Quick-To-Read Conversation Starters: Give me 2 minutes of your time, I'll help you put your network to work (or play, or thinking, or…) with something worth talking about.
It’s not stakeholders don’t exist. The myth is there’s one universal type of stakeholder. If there was only one type, then the conversation about shareholder-stakeholder alignment would be easy. But it takes a village. And anybody who thinks everybody in the village is exactly the same… I have a rational-agent economic model to sell you. … Continue reading The Myth of Stakeholders
Rachel Botsman asked this question the other day, and every group leader will want to think on this for themselves. As a leader looking inward, What do you think is the highest expression of employee trust? (Please leave in the comments below.) I was speaking with Eugenio Pirri - FIH, CEO of the Dorchester Collection, … Continue reading The Highest Level Of Employee Trust Is…
I’ve been arguing with a vendor over a nickel-and-diming type fee that they think we should just pass on to the end customers. They’re not (completely) wrong. They have an understandable logic behind their decision and I can see why they’re pushing for it. Hrumph. Adult real worldy stuff, blah blah blah. But I also … Continue reading What’s Best For Your Customers Is… (Business Building Advice From Derek Sivers)
How many times have I talked about Rick Rubin? Click here. One of my favorite producers of all time. The guy knows how to LISTEN. What about Rory Sutherland? Click here. One of my favorite marketers. Modern David Ogilvy. And a source of so much behavioral economics and evolutionary psychology - I so adore him. … Continue reading Podcast Of The Week: Rick Rubin And Rory Sutherland
How to keep a community together 101. Don’t blow it up by understanding who’s here and why. Remember - you won’t like them all, but you can understand why they’re there (and that’s half the battle). Pardon this “rant to self” edition, but I’m experimenting over here! The concept of shareholders and stakeholders has been … Continue reading Communityism (+ Shareholders, Stakeholders, And Steakeaters)
A big idea and then “the seven questions Michael Bungay Stanier uses to get unstuck.” I’m preserving these here because when I’m facing too many choices OR can’t quite seem to get moving on what’s next, reading this list makes me feel like someone just loosened the lid on the ol’ pickle jar brain: Stuck … Continue reading Stuck? The 7-Step “Unstuck Yourself” List (Via MBS)
Michael Jordan was a god amongst men in 1984. Freshly drafted to the Chicago Bulls, he was really, really good. But how does a great player prove it? Hardware. Championships. Rings. And for six years, Jordan, and the Bulls, had no real proof. That story is in the opening of Dan Sullivan and Dr. Benjamin … Continue reading Who Not How
In a few weeks, I’m going to see one of my best friends. Brother-level best friend. We shared rooms. Plural. And we hadn’t talked in years until not all that long ago. Why? Good question, easy answer: I said some dumb s***. I don’t remember saying this specific line of garbage, but he certainly remembers … Continue reading (Re)Making Friends, After You Screw Up
I keep a bunch of Bukowski sketches on our walls. There’s an edge they remind me of. A nudge to “take it there.” Just. Say. It. Not necessarily up to 11. Not necessarily straight to hell. But it’s the rush of standing on the edge of something that makes it interesting. In this interview, Buk … Continue reading Bukowski On Why Most Writers Are Boring
The obstacle IS the way. Yeah yeah yeah. But sometimes there’s an obstacle IN the way too. I can be very stubborn. My analysis has been known to lead to my paralysis. Classifying the obstacles beyond half-remembering philosophical quotes about them and praying for inspiration can help. A lot. When you name it, you frame … Continue reading The Obstacle In The Way