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Author: jcuene

  • Roadtrip with Walt Whitman

    Roadtrip with Walt Whitman

    some useful words ahead of a long drive:

    Song of the Open Road

    (Walt Whitman)

    1

    Afoot and light-hearted I take to the open road,

    Healthy, free, the world before me,

    The long brown path before me leading wherever I choose.

    Henceforth I ask not good-fortune, I myself am good-fortune,

    Henceforth I whimper no more, postpone no more, need nothing,

    Done with indoor complaints, libraries, querulous criticisms,

    Strong and content I travel the open road.

    The earth, that is sufficient,

    I do not want the constellations any nearer,

    I know they are very well where they are,

    I know they suffice for those who belong to them.

    (Still here I carry my old delicious burdens,

    I carry them, men and women, I carry them with me wherever I go,

    I swear it is impossible for me to get rid of them,

    I am fill’d with them, and I will fill them in return.)


    2

    You road I enter upon and look around, I believe you are not all that is here,

    I believe that much unseen is also here

    Here the profound lesson of reception, nor preference nor denial,

    The black with his woolly head, the felon, the diseas’d, the illiterate person, are not denied;

    The birth, the hasting after the physician, the beggar’s tramp, the drunkard’s stagger, the laughing party of mechanics,

    The escaped youth, the rich person’s carriage, the fop, the eloping couple,

    The early market-man, the hearse, the moving of furniture into the town, the return back from the town,

    They pass, I also pass, any thing passes, none can be interdicted,

    None but are accepted, none but shall be dear to me.

    3

    You air that serves me with breath to speak!

    You objects that call from diffusion my meanings and give them shape!

    You light that wraps me and all things in delicate equable showers!

    You paths worn in the irregular hollows by the roadsides!

    I believe you are latent with unseen existences, you are so dear to me.

    You flagg’d walks of the cities! you strong curbs at the edges!

    You ferries! you planks and posts of wharves! you timber-lined sides! you distant ships!

    You rows of houses! you window-pierc’d façades! you roofs!

    You porches and entrances! you copings and iron guards!

    You windows whose transparent shells might expose so much!

    You doors and ascending steps! you arches!

    You gray stones of interminable pavements! you trodden crossings!

    From all that has touch’d you I believe you have imparted to yourselves, and now would impart the same secretly to me,

    From the living and the dead you have peopled your impassive surfaces, and the spirits thereof would be evident and amicable with me.

  • Embracing Joy and Sorrow: Nick Cave’s Philosophy

    Embracing Joy and Sorrow: Nick Cave’s Philosophy

    Nick Cave’s work answering questions from readers will be, in the future, as esteemed as his songwriting.

    This answer to the question “why are we here” is beautiful and one I’ll come back to again and again.

    “Personally, I do my best to move through life with a joy that is reconciled to the sorrow of things but is not subsumed by it, that apprehends darkness and is not afraid of it. I try to receive some form of salvation in this life by paying witness to, and being lifted by, the great, uncontested value of existence. I feel duty-bound to unearth, enhance and promote the world’s beautiful things rather than obsess, worry and agitate over the worst of things. I believe in creation over destruction, compassion over cynicism, mercy over vitriol, friendship over hostility, truth over lies and love over hate. I remind myself that, at this moment, I am here as a happy and humble participant in the complex and relational nature of the universe – a person who loves life but draws the line at bathing with strangers in pineapple jelly.

  • Why Peter Drucker Is Essential for Modern Leaders

    Why Peter Drucker Is Essential for Modern Leaders

    Yesterday on my afternoon walk I was listening to a podcast episode with a famous writer talking to a well known podcaster and author. They are both media-makers who get paid for clicks and impressions, but they deal in ideas. They are very well respected, smart, successful and, because they’ve been doing their media-making so long, wise. They are good examples of what current “thought leaders” look like and how they work.

    The episode is a couple hours long. They made some great points about leadership, management, growth and professional development, and how to stay fully engaged. The principles they shared sounded relevant. But, both of them sound a little burned out and – maybe this is me being a little cynical – not 100% committed to their own ideas.

    Despite all that, I loved it and may even listen again.

    This is just one podcast episode among millions. There are thousands of other thinkers that are in our queues, ready to share some ideas from their TED talks, or their courses, or their mastermind sessions, or their book. 1 month from now, no one will remember these 120 minutes.

    It’s a classic good news/bad news scenario:

    The good news: We’re in a golden age of self-help and advice and personal growth. Ideas and approaches have never been so readily available. There have never been more perspectives and unique voices. Episodes like these offer a helpful dose of thinking and the advice given is usually practical and actionable. I’ve rarely come across thinking that’s demonstrably “bad”. Almost is in the “good, but not great” category of thinking. It’s “content”, a stimulating conversation that, on a good day, pushes my thinking a bit.

