In order to meet the objectives of the ‘performance’ stage, build brand differentiation by doing the following:

• Creating memorable experiences


• Displaying positive brand values


• Telling important brand stories


• Building brand personas

Creating differentiation helps answer the ‘what are you?’ stage, but remember that performance is only one of the quadrants... See more

The conclusion being a brand goes beyond just a name, logo, or tagline. It's the narrative threading through your customers' experiences, linking your products, services, marketing, digital touchpoints, team, company culture, and even your investors. It's the story of who you are to them and the impact you make on their lives.

A brand clearly states... See more

As we think about a title for episode one, we ask them to imagine the title for episode ten of the third series. We then ask them to imagine, or write down, all the episode titles in between. This serves two purposes: it helps them develop a title format and aids in visualising their content as an archive, which it will become if they fully commit ... See more

I struggle with the cultural push toward insularity and self-reliance. I suffer from the inertia of screens and the ennui of stuff. I indulge in the brief hit of dopamine comfort that comes from online shopping (the kitchen gadgets, the houseplants, the skincare products). I drink wine to unwind. I sip from the warm cup of promised safety and comfo... See more

Instrumentalization is the force that shapes our identities into tools. We identify with what we do , how we're used, and how we're valued more. We lack a sense of agency and feel beholden to those individuals or institutions that would use us as tools.

Do we become homeowners, for instance, because we want to own a home ? Or because social, politic... See more

Kevin Scott, now CTO of Microsoft, would ask in candidate interviews: “What do you want your next job to be after this company?” Most of your team members realistically won’t stick with the same company forever. This is even more true as you scale to 20, then 50, then 100 team members and so on. But the best way to empower them to do good work is t... See more

Good spaces provide bonding and bridging mechanisms. The field of urban planning first introduced the concept of public spaces that bond or bridge. The former serves to aid similar individuals to meet and reinforce ties. The latter bridges diverse people together to coexist and broaden one another’s perspectives. What seems to be working for us is ... See more