In blind sight

Henry Ford never visited a mechanics shop to revolutionize transportation. He watched assembly lines at meat-packing plants. The innovation wasn’t in engines – it was in the process. Most companies look for innovation in familiar places. Tech firms study...

Want my feedback first

President Kennedy’s ExComm team faced a pivotal moment during the Cuban Missile Crisis. When Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara aggressively pushed his view, Kennedy stopped him with a gentle “Bob, may I share a different perspective?” That small...

Switch tax

The average knowledge worker switches between 13 different apps per hour. That’s 13 context shifts, 13 mental resets, and 13 opportunities for distraction. Microsoft’s research shows each switch takes 23 minutes to regain full focus. The math is brutal...

Art of less

In 1950, the average American cookbook contained 85 recipes. Julia Child’s “Mastering the Art of French Cooking” featured 524 recipes. Today, a single food blog can host thousands. We collect them like trading cards, yet master none. This pattern...

Perfect progress

‘Even a tortoise moves forward by sticking its neck out.’ We obsess over perfection when progress is what matters. Yet we forget that even nature takes seasons to bloom. The morning sun doesn’t apologize for taking its time to rise. Some days, moving forward...

Choose your burden

Howard Hughes, the billionaire aviator and filmmaker, lived two distinct lives – one of remarkable achievement and another of self-imposed isolation. In his early years, Hughes chose the burden of innovation, breaking aviation records and revolutionizing film...