The Archive
Everything Dave Aron has published on LinkedIn, in one place. Each thought comes with the track he asked it to be read to.
2026
2026-08-10
Everyone knows the problems of AI Slop, but I am exhausted by AI Schlock
For quite a few years, I wrote a fairly substantive piece on various subjects on LinkedIn at least once or twice a week. Recently, I have written hardly anything. My creative…
“Everybody’s Talking” by Harry Nilsson
2026-06-15
the world is crying out for more strategic slowness
This week I have the unique opportunity of being shown around Puglia, Italy by my friend Benedetto Conversano. I first met Benedetto as a client of Gartner. He has been CIO at…
“These Days” by Joy Division
2026-06-08
Learnings from an airport wheelchair
Since our book “World Without Truth” published September last year, I have travelled to sixteen countries to present and discuss disinformation security topics with governments…
“People are Strange” by The Doors
2026-05-31
Will the most powerful gift AI gives to humanity be humility?
A while ago, I was re-reading Nietzsche’s famous statement “god is dead”, lamenting the fact that the modern world found it harder to believe in god, leaving a gaping hole in our…
“Humble” by Ren featuring Eden Nash
2026-05-13
A love letter to those who don’t feel OK at work
I try to use LinkedIn to post about work-related issues. Almost all of my posts are about business and tech topics like strategy, antifragility, unthinking, disinformation. But I…
“Once in a Lifetime” by Talking Heads
2026-05-09
We may be a bit too ignorant about ignorance
At the Cambridge Disinformation Summit, I learned a terrifying new word: Agnotology. It is “the study of the deliberate, culturally induced creation of ignorance, often through…
“How Sweet To Be An Idiot” by Neil Innes
2026-05-01
Tech vendors, especially cybersecurity vendors: Shouldn't you be buying disinformation security companies?
The incomparable Apeksha Kaushik and I just published a short note suggesting this. Disinformation security is a mega-issue and a meta-issue, growing like wildfire,and remains…
"Opportunities" by Pet Shop Boys
2026-04-27
World Without Truth is now available on Kindle
World Without Truth is now available on Kindle. When we started researching and writing World Without Truth four years ago, the issue of disinformation wasn’t quite as high…
"Babylon's Burning" by The Ruts
2026-04-14
In the long list of things to be worried about, make sure to make some space for disinformation
I have been pretty deeply immersed in the topic of disinformation security for the last four years. Researching and writing the book “World Without Truth” with my wonderful…
“Communication Breakdown” by Led Zeppelin
2026-04-01
Are frameworks and models useful?
I have always deeply hated the oft-quoted saying “All models are wrong, but some are useful.” It is not that it is wrong exactly, but to my ear, it has a negative, defeatist tone.…
“Games Without Frontiers” by Peter Gabriel
2026-03-19
New Gartner Research: “Every Enterprise Needs a Trust Council to Combat the Deluge of AI Disinformation”
New Gartner Research: “Every Enterprise Needs a Trust Council to Combat the Deluge of AI Disinformation” Since publishing the book “World Without Truth” in September 2025 with our…
“Fake Plastic Trees” by Radiohead
2026-01-20
Use AI differently to address your bad, good and great work
Many years ago, business coach 📚Michael Bungay Stanier taught me the idea of thinking of your work in three categories - bad, good and great. A while ago, I had the epiphany that…
"Bad to the Bone" by George Thorogood and the Destroyers
2026-01-12
If Inuit languages have hundreds of words for snow, we are going to need the same for disinformation in the…
Although it is not exactly true that the Inuit languages have hundreds of words for ice and snow, they are very ‘agglutinative’ languages, which means you can build lots of terms…
"Weak" by Skunk Anansie
2025
2025-12-22
Prepare for 2026 by pretending you are Artie
How was 2025 for you? For me it was a honestly a bit of a mixed year, but a very unusual highlight was that I got to publish two books. In September, with Andrew Frank and Richard…
“Five Years” by David Bowie
2025-12-12
Disinformation is a dirty business
My fantabulous co-authors Andrew Frank, Richard Hunter and I published the book World Without Truth (with the help of dozens of great colleagues) a couple of months ago, and have…
“Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap” by AC/DC
2025-11-14
Look forward to seeing you at Gartner symposium in Kochi next week
Look forward to seeing you at Gartner symposium in Kochi next week. I will be mainly presenting and working with clients on a Please come up and say hi if you are there.