    The bad news: It’s only “pretty good” advice, overall. These hosts are giving the people what they want, but the business needs them to tune in next week, too. The content is designed to have a short shelf-life. The editorial agenda is driven by the business model: clicks, sponsorship, ads, selling classes, etc. I wonder how much of the audience is turning to podcast episodes instead of time-tested, enduring ideas. Is “pop” management advice taking the place of “classic” thinking?

    As I look to 2025 and beyond, as AI generated slop meets media-hustling content overload, I’m looking for something solid to turn to. I feel pulled towards the classics.

    That’s why I’m spending more time reading history books, literature from the last two hundred years, and going back to some of the core philosophical works. I’m seeking the ideas and wisdom from earlier eras because i don’t think much of the advice i’m hearing these days is “built to last”.

    In 2025, I’m going to be focusing my business reading on a handful of experts that I believe stand the test of time.

    The top of my list is Peter Drucker.

    Why Drucker? Why should we listen to an old white immigrant guy who died in 2005?

    The Arc of Professionalized Management – He wrote about business strategy and leadership effectiveness from the early 1930s through the 2000’s, a remarkable span in the history of the global economy. He had a front row seat as the American economy became the most powerful economic engine in the world and was in the board rooms (and on the shop floor) as management professionalized and became thing to study.

    The journalistic skepticism – Although he was a lawyer and a historian, he came to his work with the eyes and critical perspective of a journalist. He sought out the stories, dug into the truth, and came out with a compelling narrative based on facts and his own insight.

    Supremely good communicator – He wrote so much and so eloquently that he made the inner workings of General Motors interesting. The writing today – judged by our modern standards – is a little academic, perhaps a little stilted, but the insights and narrative deliver incredibly important points. In many ways, he brought “management” as subject to the masses, giving main street access to the best of what was happening in leading organizations.

    A visionary guide to leading through transformations – He saw what was coming before others, and translated the future for the present. He described the modern corporate conglomerate before it was a thing. He coined the term knowledge worker. He articulated the impending changes in American culture as the economy moved from agriculture and manufacturing to a services-based organization. He was an advocate for technology as a way to unlock better results and create a more meaningful workplace. More importantly, he shared actionable, practical ways to be a better leader and manager while the transformations were underway.

    Hugely influential to generations – Because he wrote for so long and covered so many facets of business management, multiple generations of leaders were shaped by his thinking. Corporate culture is still showing some signs of his teachings, for the better, mostly.

    Management as Liberal Arts – He saw management as one of the Liberal Arts, a pathway for leaders to continue their development as humans. More importantly, he designed programs to help leaders and executives apply a “Liberal Arts” approach, arguing management effectiveness comes from critical analysis, informed by a cross-domain perspective, based in core of history, literature, arts and philosophy.

    Exemplar – I see him as a model for how we can all continue to grow as humans and as leaders, evolving our thinking and our work as we move through the different phases of his career. He never stopped being curious, never slowed down his thinking and was always optimistic about what the future held.

    Drucker is one of those “classic” thinkers that all business people should have on their bookshelf. With 39 books (more?) and countless essays and academic papers, there’s something for everyone and for just about every situation.

    In a time when everything seems to be changing around us, there are too many “real time” experts with an opinion to share. We need the wisdom of those who have gone before us, and we can learn from history through their perspective.

    For business leaders today, thinkers like Drucker are valuable for their ideas on how to make the most of transformation while becoming better leaders and managers at the same time. The podcasts and Youtube videos can be energizing, but when we need insights with integrity, we should be grateful we’ve got a large body of Drucker’s work to turn to.

  • Passing the Torch vs Keeping the Flame Burning

    Passing the Torch vs Keeping the Flame Burning

    This post by Adam Singer has been in an open tab for a while.

    For one, it’s a relevant topic for me right now as I think about work and “my work” in whatever phase I’m in, careerwise.

    And, it’s also relevant because I’m re-reading some fiction by folks that were “late” in their career (viz Philip Roth).

    The post makes the argument that those that have reached “success” in their work – established elders (EE’s) who are creatives, corporates, sports – will hit a point where the impact of their work will no longer grow and may start declining. They might be “past their prime” or perhaps they’re trying too hard or just replaying the hits. They’re just sticking around for the money (e.g. Harrison Ford) or the attention or to stay relevant (e.g. Coppola). Maybe they’re still really good (Lebron), but a couple steps slower.

    When that happens, Singer argues, it’s better for those leaders to shift their focus, from trying to make work that really lands to building up those around them, to nurture the talent.

