by Mark O'Brien | Feb 10, 2016
That creaking sound you hear is Western Civilization, or at least the English-speaking parts of it, teetering on the edge of the abyss. That’s right. We’ve finally devolved to the point at which Inc., a Forbes publication, has to publish an article about a...
by Mark O'Brien | Jan 12, 2016
Why in the world do we think we’ll see, perceive, or even recognize innovation? That question leapt to mind, yet again, when I read this: “Why Real Innovation Will Not Come From Within Your Own Industry”. Outside your own industry? If real innovation...
by Mark O'Brien | Dec 24, 2015
Bearing in mind that The Hero With a Thousand Faces, From Ritual to Romance, and The Golden Bough are among the most influential books in my life, I offer this reflection, with apologies to real poets everywhere: The venerable holidays are fast upon us now. The...
by Mark O'Brien | Dec 17, 2015
It’s apparent from a post I read recently — “Design is Not a Service” — that there must be some sort of potent and pernicious hallucinogen making the rounds. The author of the post, seemingly in the throes of an overdose of the stuff, ranted through...
by Mark O'Brien | Dec 11, 2015
If you read this article from Fast Company — “What Does Authenticity Really Mean?” — you’ll get a smorgasbord of options: According to one person cited in the article, “If you want to be a leader, you have to be yourself—skillfully.” So,...
by Mark O'Brien | Nov 30, 2015
I read a post the other day by a British chap who wrote that, when he arrived at his office at 7:30 one morning, the only sound he could hear was the background hum of technology. I immediately wondered: How did he know it wasn’t tinnitus? If you clicked on the...