2025-11-08
are we collectively experiencing a feeling of "no safe place"?
I have been travelling around the world the last few weeks, talking to lots of clients, colleagues and others about topics including the opportunities and threats of AI,…
"Chalk Outlines" by Ren
2025-10-25
(At least) nine ways to lie
As part of writing our recent book, World Without Truth, Richard, Andrew and I delved not only into digital disinformation, but also the mechanics of lying, deceiving and…
“Liar” by Queen
2025-10-22
Giving advice and the location of meaning
I am currently at Gartner’s IT Symposium in Orlando. Here, Gartner analysts give presentations, workshops, round table discussions etc. and conduct one-on-one meetings with…
“Teach Your Children” by Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young
2025-10-17
Gartner IT Symposium - My Favourite Time of the Year
Gartner IT Symposium - My Favourite Time of the Year Gartner’s IT Symposium season is one of my favourite times of the year. The ability to engage with, listen to, learn from, and…
“Good Feeling” by The Violent Femmes
2025-10-10
Can I ask you a question?
Can I ask you a question? What is most scary about a World Without Truth? I just got back from Gartner’s wonderful Dubai CIO and IT Executive event. My two main topics were…
"Scary Monsters (and Supercreeps)" by David Bowie
2025-10-08
Watching my great colleague Jason Wong talk about the renaissance of intelligent apps here in Dubai today
Watching my great colleague Jason Wong talk about the renaissance of intelligent apps here in Dubai today.
2025-10-02
Disinformation is, unfortunately, a hotter topic than ever, and going to get more so
Disinformation is, unfortunately, a hotter topic than ever, and going to get more so. It is a trillion dollar problem for the global economy. As the ever-wise Voltaire, who never…
"Communication Breakdown" by Led Zeppelin
2025-09-13
What Nietzsche might make of the state of AI
Friedrich Nietzsche famously lamented that “God is Dead” in a few of his texts. His meaning was that the modern world, science, etc. made it harder to believe in God, leaving a…
“Life on Mars” by David Bowie
2025-09-08
In a volatile economic environment, CIOs and IT Executives have a unique opportunity to drive operational and…
In a volatile economic environment, CIOs and IT Executives have a unique opportunity to drive operational and business resilience—by leading from the IT perspective. If you have…
2025-08-30
When you see a video or a photo, hear some audio or read a story, why might it not be what you think it is?
Here are a few reasons: 1. Disinformation/Fake: It is a completely fabricated (deep)fake. Never happened. Not real. 2. Disinformation/Doctored: It has been significantly altered.…
“Don’t Wanna Be Like That” by Joe Jackson
2025-08-26
New Gartner research just published: “Wicked Intelligence Will Decide Who Wins the AGI Race”
New Gartner research just published: “Wicked Intelligence Will Decide Who Wins the AGI Race” Just published for Gartner clients, a new perspective on the path to Artificial…
“Wicked Game” by Chris Isaak
2025-08-21
To understand the nature of information. the best analogies are not oil or electricity. Food and currency are…
When I first heard ‘data is the new oil’ many years ago, it somehow didn’t sit well for me. I liked it because it made the point that it was very valuable, and usable broadly. But…
“You will always find me in the kitchen at parties” by Jona Lewie
2025-08-12
“The World Without Truth” Book Is almost here
“The World Without Truth” Book Is almost here I have spent the last few years working with my awesome colleagues Richard Hunter, Andrew Frank and Leigh McMullen, with the support…
2025-08-05
Will AI drive us insane through our auto-tyrannical fantasies?
