Essays on creative leadership,
culture, and the human side of work.
Published weekly, with an original illustration. Two series: Becoming and Advisory Notes.
I walked, didn’t run, past the cow. Sure, this wasn’t going well. But not wanting to seem uncool –– I was sixteen after all –– I moved with a swager and self-assurance I didn’t have. As planned, Oscar Miller picked me up midday at the crossroads where the Greyhound bus dropped me. Loading my bag…
“You mustn’t play with matches, you know that!” Mom’s lips tighten, eyebrows down, the crease between deepens, and I know she will tell Dad. Paul was my first love. We were both four that summer, and we played together almost every day. I know it was love because even now, my chest hurts with the…
Ushered into what I assumed was the boardroom, I could feel my ankles begin to itch –– a sure sign that I knew deep down this could go badly. I’ve known since I was nine or ten that anxiety is the cause of my ankles’ itching. If the itch gets bad enough, it’s nearly impossible…
Asking for a raise or increasing your fees feels riskier than ever. Corporate layoffs announced daily. CEOs, CMOs, and other top positions constantly changing. Yet, corporations holding more cash now than any time in history Stock market is erratic. AI is taking and disrupting white-collar jobs. University degrees no longer guarantee success. U.S. gov laying…
Heading home from my first day of second grade. The Alder and Maple are turning, but most leaves haven’t fallen. Reaching the wooded lot I push my way into a thicket, where I can’t be seen. Following my plan, I pull the crumpled check from deep in my pocket and glance around making doubly sure…
When we overpromise and underdeliver, it costs us big time. “I’m so sorry, but we need another week.” “But you promised! I have ta present tomorrow!” “I know, I know, but things changed, and we need…” *** When you make a promise and don’t deliver your client feels betrayed. They can be thrown into a…
The demon inside awakens. I’m curled in a ball. I should be running for the hills. Judy’s wildly waving a meat cleaver. It’s beyond madness. Both of us crazy. Her with the cleaver me with denial. Insanity embraced the event, the event that changed everything. *** I’m thirty years old. Judy and I have been…