Eric Braun has spent most of his career working in business research, helping organizations make better decisions by challenging conventional wisdom. For over two decades, Braun worked at CEB in Washington DC, conducting studies on topics ranging from customer loyalty to corporate reputation. “I had no idea I’d end up being a research nerd for basically all my professional life,” he said. “But I ended up loving it and stayed there for many, many years.”

Braun’s interest in how systems and organizations function began early as an undergraduate student at Cornell. He studied international relations and government, attending on a Navy ROTC scholarship. This led him to a commission in the US Navy after graduation. On one of his tours he served as the U.S. exchange officer to the Belgian Navy – and had to work in Dutch and French as is required in their navy. Braun always had an eye on graduate studies at Johns Hopkins SAIS, which he attended once his Navy service ended. 

While at SAIS, he became aware of a summer program with Sciences Po in Paris that focused on European economic and political integration during the early days of the EU monetary union. He recalled, “it looked like a great opportunity,” and one that might lead to working in France long-term. Although the latter didn’t happen, the program had a lasting influence and unexpected effect. While researching the privatization of telecom systems in Europe, he found himself drawn to the private sector. “I started becoming interested in business instead of policy,” he said. “It ended up being a big reset for my career.” Braun described his time at Sciences Po as “another experience in how different institutions work and the people in them work.”

At CEB, Braun worked across sectors to help companies understand what drives outcomes in sales, marketing, strategy, and communications. “It was this interesting mix of research and academia meets private sector,” he said. “We conducted study after study on a range  of different topics.” His work involved debunking popular assumptions. “We would always start off with the foundational assumptions that our clients made, and we would push on them to prove or disprove them. Invariably some proved false,” he said. For example, in one study his team’s research demonstrated the flaws in Fortune Magazine’s most respected company claims and provided a better alternative goal for companies’ reputation-building efforts.

One of his most well-known contributions was co-leading the development of the Challenger sales framework, which questioned the common belief that the best salespeople fit the ‘trusted advisor’ profile. “In fact, the trusted advisor wasn’t actually the best performing,” Braun said. “There’s a more disruptive profile that’s better, a finding that sent waves through sales teams.” 

In recent years, Braun has shifted toward mentoring and training. He developed and led internal research training programs to onboard and support new researchers and to advance the skills of tenured staff. “It’s a very talent-driven business. You’ve got to have really smart, capable people to do it well. Hiring only gets you part of the way there,” he explained. This includes adapting to new technologies, as the research landscape continues to transform currently with AI. 

When asked what advice he’d give to current students or recent graduates, he emphasized staying open to opportunities and trying roles in both the public and private sectors. "We're in a time of very real flux and pressure on democracies and economies. Look hard for organizations that will challenge you and contribute in some positive way to society. You may find that somewhere unexpected."