In his 2017 book “Psychopolitics: Neoliberalism and New Technologies of Power”, the philosopher Byung-Chul Han made a point that blew my mind. He observed that for most of…
“I Wanna Be Sedated” by The Ramones
2025-07-26
Maybe we need an ‘Underton’ window, not just an Overton one?
The Overton window, named after US policy analyst Joseph Overton, refers to the range of topics and positions that it is politically acceptable to discuss and hold. It has become…
“Psycho Killer” by Talking Heads
2025-07-23
Three lessons from the passing of Ozzy Osbourne
We are waking up today to hear the sad news of the passing of Ozzy, the heavy metal pioneer and lead singer of Black Sabbath. Here are three things I think we can learn when…
"Fairies Wear Boots" by Black Sabbath
2025-07-16
Introducing New Gartner Research on Customer Zero
Introducing New Gartner Research on Customer Zero Companies using their own products first is often known as Customer Zero, Client Zero, Dogfooding/ Eating Your Own Dogfood,…
2025-07-13
Let’s only give what we are truly prepared to
To be read whilst listening to “Marlene on the Wall” by Suzanne Vega. A few years ago, during a work event, I took a group of colleagues to my favourite restaurant in the world,…
2025-07-03
I have the honour and pleasure of participating in Gartner's CIO Leadership Forum in Tokyo next week,…
I have the honour and pleasure of participating in Gartner's CIO Leadership Forum in Tokyo next week, alongside a great group of clients, external speakers, Gartner Japan and…
2025-07-02
A new Gartner Maverick research note on the power of unasking
A new Gartner Maverick research note on the power of unasking How skilled are you and your team at unasking? Anyone who has had the misfortune to hang out with me for more than…
“I know but I don’t know” by Blondie
2025-06-23
Five Life Lessons from A Charity Comedy Experience
Five Life Lessons from A Charity Comedy Experience Yesterday, I participated in a comedy gig for charity. (Thank you to those that came and/ or donated.) About forty of us trained…
“New Kind of Kick” by The Cramps
2025-06-16
Is your business or government agency ready to deal with misinformation, disinformation and malinformation?
Is your business or government agency ready to deal with misinformation, disinformation and malinformation? Most aren’t. Powered by advances in generative and agentic AI, digital…
2025-05-30
A Philosophical Thought For Friday: All Things With No Teacher
A Philosophical Thought For Friday: All Things With No Teacher Renowned 16th-17th century Japanese swordsman Miyamoto Musashi retired to the mountains after winning more than 60…
“Quicksand” by David Bowie
2025-05-23
The importance of your ‘posse’ at work
I was reflecting the other day on the most and least successful and happy periods of work throughout my career. One thing kept coming up. When I was most successful, I had a group…
“With a Little Help From My Friends” by Joe Cocker (Live at Woodstock 1969)
2025-05-19
Some people run marathons or climb Mount Kilimanjaro for charity
Some people run marathons or climb Mount Kilimanjaro for charity. That’s far too easy for me. Some people actually go and help people in need. That’s far too direct and obvious…
2025-05-13
The power of personal and professional revisiting, and the courage needed
In 2015, I wrote a Gartner ‘maverick’ research note providing eight lessons for digital leaders from the game of Go/ Weichi. (Link in comments for Gartner customers.) The last…
“Bookends” by Simon and Garfunkel
2025-04-21
Unthinking value - when the less valuable things win
My least favourite topic at business school was macroeconomics. I felt like they were making things up to explain what just happened, then changing it all every time something new…
“Money” by Pink Floyd
2025-04-12
Strategy is Most Important in Uncertain Times; Fortunately, an Audiobook Version of "The Essence of Strategy"…
Strategy is Most Important in Uncertain Times; Fortunately, an Audiobook Version of "The Essence of Strategy" has just been published. I love strategy. I think strategy is the…
"The Road To Nowhere" by Talking Heads
2025-03-25