    At some point, the most meaningful thing you can do isn’t to create more but to help others create. To teach. To nurture. To invest. To build frameworks for a future that doesn’t need you at its center…. Because modernity continues to prop up the old at the cost of the young and pull the ladder up wherever possible, perhaps that’s all they feel they can do (sell the dream to others).

    Singer focuses on the creative industry for most of his EE examples: filmmakers, comedians, and the cultural icons that become symbols in our culture. His examples depend on creative “misses” (but I bet Seinfeld’s movie “worked” financially for Netflix) and artistic wins with mixed commercial impact (Coppola).

    Singer is a marketing guy talking to business folks; I think corporate is his real audience, and the creative examples are common reference points. We all know corporate world is much different than the creative industry, but this essay still prompts a good discussion about his key point: There’s a ton of value in EE’s leaning into mentorship and building the talent around themselves vs “clutching at the levers of power”.

    So why isn’t this happening more in corporate America?

    If you’re on your way “up” in your career, this will most likely resonate with you. You will have seen numerous examples of “established elders” sticking around too long, that should have retired or otherwise gotten out of the way a long time ago. Maybe they’re staying to pay for college for their kids, maybe they still love the corporate game. Maybe they can’t let go of the status (the travel perks, the deference, the parking spot, the doors that open). Practically, they’re taking up the spot you probably want. They probably aren’t investing in helping you build your skills and, in the worst case, they know you’re the competition and are working against you.

    If you’re one of the “Established Elders” yourself, you’ll be sensitive to the age bias inherent in this essay. You know you’re at the top of your game, maybe better than ever. Your experience is a differentiator and wisdom keeps you from making dumb mistakes. Your game has, as they say in pro sports, slowed down because you know it so well. You’re in the sweet spot between experience and performance. You’re the ringer they should call in a clutch situation.

    You’ll also recognize what he doesn’t acknowledge: These days, corporate America doesn’t really give a shit about mentoring and wisdom and talent cultivation. In more stable days, talent and leadership development was a strategic differentiator (e.g. “the GE way”). For the last 20 years though (roughly corresponding to the digital and globalization boom) corporate leaders are working in a much more dynamic, disrupted competitive battlefield as everyone tries to level up their skills while managing costs. Something has to give, and it’s probably talent development.

    There are no real incentives for leaders to build the talent around them anymore, it seams. Short term results will always take priority over culture and talent building. Spending too much time coaching, developing and nurturing talent means either taking their eye off of the “growth” and “impact” ball, or potentially arming their “competition”.

    When it comes time for promotions, the choice may come down to “experienced” culture-building leader who can still deliver “adequate” results OR a younger leader who can crush the results but isn’t great at team development or doesn’t have organizational savvy. You know which way corporate leaning. PE-backed firms? No question.

    The “Learning and Development” people will protest, but we all know it’s true. There isn’t an established staff role these days for experienced, wise leaders who are not crushing it, performance wise. If you’re not absolutely nailing the revenue and profit targets, if you’re not making highly visible, tangible impact to margins and customer satisfaction, if you’re not bringing genuine technical innovation, you’re going to be on the bubble.

    Singer implies EEs can be a part of an important effort to nurture the next generation of contributors and makers and company builders. He’s talking about entertainment and culture, but I read this as a plea to our corporate culture makers, too:

    We should normalize this transition: die helping and passing the torch, starting this process with generous amounts of time and energy left. Build something greater than yourself by letting it belong to someone else. We need a culture with enough wisdom to nurture what’s next, not languish in its own self-indulgent nostalgia.

    I got lucky. I worked in two organizations where it was clear, but never expressly acknowledged, that there were a handful of “established” leaders on the org chart to help guide and teach the next generation. They were good, maybe not great, at delivering results. But, they were superior in communicating the culture, advising rising talent, guiding folks through the organizational matrix and helping to share lore inside the corporate walls. They were kept around to help grow the talent around them.

    There are so many excellent talent builders that are getting churned out in the endless re-orgs, RIFs, and resets. I wish there was a role for leaders to step into when they stepped “down” or, as Singer hints at, “grow up”. How do corporations create roles for experienced leaders where they can be valued for supporting and developing the talent? Do those even exist anymore?

    Its happening in some organizations today. An interesting example was at AirBNB where Chip Conley was hired on as a “mentor” and OG in the hospitality business. He was there to build leadership talent, and impart wisdom. Not sure how it worked in practice, but it’s a hopeful case study.

    Meanwhile, there are a ton of folks exploring fractional / interim / contract / project roles. A lot of these leaders have deep wells of experience and wisdom to share. They are dabbling in “coaching” too. However, there isn’t a great pathway for the EE’s to interact with the “rising talent”.

