A brand statement : Results of a personal branding exercise I didn’t know I needed.

Personal branding is, to borrow a modish term, a thing. Not that it hasn’t always been a thing; more that the thing is now evident and underlined rather than subtle and inferred. It’s in the open these days. 

The primary reason it’s a thing is competition. A personal brand - in the form of a personal brand statement - acts as a signal and gives the brandholder a chance to establish differentiation: This is who I am and what I do, people. It’s my location on the professional map.  

Prior to last week, I’d not been asked for my personal brand statement. Slogans and Myers-Briggs types and interesting facts and two-truths-and-a-lie, yes. But not a personal brand statement. As a brand person, the request was timely given a recent conversation with Eric B (also the inspiration behind Sand Mode). Oh, the places one good chat can take you. 🙏 again, E.  

My target criteria:  

1. I want a brand statement that’s aspirational but doesn’t read like something out of a comic book; e.g. leaps tall buildings in a single bound, am the best there is at what I do & etc.

2. My personal brand statement should be rooted *and* reaching. It should say, I know where I’m from and where I’m going.

3. It must be short. Preferably. (I’m still working on this.)

4. It should be memorable to the people I’d like to remember it.

5. I would like it to be distinct. 

6. The traits -and the brand - should not be presumptuous. 

After 12 iterations, I landed where my conversation with Eric ended and my list started. Result:

I will help you get unstuck. 

Because like it or not and as mentioned in a recent post, Sand Mode: a concept for getting unstuck, everyone is acquainted with getting stuck and has felt the relief of getting unstuck. The people who tend to help people get unstuck have themselves been stuck many times before and helped others re-find their way. Inexperienced people can’t help you get unstuck. Impatient people can’t help you get unstuck. People who have challenged themselves and others and sometimes won and sometimes lost can help you get unstuck. People who are willing to fail can help you get unstuck. So can people who have more often and repeatedly found a way forward. I think those people are the masters of unstuck. I aspire to count myself among them. We’ll see.    

I’ve taken this unstuck thing for a walk and 10/10 times it has generated a grin, a nod, an affirmation that yes, it makes sense for someone like me to make a claim like that. Especially in domains where I’ve generated results; e.g. marketing, not woodworking; strategy, not refrigerator repair. [Author pats himself on the back.]

I’ll help you get unstuck. 

And if you’re stuck trying to develop your own brand statement, hopefully this helps. If it doesn’t, call a friend.

More soon.

***

Other recent posts: Sand Mode

Sand Mode: A concept for getting unstuck

The happiest and most level-headed decision makers I know are acquainted with getting stuck. Their equanimity is the result of knowing how to get unstuck. If you’re looking for a superpower, this is a good one. 

Credit where credit is due: Sand Mode as a concept originated during a chat with my friend Eric. I’m simply taking it for a drive (as it were). 🙏, E.

You need Sand Mode

A few years ago I owned a Jeep. One of its novel features was Sand Mode. In Sand Mode, a vehicle’s transmission remains in low gear, traction is distributed, and wheels don’t overspin. The result: increased torque and a reliable pace for getting unstuck; e.g. achieving the goal. 

I’m guessing designers of the Jeep knew many drivers would have the opposite tendency: to rev their wheels in the assumption that faster would be faster and ignore the tenet that in real life faster can be slower and slower faster. They would get rattled, arrive face-to-face with their lack of preparation, and deepen the stuck. They would need Sand Mode.

The business parallels are everywhere.

In one form or another we’re all either stuck or soon will be

• Stuck trying to scale a new idea

• Stuck attempting to replicate past success

• Stuck without the resources you need

• Stuck in a situation you didn’t sign up for 

• Stuck figuring out how to bring people back to the office

• Stuck questioning whether or not you need an office

• Stuck in a meeting, an airport, or without cash

• Stuck with a song in your head

• Stuck not knowing what to do

• The list goes on

The question is not if you’ll get stuck but 1 ) when, 2 ) to what magnitude, and 3 ) how you’ll get out of it. It’s whether or not you’ll pass the test and emerge stronger.

I want you to have your own version of Sand Mode. 

Plan for obstacles 

Sand Mode is a keep-moving-forward state of mind with reality as subtext and preparation as the magic ingredient. When you do the thing - the venture for the gain - it’s what will help you remain cool at the wheel. 

Before proceeding:

Many people claim they want to go places others won’t then lose composure and freak out at the first obstacle. They cycle on minutiae because they can’t separate what matters from what doesn’t, their heart rate elevates, and they exhaust themselves and everyone around them. It’s a mess. They lack the Mode. You know this; now you have a name for what they need.   

Onward…

Unstuck tip #1: Because reality is hard and you’re forging a new direction, you must be prepared for setbacks. Find the holes in your plan, the entrances that lack obvious exits, the sunk costs and low-probability events that may not occur but then again might. Rehearse what you’ll do if when they appear. Literally (1) go (2) through (3) the (4) steps.

Have contingencies based upon what you’ve learned and prepare to activate them. Prepare because not every decision will be color-by-# and many will be flat-out wrong. 

This is ok. Life and business demand decisions: to launch or not to launch, build or not build, target x or y audience, hire this person or that, invest here or there, the list goes on. As long as you can perceive what you’re getting into and have the chops to help your team when they’re stuck, then there’s an excellent chance it’ll be great.

In short: Fortune favors the prepared. Make it favor you. [Not a bumper sticker or billboard…yet.] 

Diagnose your situation

Stuck is relative and time is its common denominator. You can be temporarily stuck or royally stuck. Unlike the majority of business decisions, royally stuck is life-altering. Today we’re talking about business decisions but the Sand Mode metaphor travels. (You got that?)

Remember: Stuck is why you get paid. Not to look out for things that are going smoothly. 

Unstuck tip #2: Make a short list of where you’re stuck. I’m 100% certain there’s some aspect of your work that’s 99% stuck. Acknowledging the stuck is the first step to getting out of it. For example:

• Maybe you need help from someone who knows what they’re doing

• Maybe you’re not asking the right questions

• Maybe you don’t know because you haven’t tried

• Maybe you’re not as brave as you need to be at this moment

Prioritize where you’re stuck. Rank your stuckiness on a series of post-its or index cards, in a notebook or on your hand. Tell yourself: My first goal is finding a way out. Then pick up the phone or your laptop and start.  

