Times Are Changed, We Are Changed With Them

“Tempora mutantur, nos et mutator in illis.” In case you did as poorly in 7th grade Latin as I did, that translates to, “Times are changed, we are changed with them.” And like life after Latin, things move on. All of us. Everything. Impermanent and ever-shifting. Friends. Relationships. Bills. Account balances. Daily schedules. We can … Continue reading Times Are Changed, We Are Changed With Them

Podcast Of The Week: Matthew Ball On The Future Of Media

Patrick O’Shaughnessy has done it again. His Invest Like The Best interview with Matthew Ball covers all things media, content, and distribution. The range of questions he’s asked in this interview and the sheer depth and clarity of his responses show his craft. Ball’s ideas have widened the way I understand how companies like Disney … Continue reading Podcast Of The Week: Matthew Ball On The Future Of Media

The Best Way To Predict The Future Is To Make It

Famed management thinker Peter Drucker used to say, “The best way to predict the future is to make it.” Everyone is predicting (i.e. guessing) who will be the next President, when coronavirus will be gone/kill us all, and which direction the stock market will go tomorrow. Far fewer are making (i.e. doing something) to lead … Continue reading The Best Way To Predict The Future Is To Make It

Podcast Of The Week: Tyler Cowen Interviews Reid Hoffman

Hearing Cowen talk to Hoffman is less of an interview and more of a study method. It's like he approaches him as a queryable database he can just search through. Religion (he's a "mystical atheist"), partnering referral questions (what's this person's greatest weakness and greatest challenge?), and games (the relationship between strategy, tactics, and uncovering … Continue reading Podcast Of The Week: Tyler Cowen Interviews Reid Hoffman

Podcast of the Week: Amusing Ourselves to Death

"Check this book from the mid-eighties that talks about the cultural implications of TV," is not a very relevant sounding pitch. But - I think I've recommended Neil Postman's book, Amusing Ourselves to Death, countless times for the way he thinks through society's media problems and predicted much of the social revolution we've in the … Continue reading Podcast of the Week: Amusing Ourselves to Death

The Most Powerful Force For Creating Capital Is Cultural Capital

“I believe the most powerful force for creating capital is cultural capital.” - Steve StouteIn 1986, Adidas found themselves with a 2% market share in America. What was extra strange was that 80% of those sales had been coming from a concentrated portion of the northeast region and they couldn’t figure out why. In this … Continue reading The Most Powerful Force For Creating Capital Is Cultural Capital

They’re The Heroes, We Just Write The Story

Superheroes aren’t interesting because of their superpowers, they’re interesting in how they relate to everyone else despite being so radically different. Relationships and perceived relatability are simultaneously as basic and complicated as it gets. These are useful templates we can use for managing our own professional relationships. From Amazon’s adaptation of The Boys, where the … Continue reading They’re The Heroes, We Just Write The Story