Essays on creative leadership,
culture, and the human side of work.
Published weekly, with an original illustration. Two series: Becoming and Advisory Notes.
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…
Sometimes, we are so scared of failure that we inevitably invite it into our lives. Here’s how to stop that from happening. The time was tight, the date near. I had an upcoming meeting for a much-needed new business for my design firm, and I knew that I needed to prepare. The thing is, we…
Marketing, advertising, design and public relations employment are going through dramatic, wrenching changes. Yet we are creatives, after all; we can reach down deep – when forced to – and become what we need to be to thrive. Walking down the hall, checking the numbers of the small conference rooms. E-223. E-223. Jane hadn’t spent…
Self-created failure: when failure is so fearsome that you invite it in, and then fail as expected. The time was tight, the date near. I hid from my fear. I hid from the fear and the opportunity by doing nothing to prepare. By not thinking about it. Why would I do this? I needed the…
I spent a weekend at a writing retreat, something I’ve never done before. There were five of us students and two Dark Angels instructors, Jamie Jauncey and Richard Pelletier. The Dark Angels, through their courses, provide a safe space for business writers and communications professionals to go deep. To bring their true selves to the…
He was in the air over the car’s hood when I first saw him. The driver, looking the other way. Not seeing him. Entering the intersection from a stop. Car… no, it was one of those new Jeeps. High hood. Thick windshield posts. Still, he should have seen the guy. The Jeep still moving forward.…