Set a timeline for your unstuck strategy

Unstuck tip #3: Make a KPI for getting unstuck; e.g. We’re going to Point A by Time B; we’re going to commit to a direction before our next quarterly meeting; we’re going to explore [fill in the challenge that will force you to encounter the brutal facts] not just sit here and muse for the next 6 months; and etc. And we’re going to be flexible and fast and patient and find our torque when torque is required.  

Key 🔑: Sand Mode exists to be used. Put yourself in position to use it if you need it! If you wait too long to make a decision, proceed too slowly and without clear intent once you’ve made a decision, or lack the grounding to know which decisions must be made when, then the world will pass you by. Fact. I’ve seen it happen.

Another fact: The best way to not get stuck is to keep moving. Not frantically but with a protagonist’s mindset and composed awareness of how to get unstuck. When you’re aware that plans often go sideways but are prepared and have your bearings, then people will want to work with you. You’ll be more than seasoned (seasoning is for grill foods); you’ll be battle-tested. Sand Mode will be as natural as a walk in the park.    

Summary

I want you to have the resolve and frequently audacious stuff to make informed decisions and bring others along for the ride. To maintain your grace, put in the work, instill in your team the confidence that you know what it takes to get out of tough situations because you’ve been there not because you ‘know’ in some intangible hope-as-strategy way. You have Sand Mode or whatever you wish you call your internal setting that offers the traction you need. 

1. You’ll be prepared for anything

2. You’ll know where you are

3. You’ll move forward fast

We’ll get there, with or without a Jeep.  

—

Bonus material: 5 quotes on getting stuck, coping with the stuck, and finding a way out: 

1. "Remind yourself what you've been through and what you've had the strength to endure." - Marcus Aurelius. The master. 

2. "The need for certainty is the greatest disease the mind faces." Robert Greene. You’re not going to have all the answers. Also not me. Nobody. 

3. “No man is more unhappy than he who never faces adversity. For he is not permitted to prove himself.” Seneca. Enter the arena and see your own eyes light up. 

4. Phil Jackson on why he made Chicago Bulls practices so rough: "Not to make their lives miserable but to prepare them for the inevitable chaos that occurs the minute they step onto a basketball court.”

5. “It is no good getting furious if you get stuck. What I do is keep thinking about the problem but work on something else. Sometimes it is years before I see the way forward. In the case of information loss and black holes, it was 29 years.” -Stephen Hawking. That’s persistence. 

August 2021 : A newsletter

The more I ride, the clearer my thoughts. Plans in the works.

More soon. // JT

(📷: John E)

December 2020 : A newsletter

Current status: 🔨🚵‍♂️⛷   

1. I’ve returned to cycling in twenty twenty and appreciated it more thoroughly than ever before. I’m riding not racing, pedaling a steel frame vélo with 700c x 42mm tyres in an olive and tan combination propelled by a single ring chainset and - more importantly - slowed by hydraulic disc brakes. Fifteen hundred (give or take a few 00) miles in, it’s a genuine joy. 

2. More data? My executive decision maker says yes. I’m sampling Whoop, a health and fitness device I wear above my wrist. Three months in, the metric I’m following more closely than any other is heart rate variability (HRV). The science-inclined may appreciate these details from The Lancet. Takeaways + personal experience: try to get better rest, eat healthy, minimize blue light, stretch, hydrate, take your daily vites, meditate, sleep in a cool room, and minimize stress. The remaining hour of your day can be free time.    

3. Loyal readers (your holiday card will be in the mail prior to 24 Dec) are aware that my lists tend to bounce from topic to topic. Exempli gratia: The Cycling Podcast. It’s not for everyone other than those who appreciate the opera of bike racing and stories from places most of us have been unable to visit in 2020, e.g. 🇫🇷🇮🇹🇪🇸 & most destinations > 2km from home.    

4. At least my library is in top shape. Rather than list links, here’s a photo of ~3/4 of the highlights. The balance are scattered will-nilly around my return address. Note: Digital Minimalism, which you’ll be free to pursue within approximately 00:00:57. 

5. In the event you’re shirking duty - like, now, at this moment - I offer you a recent think piece from Eric Barker: 6 Things The Most Productive People Do Every Day.  

6. Speaking of productivity or the lack thereof, or the lack thereof as a means to eventually achieve it once the mind has had a chance to run-on, the holidays are arriving post-haste and I prefer the season of light be just that. Free prezzies: Holiday letters from legends of Greek mythology and A few minor requests before you take your holiday vacation.  <- Not that most readers are venturing far this season but you’ll get the gist.    

7. At various times and due partially to a pandemic, I took a break from making things. This didn’t help my HRV. Inspirado: Keep calm and make ugly art.  Even I can do that. 

8. In the event the whole “How’s Work?” conversation comes up on your next video call in which your video part is expected to be in the on (i.e. 🔴, occasionally blinking) position, I recommend keeping it quick regardless of your audience. Here are a few thought starters, if not to be cited by name (really, try not to do that), then perhaps to trigger a window-filled space in your brain where you occasionally stumble upon an unreasonable idea with a reasonable chance of success: Six problem-solving mindsets for very uncertain times, Video tips for surviving a covid-19 winter, and How to brief a senior executive.  

9. Returning to seasonally heady matters: Turkey or sides: a Socratic dialogue. I curate so you can focus on the big questions.

10. I also plan to bake a cake. This one: Teddie’s Apple Cake. Apparently it’s ‘lovable,’ a ‘show-stopper,’ and ‘virtually indestructible.’ I hope for the sake of friends + family this is true.  

11. Survey: Have you watched any of the EF Gone Racing vids on the YouTube 📺? No way, you haven’t? There’s still time. If you like cycling and video and rice cakes and stories of stories inside stories, then you might enjoy this rice cake recipe and this video about a guy who pedals from the farthest point south to the farthest point north in Great Britain. If not, I won’t judge.   

