Big Breaks Come From…
If I never… Went to college for Television-Radio, I never would have developed a creative portfolio. If I never… Make a portfolio, I never earn a summer internship at an NYC ad agency. If I never… Take that NYC internship, I never accept the job I didn’t want in Account Management. If I never… Accept that client […]
Regret Insurance & The Lobster
I’m presently writing this weekly dose on a train down to NYC. Earlier today, I addressed 1,100 or so folks at The Hartford in CT. In some ways, Courageous and The Hartford are in the same business. They are in the insurance business. So am I. As I shared with them (about them)… They are […]
Business Haikus
It’s been more than three years since my last installment of “10 Business Haikus”. Which means I’ve been overdue for a weekly dose with less words and more meaning. I love haikus because they force clarity. Just 17 syllables total — 5-7-5 — which means there’s nowhere for jargon to hide. Sometimes the sharpest truth about […]
Millions Out There. Pennies In Here.
~1% of the marketing budget. Often less than 0.1% of revenue. Sometimes just $10K–$185K a year. That’s what many companies spend on internal communications, the very function responsible for aligning the people who deliver the brand. We’ll invest millions telling customers who we are but barely invest in making sure our people believe it, feel […]
Feel What’s Real
Much has changed since 2010. Time machine back 16 years and we’d find ourselves in a world empty of Instagram, 23andMe, Sweetgreen, or Lyft. But what if I fumbled the date on my “Back to the Future” DeLorean and instead warped us to 1910? One thing you may be surprised to have found: A Hallmark Card. […]
Marketing Youniversity
Don’t confuse the below with the “Bet On Yourself” cliché. If it was, I’d remind you that you have to keep:Bettering yourself to bet on yourself. This weekly dose is just a straight and simple:• everyone is busy• many are scared (AI, war and/or uncertainty)• most are focused on themselves• There’s nothing wrong with that […]
Don’t Major in Minor
Ever notice how easy it is to turn a molehill into a mountain? We all do it. A small comment becomes a big story. A tiny setback ruins an entire day. A minor issue steals major energy. Somewhere along the way, we start majoring in minor. One of my favorite lines comes from my friend Mandy […]
Reflect + What’s Next.
It has been a quarter. I guest lectured at Harvard on Headamentals in January.I experienced Italy to celebrate Jaelin Kauf’s Olympics in February. Landon Donovan’s memoir was just released this March. It has been a quarter. Courageous is helping Kohl’s with their transformation.I was fortunate to do a 700+ keynote stage in Vegas. We just launched our new website courageous.io It […]
Yesterday On “The Today Show”
I am back in NYC. My OG learning ground for story-telling. When I teleport myself back to that time…I can visualize myself waiting nervously outside my old Creative Director’s corner office. I’d learn fast if I’d get the laugh — or get laughed out of their room. Those moments expedite one’s learning curve. A long […]
THE Signal of Leaders
I was just minding my business in my car. That’s when the guy in the lane next to me suddenly made a B-line into my lane. No warning. It caught me by surprise. It also pissed me off. Then — about five seconds later — once the vein in my neck settled down — the […]