[Strategy] On Non-Defensive Listening

Defensiveness. Stonewalling. Denial. Silence. These are all aspects of defensive listening. This is the listening that involves argumentation. This is the listening that involves a lack of focus on the other party. This is the listening that involves pushing your “I’m right” on someone who doesn’t believe, want to hear Read more…

[Opinion] On Being Definite

Being definite, being brusque, being impatient, and being in a hurry are all ways to hide from things–and information–we’d rather not consider. Being definite typically shows up in the ways in which we only want to talk about the tasks at hand, in order to avoid talking about the things Read more…

HIT Piece 4.26.2016

Patience and passion run side by side. Imagine this: You have been working, bootstrapping, tolling really, and you are busy turning the market on its head. But, your audience isn’t as easily convinced as quickly as they could be, and gathering those people’s attention and trust is a long-term game that Read more…

[Opinion] Edges of the Universe

There is the edge and the long tail. From the work of Chris Anderson, the idea of the long tail is that the world of “hits” (television shows, Top 40 music, etc.) is gone and the world of “niches” (Twitter users, YouTube video consumers, etc.) is here and is growing Read more…

[Strategy] Talent and Mechanics

What they really want to know when they ask “how do you do that?” is the mechanics of the show you are doing. Putting on a show is about talent though (and hard work), but putting on a show only happens when the mechanics of doing the show are suborned to the Read more…

[Advice] Storytelling for the Peace Builder

It’s hard to imagine a world without stories and storytelling; after all, human beings are narrative animals.  And where peace builders are concerned, it’s even harder to imagine a world without conflict. Conflict is a process of change driven by stories. Stories that, when repeated often enough—and with enough veracity—become Read more…