art of storytelling that’s equal parts witty, immersive, shareable, and extraordinary — the exact ingredients of my WISE framework for creating remarkable experiences. Reynolds has a gift for taking any brand or event and making it culturally relevant without losing sincerity. He’d find the human moments in the competition, celebrate the athletes, and create those shareable stories that make people say, “I need to watch this.” And since we’re talking experience — I’d have him co-host social media live streams with Olympians after their events, turning fans into participants. That’s how you turn a broadcast into an experience.
QUESTION: The 2026 Winter Olympics will be the first Olympic Games under the leadership of International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Kirsty Coventry. She is a former Zimbabwean politician, sports administrator, and former Olympic swimmer and world record holder. She is also the first woman, first Zimbabwean, and the first African to serve as IOC President. According to Reuters, “Kirsty Coventry smashed through the IOC’s glass ceiling in March 2025 to become the organization’s first female President in its 130-year history.” What are your thoughts about this development for the world’s biggest multi-sport organization – and its future?
DAN GINGISS: I think it’s wonderful — and a long-overdue change in perspective. Kirsty Coventry brings lived experience from regions and communities that haven’t always had a voice on the global sports stage. That’s going to reshape the Olympic experience itself — how athletes are supported, how fans are engaged, and how the Games evolve for future generations.
Just like in business, when leaders understand that every customer base is diverse in almost any way you can define diversity, then companies develop better products and marketing. Not everyone uses the same products, or even the same product the same way (I often think about how every single Apple iPhone home screen is unique). Smart companies realize this and adapt to expand their audience; I'm sure Kirsty will do the same for the Olympics.
SHARE THIS: Just like in business, when leaders understand that every customer base is diverse in almost any way you can define diversity, then companies develop better products and marketing. ~Dan Gingiss #OlympicsLeadershipSeries2026 #DebbieLaskeysBlog
SHARE THIS: The Olympic Games have the power to unite us because we can all find something inspirational or something we can relate to in each athlete’s story, whether it’s a story of success or of disappointment. –Tatjana Schoenmaker (South Africa’s most decorated Olympian) #OlympicsLeadershipSeries2026 #DebbieLaskeysBlog
A final reminder, as you watch the competitions, make a note on your calendar to swing by #DebbieLaskeysBlog each day through February 22nd for leadership and marketing inspiration. A small interruption to the series will take place on February 20th to celebrate "National Leadership Day," then the Olympics series returns on February 21st. A series recap will be featured on February 22nd. Enjoy the Olympics!
Image Credit: Olympics.
Read Dan's previous appearance here on my blog:
The Alignment Between Customer Experiences and Marketing (October 4, 2021)
https://www.debbielaskeysblog.com/2021/10/the-alignment-between-customer.html
Check out Dan's blog:
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