12. I’m going to end this update before it gets too crazy. Maybe I’ll go skiing. The old farmer with the almanac predicts my northwest winter will be fairly average with some cold spells and snow but less snow than normal and maybe warmer than usual. The rest is just details. (How’d he/she get the almanac-writing job in the first place?) About those details: the mountain weather forecast may serve you well. 

13. One more nugget for the history buff(s) on my DL: Prior to listening to The Rewatchables podcast, I was unaware that Rocky IV - the movie - ended the Cold War. I can barely write that with a straight face but with a little data mining the claim can be supported. More data: the film is 32% montages, an equally impressive observation. Added to queue. 🥊  

14. And finally, a quote: “Going one more round when you don’t think you can – that’s what makes all the difference in your life.” -Rocky Balboa. Because there’s always another round. 

Be well stay well.

-John

December 2019: A newsletter

Status: 🌲🚎❄️

1. Housekeeping: I’m closing in on 365 miles run in 2019 and if I get there it’ll amount to one-per-24-hrs at an average pace of approximately 7:47/mile. Rewards: pride (which is forever), and maybe a tin of seasonal butter cookies (equally enduring).

2. The local snowsports season remains stuck in the slush and apparently Washington’s Best Ski Community is a Parking Lot. Sweet but this has lasted long enough. If someone could just turn on the snow machine I’d like to move up the mountain. In the meantime it’s goblet squats and kettlebell swings and the LPP (Low Pressure Podcast) for yours truly.

3. I started at Formative in August. We’re a boutique marketing agency specializing in strategy, campaigns, and communications for foundations, NGOs, and brands who are focused on doing well by doing good. 👍

4. I’m also now commuting by bus. [Insert mental image of fellow travelers and their accoutrement, including but not limited to: canis lupus familiaris, shopping carts, vaping and other smoke products (some in use), birds, a ferret, felis catus domesticus, food and beverage, and one preacher]. With the inclusion of being thrice ghosted by the 29 - in the rain - it’s meeting expectations. Also: Man on bus can tell by surroundings he either hasn’t reached stop yet or passed stop long time ago. That man is not me but I can relate. Pull cord for recos.

5. Twenty nineteen has been a good reading year. Recently: Tools and Weapons by Brad Smith, Stillness is the Key by Ryan Holiday, Call Sign Chaos by James Mattis, The First 90 Days by Michael Watkins, Bad Blood by John Carreyrou, Range by David Epstein, and more. In the words of General James Mattis, author of Call Sign Chaos, “If you haven’t read hundreds of books, you are functionally illiterate and you will be incompetent because your personal experiences aren’t broad enough to sustain you.” Stick that in your stocking.

6. Speaking of personal experiences 🔨: It’s hard to overstate the importance of reskilling in every category of the working world. Starter pack: 1.) Redefining the role of the leader in the reskilling era; and 2.) Why companies are failing at reskilling. Talk amongst yourselves.

7. Thanks to the miracle of 5G, I’m also able to stream videos on the bus, including Masterclass sessions on film & tv, culinary arts, design, photography, business, science and technology, and more. I also recently rewatched Casey Neistat’s Human Flying Drone and am now in a 57% (est.) more festive mood. 📹

8. By this point all three of you have hopefully gathered that this is not a holiday letter. No really. Also if you haven’t heard, My mother’s annual holiday letter is spreading fake news. Not mine IRL but click and you’ll get the gist. Be careful what you believe 🎅🏻

9. In a quest for shock-and-awe, I’m meditating on Very Easy Apple Cake. It’s the Very Easy (not just Easy) that has drawn my attention and demands analysis. More eventually.

10. And finally, as ever, a quote: “You can hold your breath until you turn blue, but they’ll still go on doing it.” -Marcus Aurelius. That they will. Remember it all goes on sale in January.

Ahoy for 2020.

-John

July 2019 : A newsletter

Status: ☀️🚲🗽

1. June was a commute-by-bike month. Average daily totals: 46 minutes, 8.3 miles on my Trek single-speed. If you’re thinking “wait a half-second that’s not very fast,” then I invite you to join me for an uphill evening return, a journey I describe as The Pedal, Walk, and Carry. If you like stairs and a 16% incline, it’s 100% for you. 

2. I spent most of last month evaluating a B2B SAAS idea with the all-star team at Pioneer Square Labs. Good times, great learnings. 💡 Here’s how I describe the experience to my kids: Start with What do you do with an idea? then add a whole lotta work.  

3. More biz: I’m a big fan of customer lifetime value (CLV) as an organizing principle for marketing strategy - especially at B2B SAAS companies. Primarily because it requires a cross-section of teams (sales, marketing, finance, customer success) to think critically about why they’re in business and the value they’re delivering. For additional knowledge: What most companies miss about customer lifetime value.    

4. Maximizing CLV - and by extension, company value - increasingly depends upon product and marketing personalization. Reading reco: The future of personalization and how to get ready for it. Because it’s here. 

5. In other news: As an early riser, I take comfort in knowing I’m not alone. For example: Navy Seal commander explains why wake up at 4am, courtesy of the unparalleled Casey Neistat. I’m also convinced predawn starts are a key to unlocking creativity and over-the-top GSD (Getting Stuff Done 👊). Once you make it a routine, you may never return to sleeping later than 0600.   

6. The 2019 Tour de France gets underway on July 6. It’s a two-wheeled, three-week opera set against some of the most stunning backgrounds in sports. Here’s how to watch live and/or follow The Move podcast (recommended). 

7. The 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup (also in 🇫🇷) has been outstanding, as anticipated. If you’re reading this after July 7, the winner will have been crowned and here’s hoping it’s who I hope it will be 🇺🇸. Either way, the inspiring stories in We asked, they answered: 108 Women’s World Cup Players on Their Jobs, Money and Sacrificing Everything will live on. 

8. 🎧: Michael Lewis’s podcast, Against the Rules, is terrific. It’s a 9-episode analysis of what has happened to fairness in American life and a prime example of great storytelling.       

