Essays on creative leadership,
culture, and the human side of work.
Becoming
These are personal essays about growing up as a fostered, then adopted child — and about what that does to a person over the course of a life and career. The passivity you develop to survive. The shame that shows up uninvited in elevators and conference rooms decades later. The moment you finally recognize the bully pattern, in a boss, in a father, in yourself.
The most-read piece opens with a meat cleaver. My wife, coming down the hall. Me, curled under the covers at thirty years old, having just been fired and not yet told her. It’s not a comfortable essay. But by the end, it explains — more directly than anything else I’ve written — why I understand what happens to people when they’re made to feel small at work, and why that understanding is the foundation of everything I do professionally.
These essays aren’t separate from my advisory work. They are the source of it.
Advisory Notes
These are essays about the emotional realities of creative professional life — the anxiety of leadership, the psychology of negotiation, the particular ways creative people get in their own way, and the particular ways organizations let them down.
One of the most-read pieces, “Why Creative Firms Break Differently,” argues that creative firms don’t fail from bad strategy — they unravel from the inside, through fatigue, misalignment, and a gradual loss of trust no one can quite name. That piece captures what all of these essays are reaching toward.
I write from four decades of experience inside creative firms, but I write the way I talk: directly, without jargon, with stories. Each piece includes one of my own illustrations. If you work in a creative firm and ever feel like the game is rigged against you, this series is for you.
It’s crumbling. Thousands are working below the official poverty level: left out, angry. Mass protests are now normal public behavior. Violent acts are increasing. The aviation industry is in collapse. Others are sure to follow. GM’s leap into rail, mass transit and tunneling is in the news. As are efforts by other giant companies to…
Although I’ve been in the communication game for quite a while, actually focusing on writing is new to me. Writing well is important. I knew this, of course, but for years felt very insecure about my writing. So I had others write for me, or I had others heavily edit my writing. I was always…
I write about what gets in the way of success, methods of negotiation, and the difficulty we creatives have asking for money. I also write about airplanes being attacked, high school students beaten by army troops, CEOs being shot at, the struggle we have with fairness, and what’s best for people and planet. Why would…
It’s all about becoming a better writer. A more compelling writer. Tapping into your best, to become better. A series of short exercises, linked together with warmth and kindness. Longer exercises that helped us think deeply. Collaboration that allowed us to tap into the best of ourselves and each other. All in a matter of…
Tiny weaponized drones hit just after takeoff. Fire exploded out of both engines and down went the craft, with 140 people aboard. As did five other planes across the country. The fantasy continues… “Mom, I booked you on the next train to Chicago.” “What?” “Just listen, Mom. All the airports are closed. Get to…
“Why do you want so much fucking money?” The fantasy continues… The meeting had been going since mid-morning. Brie was exhausted. The conference table was littered with the remnants of turkey sandwiches and chicken salads. She thought, “You’d think GM would serve a better lunch to their senior executives. This must be a part of…
“Teddy, could you tell me a story?” Kenny had just joined me in foster care. It was nice to have company, but he couldn’t sleep and had been crying. I must have been 8. I made up a story, and Kenny drifted off. After taking the Dark Angels course, I came to realize that I’ve…
New essays, every week.
With an illustration.
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Also available on Substack.
You never cease to amaze me with your willingness to make your life an open book — especially the more hurtful parts. And I'm amazed by the lessons you draw from all of it.
— Larry Coffman, PublisherYour writing has revealed some very intimate, powerful lessons. You are a source of inspiration both professionally and, increasingly, on a personal level.
— Rick GoreWe can discuss the ugly, uncomfortable truths while always circling back to what matters: the people, the underdogs, the work we get to do, and the magical existence we get to share as creatives.
— Sarah EskandarpourI loved your article about how clients' emotions affect briefs. It's a huge part of the creative industry and it's always good to see somebody so knowledgeable write about it.
— Vuk Bojovic, JKR Account Director, Singapore