Knowing Write from Wrong: Part 1

Knowing Write from Wrong: Part 1

by | Jan 22, 2015

In the summer of 1964, my parents rented a small, red cottage on Cherry Street at Chapman Beach in Westbrook, Connecticut. Headed east along the shoreline, the next beach is Chalker Beach. The one after that is Indian Town. That matters because that same summer, my...
But That’s the Way We’ve Always Done It

But That’s the Way We’ve Always Done It

by | Jan 20, 2015

SASS (self-absorbed self-satisfaction), is a philosophy, not to be confused with its homonymic variant: SaaS (software as a service). SASS is the twin sibling of stubbornness and the bane of creative productivity. It can be stated in one simple sentence: “We do...
Do-It-Yourself Marketing

Do-It-Yourself Marketing

by | Jan 16, 2015

I have four dental crowns cemented into my noggin. I’m completely familiar with every step of the procedure for getting them in there: the prepping of the tooth; the creation and application of the temporary crown; the molding of the permanent one; and the implanting...
But We Had a Plan!

But We Had a Plan!

by | Jan 15, 2015

When my younger son, Quinn, played basketball at Salve Regina University, I noticed something: When things went badly during a game, the coach would call a time-out and summon the team to the sideline. As the players assembled, he’d pull an index card out of the...
Courage

Courage

by | Jan 14, 2015

Though I manage brands for a living, I’m not objective enough to position and manage my own brand. I’m too close to it. Every brand owner has the same myopic inability. But many of them resist objectivity. And when presented with the new, the push is on to...
He Blinded Me With Science

He Blinded Me With Science

by | Jan 13, 2015

Good news, kids: We’re no longer complex creatures. We’re neither cryptic nor complicated. Anfractuous behavioral lines are now — if not perfectly straight — at least malleable. Outcomes are predictable. That’s right. We have experience maps. An...