9. 📚: The Spy and The Traitor: The Greatest Espionage Story of the Cold War. Also exceptional. Thumbs up.

10. And finally, a quote: “The meaning of life is to find your gift. The purpose of life is to give it away.” -Pablo Picasso

Think big.

-John 

June 2019 : A newsletter

Status: 🌊☀️📚

1. Summer is here 😎. First, a flashback + update: It’s now one week post-Ski to Sea 2019 and I’m emerging from the hurt locker character-reinforcing-experience that was the ‘downhill ski’ segment of the race. Race organizers, let’s be honest: 97% of the ‘downhill ski’ is an uphill climb (in ski/snowboard boots, while carrying one’s planks/board). For most participants it’s also a catch-22: If training doesn’t throttle your calves, the event will. 📷<- click for uphill to finish line data. Onward.     

2. I like this video and you might, too: BOOKSTORES: How to Read More Books in the Golden Age of Content. The premise: solid, footage: excellent, editing: exceptional - and sylistically, it’s a 10/10. Watch, learn, share.

3. Then check out Wait But Why, one of the blogs reco’d in the vid. Two suggestions: How to Pick a Career (That Actually Fits You) and 100 Blocks a Day. Either (or both) might change the advice you give and how you fill your time, adventure races notwithstanding.

4. Then check out Barking Up the Wrong Tree, ibid, and one of Eric Barker’s recent installments: New Neuroscience Reveals 5 Rituals That Will Make You Happy. Am fully in favor of #2: Do More Stuff.

5. Some of my favorite stuff is creative work and because creative work requires inputs and risks and insights, check out The Creative Future Report. Among other takeaways: Adaptability is the key skill of the future. 👍 Also: Debbie Millman’s presentation ‘Anything Worthwhile Takes Time. Plus: the Design Matters podcast, also featuring D. Millman.

6. I subscribe to a handful of newsletters. Some for work, others as points of comparison (re: style, format, content), and still others to stay connected to current and cultural events. One is The Hustle, a daily email that covers tech and business news. Another is from Austin Kleon, who recently jotted a heads-up on Operational Transparency referring to a longer HBR piece titled Operational Transparency. 🖱-> 🖱 Kleon is also the author of Keep Going: How to stay creative in good times and bad. Embrace the process.

7. This just in from the world of academia: New study finds simple way to inoculate teens against junk food marketing (source: The University of Chicago). Spoiler: Tell teens they’re being manipulated and they’ll rebel - in a good way.  Also: 10 Principles of Modern Marketing (source: MIT). ☑️+ ☑️

8. Elsewhere on the internet: The Moving Correspondence of Albert Camus and Boris Pasternak via Brain Pickings. From one of Camus’s letters to Pasternak: “It is false to say that frontiers do not exist. They do exist, temporarily. But at the same time there exists a force of creativity and truth uniting us all, in humility and pride at the same time.” Also check out Camus’s beautiful letter to his childhood teacher after winning the Nobel Prize.

9. More brain food, this from Jason Silva, the former host of Brain Games and the personality/thinker/talent behind the video series, Shots of Awe. Recent clip: The Fear of Being Fully Alive. At a 4:31 runtime it’ll require an investment of 1/3 of 1/100th of your daily blocks; 2/3 after you’ve watched a second time. You get the math.      

10. And finally, as in every update, a quote: “Forget everything else. Keep hold of this alone and remember it: Each of us lives only now, this brief instant. The rest has been lived already, or is impossible to see.” - Marcus Aurelius (H/T: Daily Stoic)

Own it.

-John

May 2019 : A newsletter

Status: 🌻🕶🎿

1. Courtesy update: According to Year Progress (and math), as of May 1 we are 33% of the way through 2019. I vote we continue.  

2. Here’s a reason: The 7-stage Ski to Sea adventure race is on the near horizon (May 26) and I’m doing the downhill ski event again. In this case, ‘downhill’ is a 97% misnomer. For the uninitiated, participants in the downhill ski climb 900’ uphill while carrying their skis (or snowboard) in deep snow from the base of Mt. Baker Ski Area to the top of the lift-accessed portion of the mountain, then click into their gear and race back down to the base. It’s bonkers and painful and I think I might order some of that wacky kinesiology tape to help fend off the 100% probability of pain. Sufferfest self-talk: This is fun this is fun this is fun.  

3. In other news... Loyal readers will recognize that Marketing ROI remains a personal quest and frequent topic at morebetternow HQ. To wit, two more articles worth a scan: 1.) A Better Way to Calculate the ROI of Your Marketing Investment; and 2.) Calculating the ROI of Customer Engagement. Today I Learned (TIL). 💯

4. In business, success requires balancing right-brain creative juice with left-brain quant skills. Book reco reprise: Damn Good Advice (for people with talent) by George Lois. I reread this classic last week and the advice remains damn good.

5. It (success) also requires feeding the beast, nourishing the spark, gathering inputs, staying sharp. All the things. This time of year, I like to check out What’s on at the  Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. Then tune in again during the show from 17-21 June 2019.  

6. A few weeks ago, Adobe sent me (and thousands of others, I presume) an email titled: Collaborating is validating, exhilarating, and hard as heck. First, I agree - and am aware it can be at least that hard. Second, there’s a thoughtful collection of articles that were linked via the email, starting with Collaborating on a Creative Project? Tips for Making It Work. I like tips. They help reinforce targets.  

7. Segue to podcast-land and a recent installment from the author of Extreme Ownership and one of the most successful podcasters of them all, Jocko Willink. Reco:  Set Standards. Aspire to Achieve Them. Become an Eminently Qualified Human. It’s a dose of equal parts reality and motivation. 🏋️‍♂️  

8. We’re also all about data here at morebetternow and with numbers on my mind I offer you Significant Digits, brought to all of us by the data pros at fivethirtyeight. Significant installments are weekly and I try to visit weekly because I don’t want to miss anything important. For example, I had no idea that NASA and other space agencies are running simulations to prepare for a 100-300 meter wide (hypothetical) asteroid strike in 2027. I’m unclear how much of the year 2027 will have passed before the (hypothetical) asteroid strike but I’d like to request it (the asteroid) wait until beyond the 75% point because I’d really like to get my summer vacation in.  