When Narratives and Storytelling are bad
In my work, I sometimes advise clients on stuff (like Artificial Intelligence, US Executive Orders etc.) and sometimes on a meta-level to the stuff – topics like how to create a…
”Unwritten” by Natasha Bedingfield
2025-03-20
Remember that work, life, politics are not games of perfect information
Game theorists distinguish between games of perfect information, like chess, checkers and go, and games of imperfect information, such as poker or backgammon. They use these terms…
“The Pretender” by Foo Fighters
2025-03-17
Know when to play heavily and when to play lightly
A very close friend who is a C-level executive just learned that they are unexpectedly losing their job, after a short tenure. They didn't do anything wrong. It was shifting…
“It Ain’t Me Babe” by Bob Dylan
2025-03-01
For anyone attending Gartner's CIO Leadership Forum in London March 11-12, I will be participating in a…
For anyone attending Gartner's CIO Leadership Forum in London March 11-12, I will be participating in a session where we explore the notoriously unsimple challenge of enterprise…
2025-02-24
Just had a great time working on a Gartner Futures lab document about Artificial General Intelligence with my…
Just had a great time working on a Gartner Futures lab document about Artificial General Intelligence with my awesome colleagues Frank Buytendijk, Marty Resnick, Deepak Seth,…
2025-02-24
There are four fundamental attitudes to strategy
I have the great opportunity to talk to hundreds of companies and leaders every year about strategy, including reviewing business strategies, digital strategies, IT strategies and…
“I’m a believer” by The Monkees
2025-02-18
What’s the most non-boring idea you have heard recently?
I always love the way the founding fathers of information theory, Shannon, Wiener et al., defined information as the resolution of confusion. The amount of information in a…
‘Some New Kind of Kick’ by The Cramps
2025-02-09
<xxx> is eating <yyy> x 4
Around about 2017, I created and posted this picture. I just found it again. I think it is even more true now. Especially, of course, the top left part. (Sorry for my incredibly…
2025-01-26
Beyond Lies - Nine Stratagems Disinformers Can Use To Disrupt and Destroy
I have been privileged to spend the last four years researching, thinking and writing about the world of accidental misinformation and deliberate disinformation with my colleagues…
“Liar”, one of the best songs by Queen, from their best album by far “Queen”
2025-01-12
I completed a 20 year dream this week, publishing my first novel. Let's all complete some of our fantasy…
I am the kind of person who, on top of work and personal life stuff, always has a 'bucket list' of projects they would love to do. And I often tinker with them in my spare time,…
"I Am I'm Me" by Twister Sister
2025-01-04
Maybe we don’t need Artificial Intelligence, but instead Wicked Intelligence or Social Intelligence?
Happy new year. I imagine that most people feel like there wasn’t anywhere near enough talk about AI in 2024, and their big hope for 2025 is lots more AI talk. Did I get that…
“Teach Your Children” by Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young
2024
2024-12-31
Let’s have a less tough 2025 by factoring in ‘bounded emotionality’
I know social media tends to be a place where people like simple, positive messages. Especially on days like New Year’s Eve. But sometimes it is maybe necessary, and even a bit…
“Mad World” by Tears for Fears
2024-12-24
Announcing the answers to this year’s unannual unChristmas unquiz
Below are the long unawaited answers to this year’s unannual unChristmas unquiz, If anyone got more than 10 right, we should talk! 0. “Finite and Infinite Games”, by James P.…
“Just a Test” by The Beastie Boys
2024-12-15
"Simplicity isn't."
For the last three years I have been researching business and technology simplification with my colleagues at Gartner. We recently conducted a survey of 200 C-level leaders on the…
"Simple Man" by Lynyrd Skynyrd
2024-12-01
Could we solve the world's big problems by shifting from conversational spaghetti to intellectual lasagne?