  • Liberal Arts Now More than Ever

    Liberal Arts Now More than Ever

    Jello Jigglers, poetry, business innovation. Creativity is your moat in the AI era

    I found my new career hero: Dana Gioia. Stanford MBA, MA from Harvard in Comparative Lit. Corporate champion. Non-profit leader. Walked away from a small fortune in corporate America to write, teach and “pursue beauty.”

    But, he’s also a compelling example of the liberal arts as a super power for leadership. 

    Business nerds love stories like Gioia’s, a classic combination of insight and marketing. He was running the Jello business, a high margin cash machine that was coasting on its powerful brand. But, the business was in a slow decline and needed something bold to turn it around and get it growing again. 

    It’s really worth clicking through and hearing the story, but, spoiler alert, it’s basically a new use case story. And the world was gifted Jello Jigglers as a result. And the business doubled almost overnight. 

    Liberal arts folks like me love the story, too, because it validates something we’ve always assumed: A solid foundation in the humanities and arts creates leads to a different approach to solution-finding and leadership. 

    He makes a persuasive argument that he, a poet, was the right guy in the right place at the right time. The culture at General Foods at the time had been built on a more rigid, militaristic mindset, designed to perpetuate optimization, marginal improvements, and predictability. What was needed, though, was a rethink, someone to redefine the problem and reimagine the potential solutions. 

    Gioia attributes his success to being a creative, a poet with a number-crunching super power. “I brought creativity that was completely in command of the numbers.” Like a good writer, he was patient enough to take the time to research, listen and understand in order to re-imagine and reconceptualizing something new for the business. And, while he doesn’t state it directly, I bet he was an incredibly persuasive communicator inside the org. 

    Gioia admits he wasn’t a “born” creative, but that part of his personality was developed over time through a youth where the humanities, the liberal arts, were not only supported but encouraged. Maybe he was a little precocious, but he was also surrounded by it in his early seventies, Los Angeles youth. It was all around him. 

    Now More Than Ever

    We all know we’re entering a new era of creativity and innovation in business, society and culture. We’re seeing the signs all around us everyday, but it’s still the early days. Opportunities for new products and ideas will only expand as AI innovations accelerate and the vast oceans of Silicon Valley money fuels a race for the next trillion dollar business. 

    Algorithms won’t make it happen alone. And coders won’t do it on their own. We’ll need creatives. Folks who can spot a genuine need and then pull the tech together to make it happen, to craft the interfaces that make it all seem like magic. 

    Jack Dorsey and Ev Williams saw how valuable it was to get texts with short SMS updates from friends and thus was born Twitter. Seeing the tools on the table and making something useful from them? That’s creative work. Explaining why we need it? That’s creative work. Seeing someone struggle with a challenge and conceptualizing a unique solution? Creative work. 

    We need the liberal arts, now more than ever. 

    We’re already flooded with AI slop, trillions of machine generated words to meet SEO and power the algorithms. But, reading well for comprehension and insights, discerning what’s actually useful and what’s BS? That comes from liberal arts. 

    We’ve got too many visuals flooding into our eyes. TikTok. Youtube. Reels. Jumpy edits on Netflix. But, knowing what you’re seeing and being able to make sense of them? Being able to tell the difference between average and good and great design? That comes from art appreciation. Being able to articulate what’s “good” and why? That’s thinking and writing and persuasion. That comes from composition and writing practice. 

    Generating new ideas? You get a lot of practice when you draw, paint, or sculpt something. Facing a blank canvas and the confidence (or chutzpah) to turn it into something beautiful and provocative? That’s art class. 

    I think the real winners will be those that can do both. It’s not either or. We need people who are technically competent, who have high quantitative literacy AND we need people who aspire to come up with new things that are beautiful and useful. 

    Build Your Moat

    All jobs are going to be threatened by AI soon enough. 

    How will you build your “moat”, your protection against AI? 

    Being able to read cut through the slop. Thinking rationally, in a structured way. Being able to communicate clearly, to persuade with words and ideas. Carefully listening with empathy. Understanding history and the lessons learned there so we can apply them and avoid the mistakes of the past. Being able to argue coherently and understand logic. 

    AI can’t really do that stuff. It’s your way to maintain an edge when you’re working alongside the most powerful AI-driven brain the world has ever seen. 

    It’s Not Too Late: Embracing The Humanities as a Middle Aged Worker

    I found the Gioia interview really inspiring, and I bought his memoir (hey, podcasts work!) to get a little deeper into his mind. More importantly, it got me thinking about how middle/late career folks can do a little renewal work via the liberal arts. 

