We are in a world with massive uncertainty, and yet we need to run our business. How do we create a plan for the rest of 2020? The first thing I know is that it’s not going to be a plan like you made in January. We can’t just take last year, add 15%, target…
The world turned upside down in the last three months. I have one friend who says it’s like, we’re living in 1918, 1929 and 1968. But all in two months! It’s a crazy time. It’s almost impossible for me to predict the future. Will we have more COVID cases and shut everything down again? Will…
I was listening to David Baker and Blair Enns talking on the 2Bobs podcast about the “common traits of success” that they see in firms that they’ve worked with. These are guys who have worked with thousands of creative firms between them, and they are boiling it down to the few indicators that tell them…
George Floyd’s death was just nine days ago. Since then, our country has been in turmoil. We’re trying to understand why it happened, and why it keeps happening—and then trying to appreciate the reactions of the protesters, and deal with the reactions of the politicians, and the police. I wish I could just turn it…
Note: It might seem weird talking about reopening offices in the middle of the protests and increased public awareness of racist violence. Honestly, it was a little weird to write it under these circumstances. That said, folks are working on reopening offices and have questions about what to do, and so I wanted to get…
My bookkeeper, who’s from New Orleans, reached out to check in with me yesterday. “Y’all OK in Chicago?” Yes, it was an intense weekend in Chicago, intense and surreal. First, there was the grief over yet another unjustified police killing. Then, there were the protests. At first, they were energizing — let’s do something. Then…
A couple of weeks ago, I wrote to you about a conversation I had with my coach, where she asked me, “When are you going to stop treating your body like a rental car?” It was a wake-up call for me when she asked the question several years ago, and yet, in my email a…
In the recent ESPN documentary of Michael Jordan’s last year as a Bull, there’s an incredible quote that I’ve watched almost every day since I’ve seen it. Michael was asked, “Has it [your success] come at the expense of you being perceived as a nice guy?” You should watch the video all the way to…
Now that we’ve been away from our office for a couple of months, it gives us a chance to step back and examine; what’s our office for? An office is a place where we store stuff! As someone who recently closed an office, I can tell you about all the stuff that’s left once everyone…
On Tuesday we reviewed some reasons why you might want to reopen your office right away, today let’s look at some things to consider if you are not rushing back into the office. Giving folks the option to keep working from home makes room for those who still have challenges with childcare, or who might…