LIke most people, I watch some of the wars and suffering going on in the world at the moment and feel terribly sad. Sad for the victims, and scared for the world. And the same…
"Tangled up in blue" by Bob Dylan
2024-11-28
As we approach the end of the year, let's reflect on where the digital world is taking us
I studied Computer Science at Queen Mary College, University of London, 1985-88. Back in the dark ages when there wasn't really an internet and no-one had a mobile phone. I…
2024-11-24
Where is quality located, and will AI change that?
I have recently developed a rather strange addiction. It is watching a specific type of content online. (No, not what you’re thinking, naughty!) It is ‘reaction videos’. Watching…
“Memory of a Free Festival” by David Bowie
2024-11-16
Let's give ourselves permission to value the in-between things, personally and professionally
I am ashamed to admit it, but one of my favourite ways to spend my time these days is wandering through the aisles of my local supermarket, buying the next week’s stuff. I feel a…
“All the Small Things” by Blink-182
2024-11-10
my meta-learning from Gartner’s Symposia: the power of vulnerable listening
Gartner runs a bunch of great events each year, including IT Symposia in the autumn. I think I have attended more than 200 Gartner symposia and other events over the last 20…
“Both Sides Now” by Joni Mitchell
2024-11-02
Could we tune capitalism to strengthen friendship bonds?
One of my fantasies when I was growing up was that I would have a posse of friends, family, neighbours and colleagues with whom I had rock solid, unbreakable bonds. I had their…
“Love Will Tear Us Apart” by Joy Division
2024-10-25
See you in Tokyo or Barcelona?
See you in Tokyo or Barcelona? It is autumn, and that means Symposium season for Gartner. My colleagues have already been having great interactions with clients at our Gold Coast,…
"On the Road Again" by Canned Heat
2024-10-22
Have we got the wrong set of Chief Officer roles in our businesses?
I have got a wonderful but odd job. Every year, I get to listen to, talk to, learn from and advise hundreds of boards, executive committees, CEOs, CFOs and CIOs. That is a…
“The Times They Are A-Changin'” by Bob Dylan
2024-10-09
How much should we rage vs adapt as we get older?
Quote 1: “Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth” from Desiderata by Max Ehrmann. Quote 2: “Rage, rage against the dying of the light”…
“Old and In The Way”, featuring Jerry Garcia
2024-09-28
Why we should all be even more scared about digital disinformation than we already are
I have been working with colleagues Richard Hunter, Leigh McMullen, Andrew Frank and others for a few years now on the ‘World Without Truth’ issue. We have been discussing with,…
“I know but I don’t know” by Blondie
2024-09-24
Let's all run Generative AI Failure Workshops!
Let's all run Generative AI Failure Workshops! In Gartner's CIO Leadership Forum Keynote shared earlier this year, we proposed that executives should run AI Failure Workshops to…
2024-08-20
Three golden rules for creating great strategies
One of the constants in my last 25 years of work has been a focus on strategy. Business strategy, IT strategy, digital strategy, occasionally marketing strategy, and of course…
“Everybody Wants to Rule the World” by Tears for Fears
2024-08-14
We all need to develop instincts fit for the 21st century
Our instincts can lead us astray in the current world. In an evolutionary sense, it was only a blink of the eye ago that we were wearing loincloths and bartering for goods. Yet…
“The Supermen” by David Bowie
2024-08-11
Who just won the Paris Olympics? (AKA How you measure really matters)
The Paris Olympics just finished today. Paris did an amazing job of hosting. As often happens with sporting events, I thought I wasn't going to be very interested this time, but…
"The Race" by Yello
2024-07-31
Have you found your AI treasure yet?