    And, ideally, we’d all be building a creative practice that puts us in a place where we can go deep, zone out, find flow, and build the skills – empathy, listening, lateral thinking, intuition, taste, an appreciation for design – that can lead us to new insights and ideas. 

    There are some pretty straightforward things that would be enjoyable to pursue, too: 

    • Take an art appreciation class at your local museum. They really help you learn how to see and notice in a different way. But, if you want to do it from home, there are some great resources online (like Steve Martin!) to jump start your curiosity. 
    • Go to a music appreciation class or the symphony or a concert outside your normal taste. I’m going deep into some hip hop right now, mainly as a way to appreciate stuff outside my zone. There are some great podcasts and YouTubeseries, too. 
    • Start drawing. You already know how to do it, but you probably don’t do it enough
    • Read more. Not “self help” or business books. Fiction. Poetry. Adventure. Anything that absorbs you for more than 10 minutes

    Meanwhile, support the liberal arts in your kids schools. Don’t be one of those a-holes that complains about English class, art appreciation, music or history classes. You know those people that say “how is that going to help them get a job!?” Don’t do that. 

    We want smart, curious, broadly skilled kids that generate new ideas and can communicate them well. They’re not learning that in math class (Probably). 

    But, we also need curious, well rounded leaders to guide the work that AI does for and with us.

  • America, It’s Time To Get Serious (again)

    America, It’s Time To Get Serious (again)

    America got the president it asked for. Even if you don’t like the candidate, there are no signs (as of now) that the democratic process itself broke down, so we will have to live with what’s slouching towards us.

    If you believe our leaders reflect the electorate, if you agree that the values, desires and norms of a society are represented in the leaders who guide it, then its time for some reflection as an American about what Trump really represents.

    America hired him again. What does his second presidency say about us? Did we get the candidate we deserve?

    Presidents and political leaders are part of the mythology of America, the stories we tell about ourselves, the symbols we retain from culture and society. The symbols and stories and myths are our way making meaning and perpetuate (or avoid) important values and norms, a shorthand for understanding what’s good and bad in our society.

    We lean on the myths and symbols without thinking twice about them, they’re so ingrained in our belief systems .

    As an American, do you take some sense of pride in Washington’s character, and see in his political career the best of the American revolutionary spirit? The courage, the moral clarity, the democratic aspirations. Do you look back and see Lincoln as an emblem of the inherent good in America’s people, an embodiment of the values that makes this country unique? Do you secretly believe you would have been part of the electorate that made the choice to vote for him in 1860, hoping his intelligence, deep wisdom and moral courage would guide us through the turbulence of the times? Do you see Truman as an example of the strength of the common American, and the inherent goodness of a working class striver (he ran a clothing store!) who represented accountability (“the buck stops here”), practicality and fairness in a time when the Atomic age and Pax Americana changed the world? Kennedy is seen fondly now, a symbol of hope and optimism and duty (“ask not what your country can do…”) during a time of growth and prosperity in the American system. What does Nixon’s presidency say about the values of the voters? What did the American people value the most when they voted in Obama?

    Trump is a profoundly flawed character, a deeply unserious man. He is a reflection of our times, now. He is the one chosen twice (!) by a majority of the voting population to represent them.

    We must respect the outcomes of our elections; The public voice means something, on multiple levels. But at the very least, his second presidency is an indicator of the values, beliefs, assumptions and desires of the voters that brought him back.

    His second presidency is now a part of the American mythology and the historians in the future will tell a story, using his return, about us, an unserious people who re-elected the worst leader in American history.

    Voters, Are You Serious?

    I’m sure if you asked most of his voters “why Trump again?” you’d get some thoughtful responses. Same for Harris.

    I don’t believe most Americans thoroughly analyzed the issues, fully considered both the candidates, and considered the long term effects of either a Democratic or Republican administration. I fear most Americans put more energy into understanding the lore of the Marvel cinematic universe or the Kardashians than their decision on the presidential vote.

    I fear the people voted on vibes. Or, they went with their gut.

    It’s clear that most of America have mixed emotions about our political system, but those emotions haven’t translated into thoughtful, critical reflection, I’m afraid. I doubt most voters (on both sides) have thought deeply or seriously about the voting choices they make. Or, if they do, it’s down to a single issue that is pressing, currently, on their minds (e.g. – “The economy”, “Immigration”, “women’s rights”).

    What percentage of voters truly considered the entirety of the factors in this, the most consequential election in our history? All the policies, the character of the candidates, the effects their policies would have on the broader society as a whole, on our international partners, on the global economy, on democracy in the world? Did they weigh the consequences of each candidate’s presidency? Did they give real thought to their own standards for the character of our leaders? Were they willing to trade out what they value to “own the libs” or “the economy”. Did they even think about where their line was?

