I know a lot about a lot of topics — I’ve spent hundreds of hours on these topics. And yet, I wouldn’t call myself an expert. And the reason for that is the reason you should be skeptical of experts you see online or on TV. Take artificial intelligence. I ghost wrote a book on…
The world is changing rapidly before our eyes. If you advise decision-makers, they crave your leadership right now. But it’s a terrifying moment — you can’t just charge blithely ahead, fast forwarding past a crisis that has affected all of us. Whether you call yourself an analyst, a thought leader, a public speaker, or an…
If you want to write a book, ask these two questions before you start — and every day as you work on it. How will my reader see the world differently? What are they going to do about it? If your book is not going to help your reader to see the world differently, why…
Experts build their business on an idea. If the idea is a platitude, they don’t deserve respect — and they won’t get clients. I am so sick of the aspiring thought leaders on social media sharing platitudes and imagining they are insights. “You must put the customer first.” Oh, now I see. I was putting…
There’s a misconception that the purpose of experts is to tell you what to do. That’s not right. What they do is help you think. Imagine that you are a person making a momentous decision. You could be the CEO of a large company pondering an acquisition, a consumer deciding whether or not to buy…
Isaac Asimov turned 100 years old yesterday. It’s a shame he didn’t live to see it, because we could use a man like him right now. My admiration for Asimov started when I was very young. I read everything of his that I could get my hands on, since his highly accessible writing made it…
I’ve advised CEOs. I’ve stood by the bedside of loved ones and helped make health care decisions. In a lot of ways, it feels like the same thing. In both situations: The decisions are important and have long-lasting consequences. People must often make decisions when they are tired. Competing experts offer conflicting advice. It’s hard…
If you were taking wagers on what I’d write about in this space, sincere praise for a letter from a Baptist minister would seem a very poor bet. Here’s what happened: President Trump got upset with Jonathan Karl of ABC News for reporting on the President’s claim that Alabama was in the path of a…
Some people are awesome at what they do. Other people are just as excellent, but they can write a book about it. Let’s take a close look at what makes the difference. To start, I want you to think about the thing you know that nobody else seems to know, the thing you are passionate…