Have you found your AI treasure yet? Many companies like the idea of AI, but are not sure where to find the AI ‘treasure’ in their enterprises. There are so many possible places…
2024-07-28
Three types of enemy we have to face, and using fear to conquer fear
I have an ex-colleague who once complimented my LinkedIn posts but commented that the subjects were ‘a bit negative’. If she reads this post, it certainly won’t change her…
“Know Your Enemy” by Rage Against the Machine
2024-07-22
On being your own Chief Dissatisfaction Officer
I am one of those people who had about a million ideas for entrepreneurial businesses, and never really did any of them. Books that automatically rewrote themselves based on the…
“Good Feeling” by The Violent Femmes
2024-07-15
If we want to move forward with the big issues, we need to have narrower conversations
Two very different topics that have been occupying my mind, for various personal and professional reasons, over the last year are (1) the events and issues surrounding Israel and…
"Love will tear us apart" by Joy Division
2024-07-03
Where are you more Moby and where are you more Lemmy?
In 1999, a musician called Moby released an awesome album called “Play”. Very catchy. I remember watching him play live on TV. He started playing some electronic dance music, then…
“Natural Blues” by Moby and “No Class” by Motörhead
2024-06-26
The strange and complicated issue of the ownership of ideas
The notion of ownership is very different when applied to different classes of thing. For example, owning an inanimate object, land/ property, an animal or an idea. [Complementary…
“This Land is Your Land” by Woody Guthrie
2024-06-23
Are you a Björn Borg person, or a John McEnroe person?
Back in the mists of time when I was young, an intense rivalry played out in the tennis world, between Björn Borg and John McEnroe. Even though I recognized McEnroe’s brilliance,…
2024-06-16
As individuals, companies and countries, we are going to have to be OK with not being OK for at least the…
I have a reputation amongst my family and friends as, what Marisa Tomei’s character Mona Lisa Vito in the best comedy film ever, “My Cousin Vinny”, would call a f***ing world…
“It’s Okay” by Nightbirde
2024-06-08
Choice – we can’t handle the choice
Today is the 21,162nd day I have been alive, but I still haven’t worked out how to be a human. Last day of a fascinating 2 week business trip to China, I chose to wear last…
“I know but I don’t know” by Blondie
2024-05-21
It's time for some revolution through individual behaviours
I am preparing to travel on business to China this weekend for the first time since before the coronavirus pandemic hit. I will travelling to, and working in, Shanghai, Beijing,…
“For What It’s Worth” by Buffalo Springfield
2024-05-12
Which business word do you hate the most? Mine is ‘transformation’
Words are important. They can make things easier or harder to understand. They slice up the real world into conceptual units and hierarchies, whilst seeming neutral. They can…
“Mind” by Talking Heads
2024-05-09
When you are experiencing tough times personally or professionally, consider the ‘injure the corners’…
In my spare time, I write books that are not directly related to my day job. Some fiction, some non-fiction. I struggle with finishing them, because of time constraints, but I…
“Chalk Outlines” by Ren X Chinchilla
2024-05-06
Why Gen AI may be much bigger than even the hype suggests
Kurt Gödel’s famous Incompleteness Theorem is a thing of beauty in two ways. First, it proved something really powerful and counterintuitive – that any system of logic has…
“Future Starts Slow” by The Kills
2024-04-25
Could we refocus the world on maximizing human dignity?
I am very unclear on many of the big questions in life, but I know one thing for sure: the best film ever made was “One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest”. (If you disagree, I totally…
“Money Game” by Ren
2024-04-16
One great hope I have for AI – rehumanizing the economic world (Yes, another post about AI – sorry.)
Artificial Intelligence is inspiring strong feelings in many of us. Some people have AI-philia, some AI-phobia. I think my position could be best described by the David Bowie…
“Take the Power Back” by Rage against the Machine
2024-04-02
Is our tone of voice the most accidental and undirected weapon in our personal armoury?
I have recently had occasion to both deliver a keynote presentation to a relatively large audience, and to support several others doing the same thing. Some stagecraft is only…
“It ain’t what you do, it’s the way that you do it”, by Bananarama and Fun Boy Three
2024-03-30
Should companies have Chief <Hot Topic of the Day> Officers?