    Did they really take the choice seriously? Are Americans serious people?

    Its hard to talk about virtues and character in America today. No one likes to be judged, and discussions of admirable personal values, what we humans “should” do, and what behaviors are “bad” always seem condescending, patriarchal, or like “man-splaining”. But, at the same time, Americans spent $13 Billion on self improvement stuff in 2022, so we must be open to elevating ourselves at least a bit?

    Let’s look in a mirror, America. When we say someone is serious, we can imply they have certain personality characteristics:

    • Sober
    • Rationale
    • Authentic
    • Disciplined
    • Critical thinking
    • Good judgement
    • Honesty
    • Consistent
    • Pragmatic
    • Courageous
    • Patient

    So, the anti-serious person is:

    • Frivolous
    • Ironic
    • Image obsessed
    • Distracted
    • Vibes first
    • Disengaged or passive
    • Self-centered
    • tribal

    Does that sound familiar? Does that sound like the America you see?

    Tom Nichols wrote about the lack of seriousness in America back in 2021. In his mind, America is no longer a serious country.

    But when it comes to seriousness—the invaluable discipline and maturity that allows us to discern matters that should transcend self-interest, to set aside churlish ego and emotionalism, and to act with prudence and self-restraint—we’re a weak, impoverished backwater.

    And, earlier that year he wrote:

    The collapse of seriousness is the greatest loss we have sustained under Trump, one of the least serious human beings ever to occupy a position of great power in America. What do I mean by seriousness? It is the burden of knowing that we own our decisions, that our actions have consequences. It is the sense of responsibility that helps us to act without being ordered to act, the instinct that tells us, even when we are alone, that we owe a duty to others and that our behavior affects them as much as it does ourselves.

    But, the country is it’s people, it’s leaders. We the voters are the country. We’re the ones that are self interested, churlishly ego-centric and lacking self restraint. We see a candidate like trump mimic oral sex on stage and we laugh at his “humor” and see in that something valuable? Do words and actions matter anymore?

    Katherine Boyle, former Washington Post reporter and now VC wrote about seriousness in the context of entrepreneurship:

    But the trait that is most meaningful is the hardest to describe. It is the fire in the eyes, the ferocity of speech and action that is the physical manifestation of seriousness. It is the belief that God or the universe has bestowed upon you an immense task that no one else can accomplish but you. It is a holy war waged against the laws of physics. It is the burden of having to upend sometimes hundreds of years of entrenched interests to accomplish a noble goal.

    I’m not a fan of all her politics (Boyle wrote that for Barry Weiss’s pretty conservative, right-leaning platform, the Free Press), but I am a fan of the idea that its time to build new movements and institutions (and rebuild old ones, and retire some others).

    She’s spending a lot of time with tech leaders and entrepreneurs, sure. But what she’s getting at is more important:

    • There’s a high level of intent to take real, legitimate action
    • They’re going after hard problems, with full commitment
    • There are few political considerations, most likely
    • These folks mean what they say, say what they mean

    Throughout the rest of the essay, she offers, as a counterpoint examples of unserious efforts. The examples highlight poor policy outcomes from institutional leaders, probably due to either political considerations (in a political system that is fatigued or failing or somehow not great) or changing cultural norms. 

    It is unserious to be led by a gerontocracy, where our elected officials had kids in college when the internet was invented. It is unserious when young people retreat from public service. We now have the oldest Congress of any Congress in the past two decades, with half of American senators over the age of 65.
    It is unserious to beg dictators in failed states to send America oil when we invented fracking. It is unserious to talk about renewables and not nuclear. It is unserious to attack the companies leading our electrification revolution because you don’t like their memes on Twitter.
    It is unserious when the most trusted men in news are stand-up comedians.

    In her essay, being serious implies strength, focus, will, competence . The stakes in a America are high, she implies, the quality of American lives depends on a more serious approach from leaders.

    Autocrats want to roll over the population. Those with fascistic tendancies will want to use the power of the state to change your personal values and behaviors, to limit your freedoms and bring you to heel.

    They can do that when the people don’t take them, or the democratic process seriously.

    Maybe it’s time to go back to the history books and understand when American progress was rebooted by concerned, serious leaders. Or, maybe we should look outside the US for examples of serious people changing their government through non-violent, impassioned efforts over time when voting wasn’t enough.

    It’s time to get serious, again, Americans. To go to work. With focus, integrity, clarity and a strong desire to get actual shit done to protect our freedoms and the institutions that make it possible to thrive in the US. It’s time to clock off TikTok, to put down the phone, and turn towards the real work of making our communities better.

