Why People Aren’t Listening Anymore and What to Do About It with Anders Boulanger

People aren’t listening anymore. Not to leaders. Not to sales teams. Not even to each other. This conversation is about rethinking how we earn attention before we try to persuade.

Alyssa Nolte sits down with Anders Boulanger, author of Engage First, to break down why engagement is no longer a personality trait. It’s a skill. And most teams are letting it atrophy.

If you sell, lead, present, or manage people who seem distracted, checked out, or hard to reach… this episode is for you. You’ll hear why modern work is killing natural engagement, and what actually works now when attention is scarce.

This is a practical conversation about rethinking the future of customer relationships, leadership, and human connection in a screen-first world.

Key takeaways

1. Engagement must come before selling, leading, or influencing. Talent doesn’t matter if no one is paying attention.
2. Attention is shaped by the medium. Email, phone, video, and in-person all demand different skills.
3. You can rebuild engagement skills on purpose, even if your team grew up digital-first.

People and resources mentioned

• Engage First by Anders Boulanger
• Bo Eason
• engagefirst.com