9. One more thing: I’m continuing to chisel away at MySportsMath. It’s a program that helps elementary and middle school students reinforce their math skills by focusing on categories they enjoy. In other words, it helps make math fun. The program features 405 questions spanning 8 sports. All sports-related questions include a range of math concepts, helpful tips, and an answer key complete with an example scratchpad. Get started today @ (where else?) mysportsmath.com. Check it out and let me know what you think, OK?  

10. And finally, as ever, per usual, a closing quote: “The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.” -R.W. Emerson. True, true.

Keep moving forward.

-John

April 2019 : A newsletter

Status: ☀️, 🏃‍♂️, 🚀, and 💻

1. It’s spring and I’ll keep moving because I don’t know any other way. Perhaps you share the motivation. For additional fuel, check out the Association Between Push-Up Exercise Capacity and Future Cardiovascular Events Among Active Adult Men. Spoiler alert: According to the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), those able to complete 40 pushups have significantly lower risk of cardiovascular events than those unable to complete 10. You could’ve guessed, you say? Prove it. Also JAMA is a gem.

2. Baseball season is here and I assume your 2019 copy of The Bill James Handbook is dog-eared and ready-to-go. (Yes?....No?) I’m also digging into Scorecasting: The Hidden Influences Behind How Sports are Played and Games are Won and have The Captain Class: A New Theory of Leadership (a sports -> business crossover) in my queue. Net: I may not be fleeter afoot than last year, but at least I’m putting the mental miles in.

3. I find the relationships between management and labor in sports endlessly fascinating. Brain food: Not Just Another Labor Force, a podcast episode by the Freakonomics team.

4. While you have those headphones on (or in?), consider one of master storyteller Cal Fussman’s recent pods, The Infinite Game with Simon Sinek. The concept of an infinite game - in other words, the pursuit of continuous and mindful improvement - is what business strategy should be all about. Applies equally to pushups. 💪 Yes.

5. Back to the data (b/c we always return to data in these monthly notes). Work-wise, I’m currently playing in the $191BN mobile advertising game ($93BN in the US alone). It’s so big that if you’re not succinct about which part of the game you’re playing, you’ll get lost. Meaning stories matter. And they matter more than many people think until they hear a good one and - kaboom! - they wish they had the same.   

6. Do you know who knows how to tell a story? Garr Reynolds. I met Garr back in 2007 when he visited Microsoft and led one of the best training sessions I’ve ever enjoyed. If you’re not familiar with his work, check out the now-classic Presentation Zen, then jump to slide:ology, and Resonate. One link leads to another and there’s a reasonable probability you’ll sample Made to Click, then Story, and other winners of the genre. They’ll be worth it..promise.  

7. Do you know who else knows their stories? Astrophysicists. Truly, they do. Proof: Astrophysics for People in a Hurry by Neil deGrasse Tyson. Smart dude, acclaimed read. Also: Astrophysics for Young People in a Hurry. (Aren’t they all?) To infinity and point #8.

8. Have you been keeping pace with what’s happening at Space X? 10, 9, 8...They’re launching rockets, returning rockets ..7, 6, 5.. and generally pushing the envelope..4, 3, 2.. It’s a replay of The Right Stuff for a new generation, only now it’s all being recorded..1..like here 📺 (Cut to 48:50 for ignition and blastoff.) Watching rockets never..gets..old.

9. I’ve been into stories for as long as I can remember: watching them, assembling them, sharing them, and since my first real job weaving them into my work. Abundant as they may be, thoughtful stories cannot be generated on command. They require work. And because they require work I keep the TED storytelling page bookmarked. Inspirado for us all.   

10. And finally, a quote: “Work every day. No matter what has happened the day or night before, get up and bite on the nail.” -Ernest Hemingway

Galvanize.

-John

March 2019 : A newsletter

Status: In like a 🦁.

1. I’ve seen the future and it is sun-filled. Still I row, row in the predawn hours. Here’s the routine (courtesy of my good friend and accomplished oarsman, Agent H): 500m (@35 strokes/min) followed by a 0:30 cooldown, multiplied by 5. Result: a 13-minute, survival-of-the-fittest rowing session and low-impact alternative to another staple: the 5K run (@ 160 strides/min). Have data, will travel.

2. Have podcasts, will travel smarter. And with a healthy relationship between performance and (not or) longevity, the probability of traveling farther improves dramatically. The goal: stay in the game by working with purpose. Podcast reco: Peter Attia: Eric Chehab, MD: Extending healthspan and preserving quality of life.

3. Of course, purpose isn’t limited to sports. Brands can (and should) have purpose, too. Trouble is, many either aren’t aware of what they can be or lack the bravery to reveal it. If Tom Fishburne’s (a.k.a. The Marketoonist’s) sketches weren’t so on-the-nose they might hurt less. Either way, his work is terrific and worth a follow, starting with a recent installment, Brand Social Purpose.

4. Startups need strength, corporations need flexibility. Both need growth. Brain food: The Two Ways for Startups and Corporations to Partner. Clearly there are more than two ways but keeping it simple has its advantages.   

5. With strength and flexibility you can put in the hours and who knows? maybe change the world. Here’s how Bill Gates is tackling some of our planet’s biggest challenges: Talking Tech & Saving the World with Bill Gates! Nice work by all who made this happen. (Including you, AC.) Followers of MoreBetterNow - an exclusive group, to be sure - may recognize the producer and co-star of the Gates interview, MKBHD, a.k.a. Marques Brownlee. Marques was also featured in September 2018 when I highlighted his Tesla factory tour with Elon Musk. Both clips are outstanding.    

6. Regardless of your organization’s purpose, more video is likely a good idea. For my $0.02 (why is it always $0.02?), video is the most powerful communication medium in the history of planet Earth. Forthwith and if you’re not yet sufficiently inspired by observation #5, additional learning: How to make a film. Now give it a try, yeah? And dedicate to making what you make gooood [insert prayer emoji].

