Unwritten Business Advice

How to have better conversations that give insight into the nuances of your job   The Dilemma  I married a nurse. I’m a marketer. Our jobs couldn’t be more different – she literally saves lives, and I run ads. She hasn’t worked in an office and I haven’t worked in a hospital. How can you […]

Not all people are as truthful as you think…   “Listen to your customers” is one of the most oft-repeated mantras in the business world. It’s well established common sense, almost to the point that we roll our eyes when we hear it. Everyone knows that getting regular customer feedback is vital to building a product

Sending a pie after an interview is the cherry on top of your application.   I had just been flown out for an interview and really wanted to work for the company, so here’s why I sent them a pie. Pie Delivery: A Las Vegas Story After being flown out to interview at R&R Partners,

Find the “slowest hiker” in your operation. Then lighten their pack. The payoff is enormous.   There’s a strange paradox in business operations: if you let the slowest person set the pace for the entire team, you’ll actually be more successful than letting everyone run at their full speed. Let me explain. The Legend of

Here’s a Few of Our All-Time Favorite Reads   I recently came across a beautiful quote on the value of reading from a Japanese author and Buddhist monk from way back in 1330(!). “It is a most wonderful comfort to sit alone beneath a lamp, book spread before you, and commune with someone from the

Why Staying in a Job for More than 7 Years Can Be Damaging   There’s all of the expected reasons to leave a job – a bad work environment, lackluster boss, salary, you’re not challenged, etc. But there’s three other considerations that aren’t often talked about… Remember the 7 Year Rule Don’t stay at a

We should believe that new tech will change the world, but remember that it may not be in the way or time we think. Just ask the Gartner Hype Cycle.   Is “the Matrix” Around the Corner? I’m not an expert in Artificial Intelligence (AI) by any means, but I’ve seen so much being discussed

The Worst Project I’ve Ever Worked On   Let me tell you about the worst project I ever worked on: I was assigned to work on a new and very large account, and they needed an annual marketing plan. My boss hadn’t ever done one before, and I was still new to the company. We

When Marriage Advice meets HR Strategy   13 years ago I was chatting with a mentor and unexpectedly found myself getting some unsolicited advice on a topic I knew nothing about: marriage I asked my mentor what his #1 piece of advice about finding the right life partner was. He smiled wryly and told me

How you embrace technology can have a lasting impact on your career   Here’s five real quotes about technology that make me laugh: “The Americans have need of the telephone, but we do not. We have plenty of messenger boys.” – Sir William Preece, Chief Engineer of the British Post Office, 1878. “Everything that can be