a strategist’s convictions

The irony is that the hard parts, like writer’s block and openness, is where there’s self-examination, progress and growth.

And if we’re not pursuing creativity for that, then why are we? The clicks?

Good questions compress the search space, increasing the density of viable opportunities per unit of effort. They reduce opportunity cost: the better the initial inquiry, the lower the probability of burning resources chasing irrelevant possibilities.

Good questions are compression devices which shrink search space. Bad questions are expansion... See more

We say that the most powerful work operates through evoking visceral, emotional responses, yet we’ve been seemingly conditioned to believe that critiquing and evaluating is the professional necessary first step. But the fact is that we can’t truly feel an idea, we can’t truly live an idea if we’re standing on the outside and looking in being clever... See more

Everything you need to know about being a top performer: the hierarchy of helpfulness https://t.co/UNLV4Tguq0

Is it clear to you when a trend forecast is coming from amateurs versus the professionals?

ES: I mean, no. I think an amateur and a professional have kind of an equal chance at hitting the nail on the head. True flashes of cultural insight happen where you’re lucky enough to just put the right words against the cultural phenomenon at the right... See more

The biggest predictor of quality insights that you can use to reach and move real people is the quality of the question.

As a strategist, if you want rare insight, you need to have access to rare perspectives and those come from people, not publications or posts on social media.

A framework is a tool for thinking. Not a pre-packaged thought.