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About 10-12 years ago, my friend Om Malik said that “media” was the business of attracting attention.
I suspect there may be more human talent being applied to getting the attention of other humans than any other professional activity.
And these are real real real pros involved. These folks are GREAT at “storytelling”! (in quotes “storytelling”)
They are GREAT at reducing the complexity of an amazing world into an eye-catching, fully fully fully fully engaging “story”.
Read MoreI love Christmas music.
Most years, I am pretty disciplined when it comes to waiting to listen to Christmas music until after Thanksgiving. I don't want to spoil the specialness of holiday songs and listen to them out of the context of the holiday season.
But this year feels different and I have shamelessly listened to "O Holy Night," "Joy to the World," and (of course) "All I Want For Christmas Is You" a lot recently.
Read MoreIt’s been a trying week for me and my family.
So, last week I’m in Europe – you know just doing my usual consulting thing - and I get a text message from my wife: “we’re being evacuated – big fire in our neighborhood. Will text you soon. Love, Elizabeth.”
I kept up through Google News and texts from my wife for the next four days. I’ve been back with my family for four days now, and safely ensconced in our temporary place – and we’ve just been notified that we’re allowed to go back to our home. It’s relieving.
Read MoreBehaviors around time and deadlines are some of the most important unspoken elements of your team culture
Do we ship?
Or do we delay?
Do we let plans and projects float around without deadlines?
Read MoreThere are times when the world’s events seem to dwarf the human perspective. When whatever one might do feels small and gestural, energetic work with shovels in the midst of an avalanche.
In January 1916, Thomas Hardy published these twelve lines in The Saturday Review.
Read MoreI sense that we have taken in an idea that humans are all so different… and maybe miss how very very much we are the same…
…to our collective detriment.
I read this passage last month about shared human experiences:
Read MoreWhen I was a teenager, my favorite movie was Into the Wild - the true story of Chris McCandless who cuts all ties from society, changes his name, and hitchhikes to Alaska. Fed up with what he saw as a world that couldn't change, made only of people who disappoint, he slips away without telling his friends or family where he has gone.
Read MoreI would go back.
I would go back to when you were just tiny
And wide eyed and testing out the world
And make sure you knew that you were loved.
Read MoreMost of us walk through life driven by only one or two things. For some, it takes years to name our north star. For others, the vision is crystal clear. We might do a bunch of different jobs, but really we’re just continuing in the same direction we’ve always been headed. If you’re unclear about what drives you, just ask the few people closest to you. They usually know. That’s probably the topic for a different post.
Read MoreIn 2006 during an investment meeting, when asked about a certain portfolio position Helen said she felt “comfortable” with the position size we held in stock XYZ.
This is typical investment world lingo: “comfortable”.
On that day though for whatever reason, I heard something that seemed “off.”
So on the spot, I told the group we were outlawing feelings.
Read MoreThis past Monday started as a typical one — backpack heavy and coffee hot. I left for class right on time, descended the flight of steps from my apartment, and stepped into the parking lot. To my joyful surprise, there was this little dog there. So of course, my immediate reaction was to call to the scraggly little pooch. And immediately he trotted over to me and let me pet him. His wiry hair felt really coarse and he honestly smelt like he had just been in the dumpster across the street.
Read MoreI just started my masters in International Development last week and other than almost getting hit by a few cars flying in a direction I am not used to, secretly Googling very specific questions about Brexit under a few dinner tables, and deeply missing New York, it’s been going great!
Read MoreAlmost six years ago, Pip and I sat in a building in lower Manhattan right after Hurricane Sandy.
We were there in our deserted office to host a meeting with two leaders from an ambitious three year old non-profit taking on a very dark problem.
I had reached out them because I was an analyst at an investment firm that studies change for a living, and one way we do our work is to study all types of change so we learn to identify patterns.
When Jimmy Lee and Dave Hung, Restore’s executive director and Board chairman, walked in we found thought partners who were hungry for serving this mission with excellence and strategic power.
Read MoreWhen he reached the New World, Cortez burned his ships. As a result his men were well motivated. Captain Ramius: The Hunt for Red October
“More options are better than fewer options.” My kids have heard me say that time after time. As a general rule, this statement is mostly true — but not always. Sometimes more options are far worse than fewer options. Sometimes there's great power in knowing only ONE option exists. Cortez grasped this truth, as did Captain Ramius. They used it as motivation to succeed.
Read MoreSo, sixteen years ago, Secretary of State Donald Rumsfeld famously said, “…there are known knowns; there are things we know we know. We also know there are known unknowns; that is to say that there are some things we do not know. But there are also unknown unknowns – the ones we don’t know we don’t know.”
While I think we can all agree that Rumsfeld’s language was a bit clumsy, I’ve come to find out he was actually capturing a fairly well-known analysis technique called the Johari window. Put very simply there are four things that are challenges:
Read MoreI remember it right after September 11th, 2001.
I remember it during the financial crisis of 2008-2009.
I remember it here in New York after Hurricane Sandy amidst the widespread ongoing power outages.
What I remember is that people were… really nice and caring with one another.
I remember people in our town of Pleasantville actively lending their generators to others in town who were still without power. Board games by candle light. We sorta hoped the power would never return.
It felt like… we were in it together.
Read MoreThe past six months or so, I’ve been working with a client on the preparation for an immersive session with their global leadership team. They would like to change some behaviors of their team to become more adaptive to change. In their traditionally risk-averse environment, one of the key things they want to work on is dealing with failure. Up until now, failure is not an option in this organization. There is a fear of failure that is almost coded in their DNA. So the question arises: how do you change this attitude and create a culture that accepts failure as an opportunity to grow?
Read MoreA few weeks ago, my sisters and I spontaneously decided to hop on the NYC ferry to Rockaway Beach. It was our very first time on the ferry (some real New Yorkers we are!). After the beach and some very authentic New York deli sandwiches for dinner, we were a little sleepy. So we were a bit disgruntled when we got back to the ferry as the line to board wrapped around multiple blocks.
Read MoreOn the days I’m really sleep deprived everything seems impossible. White space is useless. My patience is low. I overreact.
And if I’m having a week or weeks with something that is physically wrong–an illness or an injury–my “impossible” stories get amplified. Especially in the case of illness, “What if I feel this way forever?” is a crushing thought that can spiral.
And then, if I’m lucky, I get better. Enough sleep or adjustment or medication or healing makes an ailment go away. My new “now” is replenished with possibility.
Read MoreLast year, 2017, in spring time, this little yellow finch used to come up to our bedroom window early every morning and tap on it. He never flew directly into it, he would just hover in front of it and tap. Of course, I quickly fell in love with him and wholeheartedly believed he wanted to be my friend. I was concerned he’d crash into the window one day and hurt himself and I was curious about what was making him do this, so I started googling and visited the local bird store in town.
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