Useful insights at random intervals
“Of all the newsletters I see, The Fink Tank is by far the best. Thank you!”—Roy
Public speaking and the path of reconciliation
Audiences don't want perfection, they want connection.
Paradoxes explained by the congress of selves
No paradox. Just different people doing their job best.
Don't make rules in response to exceptions
Generally, it’s best not to make rules in response to exceptions.
How being on-target can put you off-track
When a leader is focused on raising the numbers that measure engagement, by definition they are no longer focused on elevating engagement.
On increasing your influence
The beginner tries to influence a person's decisions by feeding them information. The expert influences a person's decisions by showing them a better filter.
Everything begins with awareness
I was listening to a podcast recently with a leadership expert who said right at the beginning of the interview "Leadership is about making the people around you better".
Energy trumps everything
31 days ago, I declared an experiment; thanks to the suggestion of my friend Richard Brisebois, I would write an essay every day for the month of October.
I'm not over Zoom
I hate to sound like a hipster, but I was using Zoom long before it was cool.
Important vs Obvious
In my opinion this might be the single-greatest contributor to poor decision-making in the world today.
The paradox of diversity
The paradox of diversity is that a space made for everyone is a space that appeals to no-one. Our political desire for diversity of opportunity and opinion is well justified—your likelihood of success in life should not be decided (or even influenced) by where you’re born, what you look like, or who you love.
An autocratic anarchistic democratic meritocracy
At this point in history, political science suggests that there is no ideal solution to human organisation, and that elements of most political systems have both utility and deficiencies.
What makes people stay?
Your job as the chief is to design an experience which is as engaging as possible... which simply means "help them learn something new, apply it to a challenge, make progress, and contribute something back". Lather, rinse, repeat.
The most valuable idea I've uncovered in the last five years
At this time of great challenges, I want to give away something significant.