April 20th, 2026 We learn more from failure than we do from success. We’ve all heard this. A search for the phrase “learning from failure” produces hundreds of similarly titled articles espousing the virtues of failure as the path to personal progress. In Kim Scott’s pragmatic and often-referenced book on feedback, Radical Candor, she mentions this idea as the crux of her feedback argument. To learn, there must be suffering. The greater the suffering, the greater the learning. The story of...
19 days ago • 5 min read
Feb 19th, 2026 When it comes to strategy, we crave data and rigor. In the search for answers, we get addicted to digging up more questions. The more questions we ask, the more rigorous we feel — optimistic that more data, discussion, or research will unlock the answer. The sure thing. The path forward. I've seen leadership teams filled with the brightest minds — minds responsible for much of our digital world — sense a strategic decision on the horizon and begin to thrash, laying down on the...
3 months ago • 5 min read
Feb 5th, 2026 Strategy Isn’t About Competition Anymore Most of our understanding of what strategy is (and isn’t) is based on one of our greatest pastimes: War. Whether it’s business, sports, education, or a CBS game show, the stage is often set in the context of a battle. A) There is an enemy out there trying to crush youB) You must crush them first Today, we call this competition. Most of our strategic ideas are based on the belief that everything is a competition — and that the ultimate...
3 months ago • 3 min read
January 20, 2026 “We have six months before we fold.” That’s what a startup CEO told me. They needed a new strategy. Not just any strategy. One that set a course for survival. They wanted to bring the team together to figure it out — and there was no time to waste. Your approach to strategic planning can make or break your year. Or your company. And the reality is, strategy offsites usually fail to live up to expectations. Too much debate. Not enough decisions. Then there’s the guy who...
4 months ago • 4 min read