When you’re doing organizational work like writing down your core values, it always pays to be specific and use examples. “Do the right thing” sounds lofty and idealistic, but who judges the right thing? Are you talking about morally? Or are you talking about doing right by the company? What […]
Category: leadership
Traditions
Traditions can be nice. They can build connections to our past, bridge generations, and give us the feeling that we’re part of something bigger. Traditions can also be oppressive. They can celebrate outdated morals, sanitized histories, and social structures that don’t fit us. Traditions can be nice for some, and […]
Exclusion
Generally, being excluded can feel terrible. But as a leader and/or creative, you need to exclude people. Whatever it is you’re building needs to be for someone. By necessity, it’s not going to be for some other people, since there is nothing that people like universally. By choosing who it’s […]
In The End
You may have tried so hard, and gotten so far, and it might feel like in the end it doesn’t even matter. Are you focused on the outcome – perhaps falling and losing it all – and now you’re in a nihilistic state that wants to give up? Or is […]
Sharpie Tattoos
I’ll occasionally draw on myself with pens. Ballpoints, sharpies, any of the random art pens that I have lying around. Especially if I’m thinking about a new tattoo, it’s a nice way of testing out what it looks like to have a drawing on your skin. The nice thing is […]
Autopilot
Autopilot, cruise control, automated scripts – these are all technological solutions to having to do things that don’t really require much nuance or thought. If you commit to driving 65 mph and you have open road in front of you, why think about how much pressure you need to put […]
It’s Ra-i-ain, On Your Wedding Day
It’s not ironic at all, actually, but if there was a 15% chance of rain on your wedding day, and you could get a full refund if you called it off, would you do it? If you still had the wedding, and it rained, would you blame yourself for making […]
Frank’s Gonna Frank
I have a dove that lands in my backyard occasionally, and just walks around pecking at my brick patio. I think it’s pecking seeds, or bits of flower, or ants maybe? I’m not a dove expert, but I have named this dove Frank. Frank sometimes comes in the afternoon. Sometimes, […]
Bad Romance
Looking back on failed relationships in the past, it’s tempting to blame the other person. We probably remember all the ways that they were incompatible with us, screwed up, or did that one thing that was really annoying. But how often do we consider how we might have been incompatible […]
Myth of the Genius
We tend to still believe in the lone genius – someone who does it effortlessly and quickly, without the help of other people. If anything, we may not believe in it, but we desperately hope that it might be us. That if we only found that one thing that was […]