7. While we’re talking video, Free Solo won an Academy Award for Best Feature Documentary. Think you’re tough? Check it out and reassess.  

8. Can I also talk video in point number 8? Bruce Springsteen on Broadway is exceptional. As a storyteller and musician, the man is in an echelon of his own. BTW Bruce is also a favorite of Dr. Eric Chehab (he of observation #2, above). As if additional endorsement is necessary.   

9. In last month’s update I sung the praises of Tim Ferriss’s podcast with Jim Collins. If you haven’t yet, lend a listen the next time you’re on the move. 🚣‍♀️🏃‍♂️ And if you’re inclined, check out Collins’s recent monograph, Turning the Flywheel: A Monograph to Accompany Good to Great. Yes, a monograph. Meaning it requires stationary consumption. Also apologies for the segue pun in that opening sentence.

10. Monthly quote: “Just that you do the right thing. The rest doesn’t matter.” -Marcus Aurelius. I couldn’t agree more.

Now’s the time.

-John

February 2019 : A newsletter

Status: 🌤❄️⛷and 🖥.

1. According to two-time Pulitzer-Prize winning author David McCullough, “Writing is thinking. To write well is to think clearly. That's why it's so hard.” It’s also why, in the marketing and communications game, good writing travels. And good writing :news flash: travels light. Meaning keeping it on point (i.e. thoughtful) pays. Perennial reco: The Elements of Style by Strunk & White.

2. To me, thoughtful work requires a deep interest in Why? Few answer it well. This is notably true in the field of digital marketing (one of my day job hats), where there’s a metric for every action and inaction, and a rationale for both - some of which change quarterly. Takeaway: The more anyone can help their team (and their target audiences) unpack Why? succinctly and with objective proof, the more effective they can be. This requires a constant stream of inputs, including a classic rediscovered, Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman. Caveat lector: It’s dense.

3. This is a ten-second time-out to allow those who may be thinking tl;dr to catch up with those hanging on every word (appreciate it, AT). Here’s a podcast reco for the dedicated who’ve read this far: The Hidden Side of Sports. It’s produced by the authors of Freakonomics and available wherever you download your digital audio.

4. I also have two Instagram feeds for you: Chris Burkard and Alex Strohl, both of whom consistently inspire with their adventure photography, stories, and approach. For brand work, Yeti is superb.

5. While in the *great outdoors* category, I’ve descended over 170,000 vertical feet on waxed boards so far this winter season. Though I’ve _postponed_ the pursuit of skiing at least as many days as my age in a single year, there has been terrific joy in the past three months.  And now, back to that day job (later, a stretch).

6. An article I wrote got published in cmo.com. Thanks, cmo.com (and Adobe). Cool.

7. A few weeks ago a colleague asked why I invest so much energy in content. A: Because it works, and when it does it generates exceptionally high ROI. Just as time and KPIs have largely validated Seth Godin’s (2008!) observation: “Content marketing is the only marketing left,” so too has personal experience.  While the only marketing might be a tad extreme, content is super-important and the good stuff - the material that unequivocally influences revenue - is always in short supply because it’s not easy to make.

8. Rowing is my new thing. At home. Because it’s still winter and I can typically carve out like 15 free minutes in any single block; or enough time for 3K at approximately 32 strokes/minute and a pace of roughly 2:15/500 m. It’s peaceful and low-impact and I dig it for both. Also for a mind + body connection, I can multitask 🚣‍♂️ 🎧 by listening to podcasts at the same time.

9. Just yesterday I finished a truly outstanding ‘cast: Jim Collins: A Rare Interview with a Reclusive Polymath. Tim Ferriss hosts and does a nice job bouncing from topic to topic. It’s so good I recommend dropping everything except your phone and starting now.  

10. If you haven’t started yet, here’s something to chew on:  “The difference between the almost right word and the right word is really a large matter - it’s the difference between the lightning bug and the lightning.” -Mark Twain. (H/T: the above-recommended Ferriss/Collins ‘cast)

Always forward.   

-John

September 2018 : A newsletter

Status:  Pumpkin Spice (preseason)

Here’s a quick rundown of ten observations on topics + experiences I’m finding interesting.   

1. What I’ve learned from logging 210 activities on Strava so far in 2018 can be summarized by Newton’s First Law: Objects in motion will remain in motion (unless acted upon by an opposing force not including vacations, weekends, or weather).  🍎 Still recording times + distances + locations on my Fenix 5, which has proven impervious to rain, wind, sleet, snow, heat, cold, the ocean, lakes, slip-n-slides, and lemonade spills.

2. I’m diving deeper into the pursuit of mastery: what it means, how it’s achieved, and the type of person who achieves it.  This has led to Mastery, by Robert Greene, which I’m enjoying immensely and annotating with vigor.  I’ve also started reading The 33 Strategies of War, ibid. And it’s equally good if not better.  The Laws of Human Nature, also by Greene, will be released on October 23, 2018.       

3. One runner and writer acquainted with mastery is Malcolm Gladwell, whose book, Outliers, remains a classic.  BTW: Gladwell, at age 53 in 2015, ran a 5:03 mile. Quickness. He also has a podcast, Revisionist History, which is worth a listen.  Am playing (then muting, then playing again) Malcolm Gladwell’s 12 Rules for Life as I type. Practical psychology.

4. Mastery is a process like any other.  While 10,000 hours of practice is a useful starting point, here are two articles I found worth 1/80,0000th as much time: How to Master a New Skill and The Best Leaders are Constant Learners.

5. Meanwhile back at the office, we’re translating data into product marketing strategy into creative ideas into brand impressions into sales.  Twenty-first century alchemy? Not sure but we’re keeping it interesting. In the pursuit of our own mastery, we’ve been gathering inspirado from multiple sources, including:  Creativity’s bottom line: How winning companies turn creativity into business value and growth ; The secret to great marketing analytics: Connecting with decision makers ; Customer strategy and marketing insights from Bain ; and The 10 best business and leadership books of 2018 so far, according to Goodreads readers.  Brain food.

