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 […]
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, […]
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 secret process of expert thinkers
I’m going to level with you. It’s about how I work. And I’ll admit up front, it makes me look kinda lazy and unprofessional. But through this essay I hope to show that not only is there logic in the laziness – but that it’s actually the only way to do effective intellectual and creative work. First, […]
Want something? Then stop trying to get it.
All of us here have one thing in common: We’re trying to get things. Perhaps we’re trying to get more customers. Or a new listing. Or a better relationship. Or spiritual enlightenment. Honestly, it doesn’t really matter. Because the way of getting something – anything – is always the same: Be the sort of business […]
Strategy is a mess – here’s how you tidy it up
One of the main reasons strategy is needlessly confusing, is because the word itself is used to describe multiple different “things”. Although when we use the term here we are typically talking about “business strategy” (the responsibility of founders and CEOs), it is often used to mean other forms of strategy which are deceptively similar, but differ […]
Don’t answer a need, create it
When all is said and done, there are only two methods of attracting customers. One of these is obvious, and everyone knows it. The other is secret, and almost nobody knows it. The obvious one represents the assumption that guides the vast majority of brands – probably including yours. It’s the water they swim in, […]
One. Stupid. Thing.
Look, you might be very smart, but that’s not going to help you. The truth is that everyone’s smart. Everyone who you’re in competition with anyway. In the founder game, and the strategy game, intelligence isn’t an edge: it’s a commodity. It’s like being a footballer who’s fit, or an author who can write: sure […]