Longtime readers of my personal blog will know I believe storytelling is a fantastic way to introduce new ideas, make announcements more memorable, or to ensure you can break through the noise of traditional communication. As I wrote several years ago, We want consumers to view themselves as protagonists in a story with the brand…
Be Positive. The world is awash with advice that we should have a positive attitude. As one aphorism goes, if you think you can, you can; if you think you can’t, you can’t. From motivational speakers like Tony Robbins, to advice books like The Power of Positive Thinking, to repeating daily affirmations, everyone seems to…
Over the holiday break, I read ‘The Demon-Haunted Book: Science as a Candle in the Dark’ by Carl Sagan. The book is not nearly as well-known as ‘Cosmos‘ but should be. It introduces the scientific method to non-scientists and provides advice on how to apply critical thinking. In Sagan’s words: What skeptical thinking boils down…
So, for the 41st year in a row, Lake Superior State University (LSSU) issued a presser with a list of problematic words that should banned by every stakeholder. Their secret sauce in generating the list? The price point is good, everyone can join the conversation, and they never walk it back if someone complains about…
It’s the time of year when New Year’s resolutions are all around us. In a quick news search, I found more than 100 articles published in the last week alone. Apparently we’ve all resolved to write about resolutions. New Year’s resolutions are especially tough because they are usually set only once per year and have…
This week is the 38th anniversary of a rare event which will cause millions to peer out at the night sky. No, I’m not talking about Star Wars: The Force Awakens. The initial segment, A New Hope, did first appear in theaters in 1977 – 38 years ago – but of course there have been…
With the arrival of the holiday season comes the inevitable onslaught of television classics, including A Christmas Carol and How the Grinch Stole Christmas. While each are good movies in their own right, I wonder if the latter became a holiday staple largely based on the sheer number of times it has aired. Familiarity breeds…
Longtime readers of my blog know I find ideas for blogs everywhere, from psychology experiments to work events to the origin of words and phrases. Lately, however, books have become my primary source of inspiration. In fact, it’s not uncommon for me to have multiple blog ideas after reading a book. That was the case…
For U.S. retailers, Halloween kicks off the end-of-year holiday spending spree (time to panic: it’s only 54 shopping days until Christmas). Even though Halloween didn’t become a commercial holiday until the early 1900’s, it is now the fifth most profitable holiday for US retailers behind Christmas, Mother’s Day, Valentine’s Day, and Easter. Various reports show…
When we face complexity, we have a choice between a simple solution and a complex solution. Donald Sull Over the last few months, I made a dent in my book reading list and now have a sizable backlog of potential blogs. One book I particularly enjoyed was ‘Simple Rules: How to Thrive in a Complex…