In this episode of The Inspire Podcast, Bart speaks with Barry LaBov—CEO, founder, author, and former rock musician and producer—about his new book The Power of Differentiation. Barry explains why differentiation is critical for brands, businesses, and leaders, and how clarity around what makes you unique is essential in today’s crowded marketplace
He shares stories from his early days in the music industry and his unexpected transition into marketing, highlighting how great bands, great companies, and great leaders all know what makes them distinctively unique, and they double down on it. Barry also walks through his approach to finding and naming your differentiators, and why leaders must launch and celebrate them by engaging the people who bring them to life.
Whether you want your business to stand out or you’re looking to elevate your own leadership brand, Barry’s insights offer practical guidance for differentiating in an increasingly crowded marketplace.
Shote Notes:
00:22 Show intro
00:56 Introducing Barry
02:05 What is differentiation?
02:53 It's so important today to have authenticity
03:15 Harley Davidson's differentiation
03:58 Elon Musk
04:42 Bart talks about differentiating brands
04:59 Music and unique artists
06:07 Barry's early days in a band and as a producer
06:58 Wrote songs for famous performers
07:19 Band members were all doing something unique
07:47 From music to marketing
09:49 Someone asked him to take on a marketing role – and he declined!
10:18 We trust YOU
10:49 Writing a book
11:09 Why write the book on differentiation?
11:48 How the COVID great resignation changed his thinking
12:11 Hearts, minds and market share
12:46 How can people discover their unique proposition?
13:20 Talk to humans about the brand
14:21 Observing the biz to see what is unique
14:53 Example of a unique process in a business
15:50 Jam session with the client
16:07 Taking the differentiators and executing in marketing and business
16:21 The Launch
16:26 Launch to the most important people first
16:58 You're often too close to your own work to see the differentiators
17:47 How to do this personally
19:08 These are things I do well — but it's not for everyone!
20:14 Celebrating your differentiators
24:03 Morale slipping — leaders need to reframe
25:26 How to maintain enthusiasm for your core strengths
25:57 Don't wait for the holiday party — tell them every day
26:28 Don't talk about profit unless you are sharing it
27:03 Cheerleading vs authentic celebration
28:41 Music acts that are unique today
30:53 Where can people get more
31:28 Thank-yous and outro
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In this episode of The Inspire Podcast, Bart speaks with Barry LaBov—CEO, founder, author, and former rock musician and producer—about his new book The Power of Differentiation. Barry explains why differentiation is critical for brands, businesses, and leaders, and how clarity around what makes you unique is essential in today’s crowded marketplace
He shares stories from his early days in the music industry and his unexpected transition into marketing, highlighting how great bands, great companies, and great leaders all know what makes them distinctively unique, and they double down on it. Barry also walks through his approach to finding and naming your differentiators, and why leaders must launch and celebrate them by engaging the people who bring them to life.
Whether you want your business to stand out or you’re looking to elevate your own leadership brand, Barry’s insights offer practical guidance for differentiating in an increasingly crowded marketplace.
Shote Notes:
00:22 Show intro
00:56 Introducing Barry
02:05 What is differentiation?
02:53 It's so important today to have authenticity
03:15 Harley Davidson's differentiation
03:58 Elon Musk
04:42 Bart talks about differentiating brands
04:59 Music and unique artists
06:07 Barry's early days in a band and as a producer
06:58 Wrote songs for famous performers
07:19 Band members were all doing something unique
07:47 From music to marketing
09:49 Someone asked him to take on a marketing role – and he declined!
10:18 We trust YOU
10:49 Writing a book
11:09 Why write the book on differentiation?
11:48 How the COVID great resignation changed his thinking
12:11 Hearts, minds and market share
12:46 How can people discover their unique proposition?
13:20 Talk to humans about the brand
14:21 Observing the biz to see what is unique
14:53 Example of a unique process in a business
15:50 Jam session with the client
16:07 Taking the differentiators and executing in marketing and business
16:21 The Launch
16:26 Launch to the most important people first
16:58 You're often too close to your own work to see the differentiators
17:47 How to do this personally
19:08 These are things I do well — but it's not for everyone!
20:14 Celebrating your differentiators
24:03 Morale slipping — leaders need to reframe
25:26 How to maintain enthusiasm for your core strengths
25:57 Don't wait for the holiday party — tell them every day
26:28 Don't talk about profit unless you are sharing it
27:03 Cheerleading vs authentic celebration
28:41 Music acts that are unique today
30:53 Where can people get more
31:28 Thank-yous and outro
S7 E4: Why Leaders Need to Tap into the Power of Stories with Patricio Larrea and Athulya Pulimood
The Inspire Podcast
43 minutes 22 seconds
6 months ago
S7 E4: Why Leaders Need to Tap into the Power of Stories with Patricio Larrea and Athulya Pulimood
In this episode, Bart welcomes two members of The Humphrey Group to talk about the rise of storytelling as a leadership imperative and why great stories exist inside you.
