Representation isn't false but its not reality either
AI systems speak to us in ways that make us engage easily, but the more plausible the representation, the less we consciously question its origins or authority.
Publications
Perspectives on leadership, strategy, and organizational resilience
My Bookend Day: Anchoring Chicago's Future in Impact and Thread
A day bookended by a Chicago impact investing breakfast and a sustainable fashion showcase reveals a common thread: the city lacks not ideas but the connective tissue of finance and production.
What if \"Move Fast and Break Things\" is the most expensive advice you've ever taken?
The gospel of speed may feel decisive, but mistaking the thrill of a roller coaster for the real work of building a rocket ship creates a culture of chaos rather than durable innovation.
Is Burnout something you soothe, or eradicate with strategic clarity?
Burnout isn't a sign your team is failing—it's a sign your leadership and strategy are failing them, and transformational leaders diagnose the poison in the system rather than applying bandages.
Leadership takes Chutzpah: Is your Fear of AI Exposure Actually Exposing you?
While executives deliberate over AI risks, competitors gain structural advantages through systematic transformation—their fear of exposure is actually exposing them to competitive risk.
A Founder's Guide to Narrative Frameworks
Facts inform, but stories persuade—master these six powerful narrative frameworks to build emotional connections and turn your pitch into a memorable experience.
The Invisible Hand: Guiding Others Rippling Change
Accomplishments transfer to others not directly but like lighthouses, seeds, and echoes—your breakthrough plants something in another person's mind that grows into their own unique breakthrough.
Making Growth Tangible, visit an artist
Invisible factors shape our business expectations and may obscure opportunities—recent research shows that contemplating art enhances abstract thinking while reducing anxiety, making a gallery visit a strategic move.
Chai snickerdoodles anyone?
A chance remark at an art gallery opening about an unfamiliar cookie becomes a reminder that breaking the ice in conversation—however simple—opens doors to connections we'd otherwise miss.
Flowers and the art of noticing
A brief pause to notice small beauties—like lilac wildflowers low in the North Carolina grass—is itself an act of presence worth celebrating.
Is your Growth Probable and Possible?
The Monty Hall problem reminds us that knowing when results are random versus part of a trend is essential for making decisions and taking the right risks—so who is your advisor?
Casting for opportunity
Opportunity is co-created, and finding it requires awakening our senses and shifting our line of sight—casting a broader, open net to collect the information that is often more available than we imagine.
Uncertainty is not logical—that's the point!
Resilient leaders maintain broader perspectives through change, understanding that it isn't change itself that harms us but our slow adaptation—manifested as resistance—that creates difficulty.
The Dance of Hands Changing the World
As our work becomes increasingly intertwined with technology, what value do we ascribe to human capabilities and our growing capacity to harness the tools we've created?
Are you floating or realizing ideas?
The dreamers unburdened by industry history can see complications others miss, but does their lack of experience become an asset or a liability—and when does the dream actually fuel a founder?
Keeping Up or Taking Calculate Risks?
Life isn't a race with a hidden finish line—the key advantage lies in calculating risks rather than simply keeping pace, as cyclist Kristen Faulkner's Olympics victory illustrates.
Start by Showing Up and Being Seen
In times of social upheaval, the most fundamental act of leadership—and humanity—is simply showing up and being willing to be seen.
Sidelines that support growth
Only by stepping aside from our own assumptions—and owning the framework we've developed through experience and failure—can we overcome hesitancy and truly advance our practice.
The rhythm of writing comes with routine
Twenty-one days of a public writing challenge reveals that writing changes how we think—and by continuing regularly, our thoughts evolve and expand in ways we never anticipated.
Stretch bias stretch
Like Madeleine Vionnet's bias cut that made fabric drape and flow, framestretching finds where there's friction in our thinking and finds ways to remove it—giving our ideas the stretch that makes them more forgiving.
Taking Chances or Feeling lucky?
The distinction between controlling outcomes and enabling others' growth—and between luck and cultivated skill—proves essential, and positioning yourself advantageously results from waiting, patience, and practice.