  • Rice Cookers: Who Knew there Was a Cool Backstory?

    Rice Cookers: Who Knew there Was a Cool Backstory?

    This is a well told story of a business breakthrough, a risk taken, and the focus and intelligence of a mid-century Japanese mother of 6 (!) who had to make rice three times a day.

    Im guessing Yamada got promoted, but Fumiko did ALL the work on the testing:

    Yamada wanted to ensure that the rice cooker worked in all climates, so Fumiko tested various prototypes in extreme conditions: on her rooftop in cold winters and scorching summers and near steamy bathrooms to mimic high humidity. When Fumiko became ill from testing outside, her children pitched in to help.

  • Writing is thinking (Part 2) – Writes and Write-Nots

    Writing is thinking (Part 2) – Writes and Write-Nots

    This is a nice, short essay from PG about the future when a significant portion of the population won’t be able to write (or, more likely, need to write due to AI). Just like calculators have undermined our numeracy, AI will kill the writing skill for a lot of (the majority of) us:

    The result will be a world divided into writes and write-nots. There will still be some people who can write. Some of us like it. But the middle ground between those who are good at writing and those who can’t write at all will disappear. Instead of good writers, ok writers, and people who can’t write, there will just be good writers and people who can’t write.

    Source: Writes and Write-Nots

    Wrote about this before, Writing is Thinking.

  • Swipe File: 2025 Planning Inputs

    Swipe File: 2025 Planning Inputs

    TL:DR – I pulled together a list of resources for your 2025 planning

    Background

    In my corporate days, I’d spend June, July and August working on LRP (Long Range Planning) Themes for our internal stakeholders and my peers. The themes were, essentially, guidance on the assumptions we were using to shape our strategies and operating plans. Our intent was to share a point of view of the future that would shape consumer behaviors, the competitive landscape, and the overall economic environment we were operating in. And, given my roles, we had to have one foot in the tech world, one foot in consumer marketing, so there was a lot of discussion about tech trends.

    The work to get to those themes started with a review of external perspectives, forecasts and predictions. We’d consult with all our vendors and our software partners to gather decks, presentations and briefing reports. Once we had all the inputs on a shared drive, we’d start to work through them as a team. The “liberal arts” guy in me loved the analysis of all the materials, and the deep reading required to identify the not-obvious ideas and implications.

    In reality, we’d find ourselves in a paradox: We both never had enough (or the exact, right) inputs, but we also had too much.

    So, to help you with your 2025 planning, I gathered some inputs that might be useful for you and your team

    Tech and AI Trends

    McKinsey technology trends outlook 2024 – As you’d imagine: thoughtful and good. A few key quotes for your decks

    AI and Everything Else – Benedict Evans – SuperAI 2024 – This is a sprint through a bunch of topics related to AI, with a really clear-eyed perspective on what’s real and what’s BS

    KPMG GenAI Executive Survey 2024

    Precedence research: Snapshot of the AI landscape – https://www.precedenceresearch.com/artificial-intelligence-market Some stats to worry and impress your bosses. Also, an interesting source. Looks like they are buying/compiling other data sources and using AI/ML/LLMs to generate output.

    Consumer Landscape

    The CMO Survey – Highlights and Insights Report – Spring 2024 If you can put up with Slideshare, this is a pretty good reminder of what was on the minds of CMOs in early 2024.

    Deloitte Future Consumer Research This might be out of date, but it’s still pretty relevant for the next year

    The 2024 Social Media Content Strategy Report – Nice overview of the next year and some insights into potential strategic shifts – via @gregswan

    Goodway Group’s B2C Digital Marketing Trends for 2025

    Perspectives: Global Entertainment & Media Outlook 2024–2028

    Ernst & Young’s 2024 Mid-year Outlook

    Employee Engagement

    Ford’s Futurists Share Trends ’24

    via David Armano’s TBD newsletter

    Want an Audio File?

    I had a little fun with the new Google NotebookLM and created an audio overview of these (and a few more) inputs. It’s not great, but it’s pretty damn impressive.

  • Grief in the Workplace

    Grief in the Workplace

    Sometimes a work coffee isn’t just for work. 

    I’ve been spending a lot of time reconnecting with folks over breakfasts, coffees and happy hours, partly to catch up and partly as a semi-structured effort to get clarity about what, if anything, I should be doing with my career. The teams at Good Day Cafe and Hope Breakfast Bar are starting to recognize me and my weird breakfast orders. 

