“We know what our customers want” is different from “we have what our customer needs when they want it.” It’s a slight twist, but it’s the difference between a company who has decided what they want to sell and one who has positioned themselves to listen. The professional implications are massive – do we see … Continue reading Do The Job That Needs To Be Done
There’s a famous Jeff Bezos quote about being stubborn over what you want to achieve (vision), and flexible about the path you take to get there (details). It’s a good reminder. A really good reminder. Once we figure out where we want to be, we shouldn’t get too hung up on how we’re getting there, … Continue reading Stubborn On Vision, Flexible On Details
Amateurs worry about delivering their solution. They have an answer, so they listen with the intent of fitting it in. Professionals worry about listening to the questions. They know they’ll figure an answer out, or are even comfortable declining the work when appropriate. They listen with the intent of genuinely hearing what the question is. … Continue reading The Man With A Hammer Or The Man With A Toolbox?
Rene Girard says most of what we desire is imitated, not intrinsic. We don’t want the successful career because we intrinsically value success. We want the things (and life) some more successful, happier, wealthier, cooler, more attractive, better sleeping, rock star of a human has in their successful career. The brilliance of Girard, and the … Continue reading Wanting: The Power Of Mimetic Desire In Everyday Life
“You’ve got the personality of a blocked punt.” – Bill Campbell, aka The Coach of Silicon Valley Bill Campbell, aka “Coach,” had a way with words. He could level with everyone from eighth-grade girls on his powder-puff football team to world-class executives like Steve Jobs. He didn’t just build relationships, he built communities everywhere he … Continue reading You’ve Got The Personality Of A Blocked Punt
There are two types of leverage every professional needs to understand if they want to work smarter and not harder: operational leverage and organizational leverage. Let’s take a quick look at leverage itself and then each type. When we think of leverage we want to think of a lever we might use to move something … Continue reading The Two Types Of Leverage Every Professional Needs To Understand
Nassim Taleb has a quote in Skin in the Game about our modern curse of having lots of people who can intelligently make a point, but fewer and fewer who can do something valuable. The curse of modernity is that we are increasingly populated by a class of people who are better at explaining than … Continue reading Teach AND Do
2020 hasn’t just been a year of changing how we work and live, it’s been a year of accelerating the changes that were already in place. Scott Galloway calls the transition from “the brand age” to “the product age” one of the biggest changes in consumer trends in decades. Its speeding up during the pandemic … Continue reading The Pandemic Has Accelerated Change: How To Stay Ahead And Not Be Left Behind
A carpenter takes regular, precut wood from the hardware store and crafts it into an amazing treehouse. The materials and tools she starts with are made in a factory to near perfection. The act of building the treehouse is a craft. Through practice and experience, she creates a structure unique to the tree it’s built … Continue reading The Difference Between Education And Learning (And It’s Impact On Output)
The world lost an intellectual giant in Clayton Christensen this week. He may not exactly be a household name, but we have him to thank for phrases like “disruption” and “jobs-to-be-done” that occupy the jargon of every industry these days. Like a poet exploring the complexities of love, Christensen described how businesses evolved over time. … Continue reading Remembering Clayton Christensen