The Explorer's Club
Explorers are not witnesses but investigators—cultivating the habit of questioning assumptions and filling the gaps in what we think we see is the foundation of genuine learning.
Firming boundaries, trading elusive value
Learning to put our own interests first—rather than letting elusive quality standards stop our efforts—is the work of building a practice where everyone's contribution shares in purpose and pride.
Experience–can you inside it out?
Learning to hold space for others to fully express their thoughts—rather than interrupting with our own certainty—is what transforms a conversation from performance into genuine discovery.
Are you valuing your associates-even the fleeting ones?
The brief, serendipitous partnerships that help a concept come to life—even when they don't endure—are often what give us the confidence to fully own and advance our own ideas.
Uncertainty is a perspective too.
A father's habit of asking 'What else are you thinking?' taught that uncertainty itself is embedded in how we understand the world—and that honoring that legacy means continuing to stretch our frames.
Getting the basis right
The outward polished look opens doors but not minds—that requires good manners, kind words, and genuine warmth, allowing your thoughtful independent self to emerge as a welcome surprise.
Wakening up my learning
Discovering metacognition—the idea that we can think about our own thinking—was a turning point that explained how radical career pivots become possible when we realize we can examine and redirect our own thought.
Setting Axis labels , the dots and a dash
Committing to public writing and shorter posts is about finding the axes that orient understanding—whether axes are found or created, the discipline of engagement and feedback is what makes growth possible.
What's the Alternative?
Work and play share the same performance attributes—commitment, strategy, improvement, and celebration—and turning objectives into games can shift perspective by activating capabilities that unconsciously awaited activation.
Is it the message or the mode that counts?
Twitter, Slack, and even Potato Parcel all succeeded through delivery reliability rather than personalization—it's the content and the fit between message and mode that ultimately wins over your target.
Tis the Season
The holiday season invites reflection on how we evaluate new tools and how the GIST framework—Guts, Interrogation, Story, Turns—transforms awareness into lasting behavioral change.
Will a focus on well-being produce sustainable progress?
Incorporating well-being into organizational strategy shows promise for sustainable growth, but alignment between organizational values and measurable outcomes remains critical to make it work.
Asking for help – Assisted Connections
Shifting from valuing control to valuing connection—and tracking assists the way sports do—transforms the stigma around asking for help into a recognized and measurable form of contribution.
Expose yourself, be the Snowflake, not the Snow
Like unique snowflakes shaped by forces beyond their control, organizations gain resilience by embracing what makes them distinct rather than hiding behind structural uniformity.
Story shorthands make it easy to think along
Understanding storytelling's power is not enough—closing the gap between knowledge and action requires practice, and the Goldilocks story is a practical shorthand for teaching 'just right' thinking.
Knowing to Acting–playing it out matters.
When 52 professionals were asked what they know about Columbus, only 10% matched their peers' answers—revealing how our beliefs form frames that determine what we say, and why listening for what people tell us exposes what they truly understand.
It's a Process
Building natural learned associations—like fire drills before emergencies—creates organizational resilience when routine processes fail and the unexpected unfolds.
Stop thinking linearly!
Most growth happens in a curvilinear way, and resisting the allure of the steadily upward-sloping line—by studying outliers, looking beyond your industry, and digging into variance—is where strategic thinking really begins.
The think Different Test: Lessons Learned
Running frame-stretching sessions with professionals reveals that letting participants lead—and suspending your own stories—is what allows fresh self-perception through alternate lenses.
Stop, Smile, Look and Listen
A four-step exercise—stop, smile, look, listen—short-circuits automatic processing and exposes the subconscious foundations of our experience, improving critical thinking and behavioral awareness.
Chicago's Traffic Concierge service
Despite GPS, traffic maps, and media alerts, Chicago driver behavior has remained static—a coordinated public-private 'work smart' campaign could leverage existing workplace technology to reduce congestion and position Chicago as a true smart city.
The skinny on E3–why we love Story and story telling
Descriptions alone prove ineffective—our brains need narrative as concrete evidence of value, and the WHAT4 framework gives organizations a structured path from current reality to breakthrough innovation.