Waiting for the Data
Often, the findings of new studies “demonstrate” something one could easily find somewhere in millennia’s worth of literary, philosophical, and religious work. Not in obscure corners of cultural history, but in foundational texts. I’m mostly just bemused to see all that time and budget spent on something found and not really even lost in our […]
The Role of Thought Leadership
Thought leadership provides the ideal balance between cost and impact for complex B2B topics like financial innovation. It’s not exactly inexpensive (time, effort, support costs), but: It can/should be crafted with actual decision makers in mind. It can/should be delivered directly into their hands. It shifts their understanding of their own business challenges and possible […]
Leadership and Career Advice From Aesop
More leadership and career advice from Aesop… A Fir Tree said boastingly to the Bramble, “You are useful for nothing at all; while I am everywhere used for roofs and houses.” The Bramble answered: ‘You poor creature, if you would only call to mind the axes and saws which are about to hew you down, […]
I Got Addicted — Again
I had to face it. I got addicted — again. I went from doing it a few times a day to doing it almost anytime I found myself between two tasks. Once again, I had made myself a news-aholic. Several times a day, I was doing the loop of my favorite news sites. I was […]
Simple but Tough Questions
Six weeks left in 2022. It’s a great time to shift focus to the year ahead. I like to do this by sitting with simple but tough questions. I make sure to give myself ample time to think about my answers, speaking aloud, journaling, or just internal monologue. I also go back to what my […]
Disagreement Should Not Be Upsetting
Disagreement should not be upsetting. I come from an academic background where people could disagree in public vehemently and then go out for collegial dinner and drinks afterward. Not as an exception but as a norm. It’s just how debate happened when people had different approaches to a text or topic. Of course, there were […]
Advice vs Transformation
Tips, formulas, how-tos… So limiting. Stories about 10X results and the like almost seem to demand emulation. But are they true? Even if they are true, are they relevant? Even if they are relevant, what do they assume? How much of their actual outcome is a function of someone else’s goals, someone else’s context and […]
The Zero-Based Approach
Zero-based thinking is powerful. Do your planning and allocating from scratch whenever you are doing a reset or hitting a milestone (like a new year). • Zero-based budgets: don’t increment past numbers. Start from zero and justify everything. • Zero-based time management: don’t tweak your calendar and to-do lists. Start them from a blank page. […]
Theory Is a Marketing Fundamental
Theory matters. People want examples and practical tips. Make it tangible. Make it easy to understand. But the understanding of what “it” is is impoverished if “it” lacks clarity and rigor, if “it” emerges from vague presuppositions and assumptions. Premises linger underneath what we say unless we unearth and expose them. Those premises may be […]
Thought Leadership Is Dead
Thought leadership is dead. Long past its peak. Or at least, it could easily seem that way. The term is so overused that it seems meaningless. It has become a buzzword. But, there is still enormous value in the concept. Business audiences want: Insights on the trajectory of trends in their industry (emerging, rising, sustaining, […]