6. Let’s say you’re scanning this on a train, bus, or other moving object aboard which you’ve willfully surrendered all logistical control.  You have limited interest in stories written in second-person and are tired of reading. You think maybe it’s time for a video and haven’t yet viewed Marques Brownlee’s Tesla Factory Tour with Elon Musk. You click here then hit play. And you think, “There’s a master at work.”  Then you watch a bunch of additional MKBHD videos and think, “💯.”  Then you decide you might want to learn more about Tesla and the next thing you know you’re thinking a new electric car in cherry red would be totally sensible.  From that point I have no idea what you do but I cannot be held responsible.

7. Worth following on Twitter: Lin-Manuel Miranda, the supertalent who brought Hamilton to life. Also a master. Also an unceasingly insightful, hard-working, positive person.

8. Fast Company’s list of The Most Creative People in Business is now available for 2018.  Worth a read, if not to double-check the list for the people or brands you might know then at least to spur big ideas of your own.  Anything’s possible.

9. And in sports podcasting news (there’s no easy segue for that but here goes), it’s still baseball season.  Whether your preference is analytics or the opera of competition, there’s something for many on the Baseball Tonight Podcast.  It’s also my best bet for keeping up with 11-yo fans able to devote more than 15 minutes per day to highlights.

10. And now a quote: “Actually, your past successes are your biggest obstacle: every battle, every war, is different, and you cannot assume that what worked before will work today.” So true. And still so many perceive it untrue. Source (who else?): Robert Greene.

Stay flexible.  I’ll do the same.

-John

July 2018 : A newsletter

Status:  SPF 30. 

Here’s a quick rundown of ten observations on topics + experiences I’m finding interesting.   

1. Postback 2018 was a big success and I’m happy to have played a role in bringing the event to life.  This year’s edition, hosted in Seattle on July 19-20, brought together an eclectic group of marketers from around the world and across the digital ecosystem.  Two key takeaways: 1.) We measure to manage so that what we manage is what matters most; i.e. know the difference btwn signal and noise..both can change fast. 2.) What - and how - we communicate and share has never been more important so you might as well hold yourself to a high bar.         

2. Shifting gears (which would be a pun if my bicycle weren’t a single-speed), I recently broke the 150 mark.  For what, pray tell?  A: Cycling and running segments recorded on Strava so far in 2018.  Yes, my minor obsession continues and including alpine skiing the tally is over 170 segments.  Pls forgive the rhetorical question and indulgence, it’s just that I really like data and you might, too.  

3. Continuing the thread: Sports are advertising are sports are content marketing is marketing.  The storylines are everywhere, all the time. Here’s one covering another of July’s signature events: Wimbledon says complacency is its ‘biggest threat’ as it looks to build a global brand.  Plus one relating to the largest single sporting event in the world, also held this year in the seventh month of the Gregorian calendar: Why Nike ditched a proven winning strategy for the 2018 World Cup.      

4. As mentioned in previous notes, there’s big upside in the B2B corner of the content universe and beyond.  Research recently uncovered and/or reread: B2B Content Marketing 2018: As Usage Nears Saturation, Still Lots of Room for Improvement; 2018 Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends - North America; and: Four Ways to Improve Your Content Marketing.  All-up: Think audience + format + channel and repeat (with originality) at scale.

5. Do you read Seth’s blog?  I recently returned and it’s as insightful as ever.  For example: Walking away from fast twitch.  Because the race belongs to those who keep going.

6. With all the work-ing and Strava-ing and strategize-ing, there’s never enough time to read.  I did manage to finish Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari (5/5 stars) and What Made Maddy Run by Kate Fagan (difficult and important, especially for parents), and am flying through Perennial Seller: The Art of Making and Marketing Work that Lasts by Ryan Holiday.  His work is consistently high-quality, which is why I link him so often.     

7. Being effective at anything requires deep commitment, a point underlined many times in Perennial Seller and the premise of To Make or Not To Make, an article I jotted two years ago.  Sometimes I read what I’ve written and with the benefit of additional experience reconsider it through a different lens.  That’s part of the creative process. In this case, To Make holds up.  Knowing how to make things happen has never been more critical.      

8. I also made a short movie a while back and titled it The Pumpernickel Clause.  It’s about the importance of knowing your target audience.  You may like pumpernickel, you may not like pumpernickel. Doesn’t matter.  It’s your audience that matters.

9. Monthly podcast feature: The Tour de France is underway and I’ve been listening to The Move.  It’s a daily show hosted by Lance Armstrong and JB Hager, often with guests and most days from the comfort of an Airstream trailer.  For the 105th edition they’ve added a segment titled B-Fast with Boswell; or more specifically Breakfast with Boz; or even more specifically short conversations between Marshall Opel and Ian Boswell, one of 5 US riders in this year’s race.  Been fun.

10. And finally, a monthly quote: “As long as you can start, you are all right.  The juice will come.” -E Hemingway. I like juice.

Thanks for tuning in.  Back soon.

-John

June 2018 : A newsletter

Status: summer. 😎

Here’s a quick rundown of ten observations on topics + experiences I’m finding interesting.   

1. According to data compiled by Strava, there’s a 95% chance I’ll finish my next neighborhood 5K w/in 14.3 seconds of a 7:33/mile pace (n=58)*. *This quest for everyday applications of statistical techniques acquired in business school is made possible by Garmin, in conjunction with an iphone I’m seeking to upgrade within the next few months because my current model is bonking. Additional (and unceasingly thrilling) analysis forthcoming.     

2. At the shop, a.k.a. Tune, we’re prepping for our annual conference, a.k.a. Postback, a two-day palooza of ideas, networking, entertainment, and more networking in sunny Seattle.  It’ll be [fill in the blank with whatever term the cool people are using that’s the modern equivalent of ‘rad’ but without the desperation of ‘amazeballs’].  Speaking of conferences for the marketing and creativity set, Cannes is also happening this month, as it does every June.  Worth a follow.