I recently learned that President Biden has mandated every federal agency to appoint a Chief AI Officer. Without going into that specific recommendation, or the Chief AI Officer…
“The Times They Are A-Changin’” by Bob Dylan
2024-03-26
Feedback is an Under-Appreciated Art Form
If I open my metaphorical kimono (whilst keeping my physical one firmly shut), my job as an analyst and advisor is a weird one. I don’t have a team, a budget, a P&L, products or…
“Brave” by Sara Bareilles
2024-03-20
Do business and technology documents have to be so boring?
Douglas Adams, the great comic science fiction author, wrote that Vogon poetry was so bad that a critic only survived a recitation of it by gnawing his own leg off. I wouldn’t be…
“I’m Bored” by Iggy Pop
2024-03-16
A message in support of those who have never found their cruising altitude
I am 57 years old, but I am still waiting to grow up. To know who I am. To know what I want to be. To work out where I fit in. I remember the first day I went to work, wearing a…
“Learning to Fly” by Tom Petty
2024-03-02
In praise of blame
Like everyone, at times in my personal and professional life I have been involved in projects that go wrong. Very occasionally spectacularly wrong. Normally just not quite as well…
“Nobody’s Fault But Mine” by Blind Willie Johnson (and later Led Zeppelin)
2024-02-24
Gen AI is the first informational technology that has prioritized fluency over accuracy, the first technology…
At one point in my life a couple of decades ago, I decided I might go live in a developing country, teach English and write novels in my spare time. Turns out that isn’t what…
"Turn On, Tune In, Cop Out" by Freak Power
2024-02-14
AI will show up in lots of unexpected places. (Like a tartan necktie.)
I learned a while ago that there is an official register of tartans in Scotland. I then learned that in 2023, the wonderful Steven Patrick Sim, AKA The Tartan Artisan, created and…
“Caledonia” by Dougie MacLean
2024-02-12
You can’t boil the ocean in the search for AI value
I am currently working hard with my fantabulous colleagues Brook Selassie, Owen Pengelly, Kristin Beard, Meghan Bowen and Nesma Hassan, and a host of wonderful collaborators,…
“Wish You Were Here” by Pink Floyd
2024-01-24
Winners learn from their enemies
(Pre-note: I know the term ‘enemy’ sounds unnecessarily aggressive and adversarial. Please forgive me.) At university, I had a friend who was a born-again Christian. I once…
“Know Your Enemy” by Rage Against The Machine
2024-01-21
Let's find innovative ways to make our stakeholders 'feel' our messages
When we share ideas with each other, we want to get the message across. Of course we have to nail the basics, like being clear, testing for understanding, using appropriate…
'Love is like Oxygen' by Sweet
2024-01-16
Could nano-opinion polls and nano-referenda save the world?
As a kid, I fell in love with computers. I couldn’t believe the magic. Unlike every other machine, a computer was a soft machine. It could do an infinite number of different…
“Don’t Worry About The Government” by Talking Heads
2024-01-10
Let’s each introduce one new habit in our lives each month in 2024
I sometimes write on LinkedIn about strategy. Sometimes technology. Sometimes business. Sometimes other stuff. I seem to be channeling my inner Tony Robbins a bit lately. This…
“Stairway to Heaven” by Led Zeppelin and “Highway to Hell” by AC/DC
2024-01-08
Could we make 2024 the year of intellectual honesty, integrity and anti-sophistry?
I just apologized to a couple of colleagues. It wasn’t about anything huge, but I felt the need to say sorry. I tried very hard to apologize properly. Being clear what I was…
"Sorry seems to be the hardest word" by Elton John
2024-01-04
Do we need to rebalance our collaboration rights and responsibilities?
For a long time, an important part of my job has involved collaborating with others on shared documents. The way this often used to happen was that one person was the lead and…
“She’s Lost Control” by Joy Division
2024-01-01
In praise of messiness and unstrategicness
Happy New Year everyone. Even though I am as old as the hills, I am starting to have those thoughts again. You know. Those new year thoughts. This year I am going to: {tidy up my…
“Amateur Hour” by Joe Jackson, or “Teenage Dirtbag” by Wheatus