Essays on creative leadership,
culture, and the human side of work.
Published weekly, with an original illustration. Two series: Becoming and Advisory Notes.
“‘Son, notice that man.’ “Dad was referring to the carpenter, who was within earshot. ‘That man takes orders from me. He works with his hands.’ I looked from my father to the carpenter. His name was Steve. I really liked Steve. Then Dad said, ‘I work with my mind.’” Relaxed and reflective, knowing Jamal was…
“Why are we at war all the time? Has it always been like this?” Brie was on the line with Elizabeth, Purple Morn’s resident historian. “Not always, Brie,” she said with a sigh. “There’s now strong evidence that we sapiens lived without war for something like 3,000 years in the Fertile Crescent, just before ag…
Brie’s dreams all played to her fears. Only partially awake, Brie could feel the fear. Taste it, actually. That metallic taste. “I’m doing the right thing.” And again: “I’m doing… I mean, we’re doing the right thing.” Brie facing it now. Knowing the fear. Thinking through the risk. “We’re living in a time where we…
The life as advertised. Happy shoppers surrounded by abundance. Abundance for the affluent few. “Remember magazines?” This from Tommy. They were in GM’s Detroit planning bunker, waiting for the AI engineering report on Project Bella. They knew it was going to be a long wait. “They were wonderful,” he said reverently. “I helped create a…
“Toto, I have a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore…” –Dorothy in “The Wizard of Oz” A damp, wet drizzle shrouded the view in the low light. Steam seemed to drift up from the trees. Old man MacNelly had the car running and was wiping the fog off the windshield as the boy climbed up…
Brie completed the introduction. Elizabeth stood and walked briskly to the front of the room. She paused. The entire Overture team and a group from Circle City filled the room. They waited quietly for her to begin. “To understand what has happened, it’s important to recognize that slow-moving changes have more social weight than fast…
You ain’t got no money, you just ain’t no good Hit the road, Jack, and don’t you come back No more –Ray Charles Morning coffee at Overture was usually a warm time of catching up, reconnecting. This morning was different. They’d all spent the night reconsidering yesterday’s events. A sleepless night for some, a restless…