    The career stuff is still cloudy, but I’m loving this limbo-like mode and the conversations that I get to be part of. Most of my meetings are with folks who are either committed to working Indy or are on the client side, looking for a chance to jump. There’s a ton of energy out there, a lot of really smart, high integrity folks aiming to do cool work. Lots of interest in startups, new marketing agencies, leaders moving into consulting and, of course, the AI gold rush. 

    These are, almost without exception, enjoyable and positive meetings1. The vibe is optimistic that great opportunities are right around the corner. We chit chat, catch up, make some connections and generally try to be social. But, we all know why we’re there, ultimately: To help each other find some interesting work and keep our careers moving forward. 

    All of us show up for “work” stuff like coffee meetings with some version of a game face on. After the initial pleasantries, we put on a bit of a front, we code switch to “work mode”. The social part is a welcome side benefit, but most of the time it’s kind of perfunctory. 

    However, once in a while, a little bit of reality peeks through the manners. It seems like the push to be “your authentic self” is working and some of the talk touches on the real stuff, the honest shit that’s really going on. 

    Not surprisingly, when the conversation gets a little deeper, when the discussion turns to “why consulting now” or “what’s motivating you to go indy” I hear leaders articulate a deep sense of conflict between competing pressures: The realities of work vs their “real life”, personal ambitions vs a sense of duty to others. Push/Pull. Not just tension, but anguish.

    More often than not, it’s not just “normal” life stress. Stress gets alleviated. These good people have something that stays with them. 

    It shouldn’t be a surprise (now) that we’re feeling conflicted about the volume and intensity of work. After a horrible pandemic, in the midst of historic cultural and economic change, when politics seep into everything, we still have work. No one is coming to save us. The bills – the actual and metaphorical ones – must be paid. We can’t let up.

    And, the pressure is closer to home, too, for a lot of folks. Everybody’s got something heavy going on in the background, taking up mental and emotional cycles. Men, women. Parents, singles. It’s not a specific demographic, either. Millennials I am talking to are caring for aging or sick parents. Boomers are dealing with partners who are battling something (or they’re dealing with something themselves). X’ers are crushed in the middle: Their kids might be struggling and their parents are aging at the same time. Parents who have passed away, siblings who can’t be helped. It’s all right below the surface. But we still have to work. 

    I’m not an expert on grief (yet), but based on the stories I’m hearing over breakfast and coffee it sure seems like a lot of us are moving through some version of it: A mixture of sadness, mourning (for lost loved ones, for careers that might have been, for what might be passing them by) and fear (of what might happen, of what’s going to happen) and a general sense that something important, something that should be there, is missing. 

    To me grief is the sense of confusion, futility and loss when we don’t have the familiar to hang on to, when we’re knocked off our axis a bit, but we’re expected to move on, move forward, into the future, same as it ever was.

    But, for so many, they know, in ways small and large, obvious and hidden, their lives will never be the same. Something profound, maybe un-nameable, has changed. But the work goes on. 

    Go to a cafe at 10:30 and watch the “work” meetings, and you’ll see good people having animated conversations. You’ll sense the positive buzz, you’ll get a contact high from the energy. But now, after hearing some deeply moving stories, I know a lot of those folks are keeping some very important emotional plates spinning while trying to keep their game face on. 

    Working Through It

    There’s a pattern to these networking meetings. I truly love hearing how folks tell their stories, what they share, what they exclude, where they put emphasis and what they want from me, their audience. It’s a give and take on a couple levels: first the practical, then the personal, and sometimes the real shit. All of it is good. 

    Work is the ultimate coping mechanism. Career discussions are positive, necessary distractions. Plus, momentum on the work front creates psychic distance from the real-world stuff causing the pain. But, it’s always back there, the heaviness of grief, like a weight on a scale, keeping us out of balance. 

    In those moments when the authentic stuff breaks through the semi-formality, we all have a role to play to support each other. We can switch out of “work guy” mode into “human” mode. We can do our part to be a receiver of stories, a listener to testimonies and a giver of full attention. We can’t solve anything for anyone (that’s not the job to be done, anyway), but we can be there, we can be present, ready to be useful when someone needs a just a bit of grace or a small kindness. 

    Work is something we can hold onto while we’re figuring out how to climb out of the grief. Or, at least, try to hold it off. Even if we’re not really talking about “work”, let’s keep talking about work, together. Let’s keep trying to help each other. It’s a small, good way to be useful when everything else feels out of control. 

    1. well, except for one very memorable meeting where the other person clearly had no idea who I was, never looked me up on LinkedIn or anything, didn’t remember why we were meeting, couldn’t remember who suggested we meet. In fairness, the meeting was set up 5 weeks before we actually had the appointment. They still showed up, though! Ended up being a good talk ↩︎