The big misunderstanding about “brand”

Whatever most people believe about a subject, you can be sure that the exact opposite is true. It’s crazy how often this principle turns out to be accurate.  I’d almost call it a law of nature.  Or “Smith’s Law” perhaps.  On any subject of understanding (as opposed to hard fact), people have an incredible ability […]

How a team of accountants created the greatest brand of all time

Like anyone, when I read a non-fiction book I’m looking for lessons.  Stuff I can use, and of course stuff I can bring to you in this newsletter. Naturally I want such lessons to be surprising and counter-intuitive, but even so I wasn’t quite prepared for this one: Wanna create a legendary brand?  Then leave […]

The magic of Schwarzenegger Goals

What is the point of a goal? Sounds weird doesn’t it.  Like a non-sensical question.  When we set a goal, surely the goal itself is the point, right? It’s the thing we want. The thing we’re striving for. The destination. The end. A goal – we assume – doesn’t have any greater purpose than that.  […]

The Cringe Test

One of my favourite things is to come up with new ways of explaining old concepts. They say there’s nothing new under the sun, and I think that’s true – but there are new ways of expressing things, and they can be just as valuable.  After all, every new expression of an old idea makes […]

How working from home kills strategy

What exactly is wrong with working from home? From what I’ve been able to gather, many organisations are starting to ask this question.  It’s not a straight forward one, because the nature of the benefits and drawbacks aren’t symmetrical. The benefits are very direct and obvious.  Anyone can see them, and one hardly need make […]

Strategy needs a rebrand – here’s how I’d do it

Strategy, ironically, has crap branding. Branding of course concerns not what something “is”, but rather how something is presented and perceived.  How people think of it.  And then, in turn, how people use it. So when I say that strategy has shit branding, I mean that it is presented in a way that both makes […]

Are we using AI backwards?

Before we begin, a word of warning: I know very little about AI. Because of this, some of my explanations below may be a bit off-base. Certainly don’t take my word on anything technical – and if you think I’ve got something wrong, feel free to email me back explaining how ignorant I am. However, […]

Are you a tyrannical leader without even realising?

Most business leaders are tyrants. Even the most kind. Even the most friendly. Even the most fair. Even the most democratic. Even, I dare say, you. When it comes to the way you run your business, you probably embody the worst archetype of leadership.  One of force, coercion, manipulation, and control. I expect that intuitively […]

Going deep on strategy with the Hungry podcast

An exciting change of pace this week, where I’ll give you a break from the essays and point you instead to my recent appearance on the great podcast, Hungry. Hungry is a podcast for challenger food and drink brands which has featured the founders of many breakthrough brands, top thinkers such as Rory Sutherland, and […]

The Way is now The Hidden Path, and here’s why

First things first: Yes, it’s still me, Alex from Basic Arts And yes, this is still The Way, the strategy newsletter you subscribe to   …but a few things have changed. Not only is the The Way now called The Hidden Path, but this is part of a wider set of changes I’ve made to […]