Unwritten Business Advice

The Backstory   Austin and I have always wanted to work together. We have similar careers in strategy and shared aspirations to one day write a book. While we agree there are a myriad of topics the world needs that have yet to be written (hence the Unwritten name), we decided penning a weekly newsletter would be […]

An Unpleasant Topic   A few weeks ago one of our readers sent in the following question: “How do you fire someone when it’s not working?” This is a thorny (and unsavory) topic to tackle, but I think that’s exactly why it’s worth writing about. It’s a conversation we usually stray away from but most

Deciding on a graduate degree, a horror GMAT story, and how to live off no income   Many people wonder when (or if) they should go back to grad school. In my experience that decision is so clear that it hits you in the face in a way you can’t ignore. I had been working

The key to defeating “Analysis Paralysis” is to run a series of very low-cost experiments that will reveal to us how we actually feel about a career option   What Keeps Most of Us Up At Night… Last week I was on a call with a reader who had just been part of a massive

Interviewing doesn’t have to be scary, especially if you follow the formula   I had a good friend reach out and set up a mock interview with me. It had been 10 years since he had interviewed for a job… and he had one scheduled for the following week. He was rusty. During our mock

Finding a good boss to work for is one of the best career moves you can make. So what do you do when you’re finally the one in charge?   Intro Last month I wrote an article titled “Why Choosing Your Boss is Probably Your Best Career Strategy”. The key point was that a good boss

Most of us have had a crushing job experience at least once in our lives. Here’s mine (and what I learned from it)   Feb 4, 2021 was perhaps the worst day of my professional life. It was the day my dream job slipped through my fingers.  Here’s the story. After graduating from my MBA

3 stories about discovering my values, not sending that email, and prioritizing people; all learned the hard way   We all make mistakes, and I’ve probably made more than most in my career. Being vulnerable I’m going to share my worst 3 mistakes and what I learned from them. Story 1: Taking a Job without

The 5 surprisingly easy steps in getting a new title and pay raise   I once had an employee who was amazing. She did everything she was asked, was constantly learning, and added real value to the company. When she came to me with a list of everything she had done (+ the quantified impact

Mastering email/Slack courtesy for a happier inbox and smoother communication   Ah, the wonderful world of email, where electronic pigeons deliver messages instead of fluttering feathered friends. In our digital age, email and its instant messaging (IM) cousins Slack, MS Teams, and texting have become the unsung heroes (and sometimes villains) of communication. It’s impossible