Unveiling the Power Play Between Lions and Foxes
Would you rather be a lion or a fox? I just went down the best Internet rabbit hole—and it’s full of allegorical animals! I didn’t know that Pareto (the “80/20 guy”) is also known for using the analogy of lions and foxes to describe that elite 20% that tends to hold 80% of assets. You […]
To Redistribute or To Derive?: Unmasking the Contradiction
It’s “wrong” to seek redistribution, right? Yet, somehow, accumulation, appropriate, and derivation are a “success story.” An example: It would be absurd if someone called for big tech companies to pay out the entirety of their profits to people around the world. Of course. But it’s brilliant that these same companies ingest our creativity and […]
The Three-Step Formula for Career Resilience
Career change. Self-renewal. Growth. What the French?! Whether you want to get out of a dead-end role or a toxic environment, or have to react to harsh circumstances like downsizing, you can follow a three-step process that builds on itself. I explain the process in detail, with many personal examples, from faculty in a university […]
Unleashing the Voice of Tech Founders
It’s HARD building a new technology or business solution. But worse, it’s SAD doing so and getting nowhere with investors or early adopters. So much effort spent on enabling change that ends up not happening… What you need is a story to tell and a compelling message. Because vision is only in your head. Stories […]
The Essence of Thought Leadership
In some ways, thought leadership is just content CREATED by and for people who are passionate about what they do and SHARED in order to inspire and spread change. Once you remove the anxiety and buzzwords and nonsense, it comes down to one thing: care.
Against the Ideology of Stupid
I was bullied through most of school. A lot. Not just for being a non-conformist—eyeliner, torn clothes safety pins, as early 80s as you can imagine. Not just for being gay. Not just for coming from a single-parent household. There was a much deeper stigma… I was effortlessly, unstudiously, and unapologetically smart (i.e., good at […]
The Anti-Intellectual Cult of Writing Advice
Too much writing advice is just good old-fashioned tent-revival anti-intellectual crap. Writing experts intone their points with the cynical piety of anyone who broadcasts truisms—cynical because it positions those experts as having the solution to redeem people from their doomed attempts at thinking. I’m old enough to remember when dogma dictated we should write for […]
Lead With Why: How to Position Yourself as a Thought Leader in Your Industry
Founders, innovators, product managers: When you’re building something new, it’s easy to start ignoring the why. It’s even more likely that you forget to be vocal about why. Then you finally have something ready for investors or the market—but you feel like you’re starting at zero again. Your idea of what is new and better […]
Authenticity in a World of Thought Leadership
Nothing is new. Nothing is true. This dictum may seem strange when advocating for thought leadership, but hear me out. Let’s take the Pythagorean theorem, for example. In one sense, what better “thought leadership” than having a fundamental principle named after you? But: Back to thought leadership, what does this all mean? If becoming a […]
Embracing Playfulness, Flexibility, and Resilience
Be an octopus. No, not putting your (unwanted) arms and hands everywhere. But like this: The octopus is PLAYFUL. They have been observed short-circuiting their tank lighting, spraying water at people, and throwing items. They are masters of mimicry. They even seem to prank other animals. The octopus is FLEXIBLE. They can unlock cage doors […]