Peace on earth. Goodwill towards men (and women). This includes people who are not just like you — people who don’t look like you, people who disagree with you, even people whose idea of what they’d like to see are at odds with what you’d want to see. Peace on earth and goodwill towards men…
Some of you who are reading this may have just lost your jobs. My heart goes out to you. I’ll tell you a story about when this happened to me, how I hit rock bottom, and how that was the beginning of my success. If you’re hurting, I hope the same good fortune eventually happens…
Experts often share advice that equates to “Do as I do.” But I don’t recommend you work as I do. The way I work works for me, but it’s massively inefficient. It won’t work for you. How an inefficient artist works Here are some things I do. Copy at your own risk. This is a…
Some movies are iconic experiences. They leave an indelible mark on culture. The Princess Bride (“My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.”) A Few Good Men (“You can’t handle the truth!”) When Harry Met Sally (“I’ll have what she’s having.”) This Is Spinal Tap (“The numbers all go to eleven.”)…
If you sleep in a bed big enough for two, the bedsheets are often too big for one person to manage easily. The first lover I lived with and I used to have a ritual when we went to the laundromat together. We’d each grab two corners of the sheet, spread it out, and come…
Technology disruption is practically a cult in Silicon Valley. Here’s one definition: Technology disruption occurs when a new approach changes the basis of competition in an industry. It triggers a discontinuity: established architectures, competencies, and business models become misaligned with what customers now value. Incumbents struggle to adapt, and the upstart ultimately reshapes or replaces…
I’m easy. I make friends with almost anybody. Of course, we have to have something in common. I have 4,240 LinkedIn connections. That’s probably not unusual for somebody who has been in the working world for 46 years. I don’t seek out people on LinkedIn. But I get a lot of inbound requests. I don’t…
“We’re going to be a great partner for you.” Now that nobody writes checks any more, I think that statement has overtaken “The check is in the mail” for the most common lie stated in a business context. Partner is such an overused word. What it usually seems to mean in a sales context is…
Newsletter 121: Why is so much harder to lie in print . . . and could that save us all? Plus concentrating on what AI is bad at, an AI-enabled publishing imprint, three people to follow and three books to read. I can’t lie in print I’ve noticed something about myself and I want to…