3. Trends, trends, trends.  They're the second reason most people travel to conferences.  Smart attendees who want to plug into what's happening in tech will preread Internet Trends by Mary Meeker and her team at Kleiner Perkins.  Fair warning: it’s a 294-slide opus. At thirty seconds/slide, it’ll get you through nearly two-and-a-half hours of flight time.   

4. I continue bookmarking stories on Twitter @morebetternow.  Here’s one with particular applicability to a part of the world I know (the startup part, not the astronauts, Daily Show, or Coach of the Boston Celtics parts): What Your Startup Can Learn from Astronauts, the Daily Show, and the Coach of the Boston Celtics by Adam Grant.  Additional goodness: If reading’s not your jam, the same content is available via SoundCloud.     

5. There’s a non-zero probability you had a teacher, professor, mentor, or coach who described learning as a lifelong process.  (Notice that insertion of statistics-speak..?) With this in mind, two books are currently on my desk: Draft No. 4: On the Writing Process by John McPhee, and Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari.  Superb, both.  Also an update on Grant, by Ron Chernow: I finally finished it.  It was good. (Note this is referring to Ulysses S. Grant, the 18th President of the United States, not the previously mentioned Adam Grant from bullet #4 of this update. Assuming better than 2:1 odds you already figured that out.)

6. If you’re lucky, part of what you’ve learned is how to deal with success and failure.  It’s a central theme of Grant (the Chernow biography) and so many of my favorite reads.  In this vein, Ryan Holiday recently published a thought-provoking article: How to Recover When the World Breaks You.  As Holiday notes, “The question is, as always, what will we do with this? How will we respond? Because that’s all there is. The response.”

7. Back to business, here’s another bookmark for the brand-inclined: The Most Successful Brands Focus on Users not Buyers by Mark Boncheck and Vivek Bapat.  I can’t emphasize enough how important the user/buyer distinction is.  And how frequently sales and marketing teams fall into the trap of focusing on the wrong audience.  Check it out.

8. While we’re in the Dropping Knowledge segment of today’s show, here’s a short video I cut many moons ago: 7 Steps to Owning Your Value Prop (and crushing the competition).  I won’t bill it as 4:18 that will change your life.  But it might just make what you’re striving for a little easier to achieve while offering a few ounces of structure to the thought processes of your marketing, sales, and product/service teams.

9. As you may have gathered by now, this whole morebetternow thing isn’t all serious business.  That said, serious business can be almost anything.  If you’re heading out this summer - and I certainly hope you are - then might I also recommend a recent installment from Brain Pickings? Here it is: Nature and the Serious Business of Joy.    

10. And finally, as a lifelong sportsman, I try to pass along the best of what I’ve learned: Keep it fun.  Because fun = joy. And joy is all the fuel a competitor needs. My kids show me this every day, every season.  That's it (no links).     

All for now and back to work.  But first, a quick 5K.

More soon.

-John

April 2018 : A newsletter

Welcome to the last week of April 2018.  That was fast. 

Here’s a quick rundown of ten observations on topics + experiences I’m finding interesting.   

1. Over the past few months I’ve gotten into Strava. Not that the platform is without privacy concerns, but technology that promotes a healthy lifestyle and friendly competition is generally good with me. I’m optimistic this one is on the rise.

2. Regarding privacy, whether or not twenty eighteen is the year digital marketing gets turned on its head remains TBD, but overdue change is on the way. Maturing and increasingly controversial consumer platforms and technologies (ex: social media), new regulations (GDPR), mainstream AI, and more signal a shift that will leave a portion of the brand/agency/tech ecosystem asking “What next?” It’ll be an obstacle for some, an opportunity for others. At risk of TL;DR,the shakeout is on.

3. If fortune favors the bold, then constraints favor the creative. And if creativity remains the most sought-after skill in business, then we should all expect more ideas and less dilemma, larger bets and smaller barriers. This daily grind (plus Hanah One...not a paid advertisement) keeps me going.

4. One more note from the creativity soapbox: I remain fascinated by the increasing need for real-world storytelling in B2B marketing and specifically tech. There are always bright spots, but the scope of underwhelm continues to leave an open door for brands capable of expressing themselves and why they do what they do in plain language. It’s not always easy; it’s also not impossible.

5. One way to improve creative work is by teaming with an experienced editor. Here’s a snapshot of how I think about editing. Not all the answers and pro tips, but having launched a wide variety of ideas across formats, teams, and contexts, I’d rather share than safeguard. Punchline: The more you make, the better you’ll be.

6. I’m reading a biography of US Grant. It’s 1,104 door-stopping pages by the author of Hamilton, the biography that inspired the musical soundtrack that remains in heavy rotation on my at-home hi-fi. As for Grant (the book), it’s excellent. One of my favorite quotes is from Abraham Lincoln, who described Grant’s impact in easy-to-understand terms: “The only evidence you have that he’s in any place is that he makes things git! Where he is, things move!”

7. I look for a sense of git in every candidate I interview and seek to uncover it via two back-to-back questions. Here they are: 1) What do you do?; and 2) Why is it important? Ten times out of ten, they work. (No link..feel free to answer for yourself.)

8. As mentioned on many occasions, the power of video cannot be overstated. That said, I multitask to podcasts. Here are three of hundreds I’ve found especially engaging: Cal Fussman: The Art of a Great Question (James Altucher Podcast, ep. 324), Life is Hard. So What Are You Going to Do? (Jocko Podcast, ep. 112), and Sir Richard Branson: The Billionaire Maverick of the Virgin Empire (Tim Ferriss Podcast). (Note: As an editor, I recommend avoiding overused and oblique terms such as ‘engaging.’) In this case, let’s call them compelling.

9. This article is probably worth nine minutes (Medium est.) of your time: Here’s The Technique That Ambitious People Use to Get What They Want by Ryan Holiday.

10. And finally: “Life is either daring adventure or nothing at all.” -Helen Keller. Your move.

All for now and back to work.  If I don’t return within the next month (or so), that won’t mean I’m not available.  Just that I haven’t paused.  

-John