Last week we talked about how AI is coming for your agency’s margin. This week, I’ll offer some ways you might be able to hold onto it, or at least reallocate some of it, to serve you and your clients better. Some of this feedback came from you, the readers, for which I’m grateful. Some…
I’ve been thinking about what we’ve learned about AI through mid-2026. Particularly how AI, as it exists right now, will impact professional service firms. The initial hype about “this is the worst version of AI we’ll ever see” and “pretty soon we’ll be curing cancer and solving climate change” seems far-fetched today, but AI can…
“You win some, you lose some.” I really hate that phrase. I hate it because losing feels lousy; I want to succeed, perform, and win. At the same time, if my standard is that I have to always win, if I can never have an off day, or misjudge a situation, or stick my foot…
A few years ago I planted 20 raspberry vines. The person who sold them to me told me not to expect berries the first year. They need to root the first year. Fair enough. The second year I did get some berries. My total yield that year was less than a pint from 20 plants!…
Earlier this year, I was fortunate enough to hear Steve Chandler talk live for 3 days. I just can’t stop thinking about one of the stories he told, so I’m sharing it with you. He said: I wrote a play. The only problem with the play is that it only lasts one minute. So it’s not marketable….
Leaders are always asking me, “Brad, how do I find time to do the really important work? When do I get to think, or look at what’s next? I spend all my time trying to keep the wheels on the bus and the clients happy.” I think of one of my very first clients whenever…
“You have to persuade yourself that you absolutely don’t care what happens. If you don’t care, you’ve won.” — Felix Dennis I learned this lesson when I had the chance to sell to the same prospect twice. The first time, a mutual contact vouched for her as he introduced us. “She is perfect for what…
I’ve been having conversations with leaders about how increasing uncertainty is impacting their leadership practices. One conversation with the head of development at a local social services agency stood out as markedly different from the responses I got from for-profit leaders. I heard lots of for-profit leaders talk about shifting toward short-term planning practices: quarterly “rocks”…
During the first four months of this year, I was very focused on a new business playbook to front-load my client creation for 2026. That focus was partly driven by fear. The relative calm of late 2025 felt fleeting – who knows what is right around the corner. I wanted to secure some new work…
In smooth seas, the Captain isn’t on deck. But when there’s a storm or an enemy ship on the horizon, they leap to the bridge and take charge. We don’t need leaders to help us keep things the same. That’s what managers do! Leadership is needed most in the unknown, when the stakes are high…