Patricio opens the conversation by sharing why storytelling has become an increasingly critical skill for leaders in this day and age. A trend that the rise of AI has only accelerated. Athulya builds on this by explaining why storytelling has always been something that is more memorable and impactful than just sharing information and data. Together, they introduce the STORY framework, a new tool developed by THG at the heart of The Power of Stories program, and break down how both Star Wars and real-life business stories can follow the same powerful structure. They show how even those who feel like they don’t have stories can tap into meaningful experiences and turn them into powerful narratives.
Whether you're a seasoned executive or just starting your leadership journey, this episode will make you a more effective and confident storyteller no matter what role you hold or what industry you are in.
Learn more about The Power of Stories program here: https://www.thehumphreygroup.com/storytelling-for-leaders
Show Notes
1:17 Welcoming guests to the show
3:10 When did you first realize how important storytelling was?
7:23 Why stories are powerful
7:27 Our brains are wired for stories
7:42 The research behind it
8:47 Why is storytelling more relevant now than ever before
9:03 Social media has changed the way we connect
9:32 15% of social media posts — influenced by AI
10:07 When you tell a story, you connect
11:00 Building trust as a leader
11:21 Showing vulnerability
12:07 Stories stick
12:27 People remember stories, not data
15:16 A framework for building storytelling skills
15:45 A lot of stories SUCK!
16:38 S: Situation
16:58 T: Tension
17:21 O: Opportunity
18:07 R: Result
18:23 Y: Your Learning
18:43 Take a movie plot and break it down
21:37 Business story
22:06 The Steve Jobs story
25:19 An executive says, "I have no stories"
26:20 Is it appropriate to share stories?
27:39 Stories you probably shouldn't be telling
28:40 How to find your stories?
28:41 You don't have to have gone through James Bond scenarios to have good stories
31:07 The 'why' determines whether a story is useful or not
31:25 Tips for finding your own stories
32:32 The four plots that every leader needs
32:51 The hero's journey plot
32:59 Overcoming obstacles plot
33:08 Discovery plot
33:20 The rise and fall and rise again plot
34:09 Doesn't working at your stories kill the authenticity?
34:31 Making sure you're present in the moment
34:48 Do you practice stories?
39:45 How telling a personal story created connection
41:36 Thank yous
The Inspire Podcast
In this episode of The Inspire Podcast, Bart speaks with Barry LaBov—CEO, founder, author, and former rock musician and producer—about his new book The Power of Differentiation. Barry explains why differentiation is critical for brands, businesses, and leaders, and how clarity around what makes you unique is essential in today’s crowded marketplace
He shares stories from his early days in the music industry and his unexpected transition into marketing, highlighting how great bands, great companies, and great leaders all know what makes them distinctively unique, and they double down on it. Barry also walks through his approach to finding and naming your differentiators, and why leaders must launch and celebrate them by engaging the people who bring them to life.
Whether you want your business to stand out or you’re looking to elevate your own leadership brand, Barry’s insights offer practical guidance for differentiating in an increasingly crowded marketplace.
Shote Notes:
00:22 Show intro
00:56 Introducing Barry
02:05 What is differentiation?
02:53 It's so important today to have authenticity
03:15 Harley Davidson's differentiation
03:58 Elon Musk
04:42 Bart talks about differentiating brands
04:59 Music and unique artists
06:07 Barry's early days in a band and as a producer
06:58 Wrote songs for famous performers
07:19 Band members were all doing something unique
07:47 From music to marketing
09:49 Someone asked him to take on a marketing role – and he declined!
10:18 We trust YOU
10:49 Writing a book
11:09 Why write the book on differentiation?
11:48 How the COVID great resignation changed his thinking
12:11 Hearts, minds and market share
12:46 How can people discover their unique proposition?
13:20 Talk to humans about the brand
14:21 Observing the biz to see what is unique
14:53 Example of a unique process in a business
15:50 Jam session with the client
16:07 Taking the differentiators and executing in marketing and business
16:21 The Launch
16:26 Launch to the most important people first
16:58 You're often too close to your own work to see the differentiators
17:47 How to do this personally
19:08 These are things I do well — but it's not for everyone!
20:14 Celebrating your differentiators
24:03 Morale slipping — leaders need to reframe
25:26 How to maintain enthusiasm for your core strengths
25:57 Don't wait for the holiday party — tell them every day
26:28 Don't talk about profit unless you are sharing it
27:03 Cheerleading vs authentic celebration
28:41 Music acts that are unique today
30:53 Where can people get more
31:28 Thank-yous and outro
