Favorite Things Summer 2023
Once or twice a year this newsletter abandons deep-thinking, strategy and business–for great content that is enriching, fun, engaging or simply beautiful. Today I have a bit of everything! Podcasts, […]
The Short Road to Ignominy
Every day we confront the consequences of actions taken in the past. It may be a slight inconvenience caused by a shopper who left their cart in a parking space, […]
Just One More Dataset!
In 1815, Napoleon was going to face the British and their allies in what would become the Battle of Waterloo. The French had many more troops, and certainly could have […]
Being an Extraordinary Leader
Leaders come in many varieties. Anyone over the age of 25 has already learned that through experience. The awful bosses stay with us in the form of cautionary tales. But […]
Sometimes It’s Not the Execution
In case of bad results, we blame the execution. My client had what we would certainly call a stretch goal. Actually, more like a Big Very Hairy Super-Audacious Goal, to […]
Strategy When the Well Runs Dry
We are not in a recession. But the economic conditions are erratic. At best, they’re dangerously uncertain, at worst, foreboding. This is especially tough if you are a founder in […]
The Upside of Anxiety
We often think of anxiety in negative terms. And of course, it can be debilitating and miserable. But it can also be a tool that you leverage, either for your […]
Pigeonholing People
No time to read? Watch the video here. When I finished the last article I sent you about apophenia—seeing non-existent patterns in data—I knew that I had only touched on […]
There is No Message in That Latte
What happens when you base your strategy on a pattern that isn’t actually there? Jason Goldberg and Bradford Shellhammer founded Fabulis, a social network for gay men. In 2009 they transitioned […]
Private Strategy
Often, when I first ask startup founders about their strategies, they usually tell me what their goals are for the year. Or they provide a laundry list of projects that […]