The grind is the gift

We romanticize the result and forget the road that got us there. Parents know this. Ask one who is a few years past the hard years. Past the arguments and the ultimatums and the late nights, wondering if they were doing it right. There’s a sparkle in the eye...

What’s important

It is intriguing the things that people find important. Timeliness Being fashionably late Privacy above all Saying what you think, unfiltered Mornings free to think uninterrupted Loyalty to outcomes over people Well-dressed for the occasion Not caring about clothes...

The invisible standard

We talk about culture as if it lives in handbooks. It does not. Culture lives in what we do when no one is keeping score. Japan’s World Cup team left their locker room immaculate. The fans cleared their garbage into bags provided to their supporters. Not to win...

The meal was the plan

Landed in Milan early, jet-lagged, bag still in my hand. My friend, whom I hadn’t seen in years, met me with a hug, then insisted I needed a proper espresso. Then he laid out the plan. Not a plan for sightseeing. Not a plan for meetings. A plan for eating, two...

It was just a call

I’ve banked with the same institution for decades. Not because they’re remarkable. They’re not. Global, established, perfectly functional, and about as inspiring as watching paint dry. I stayed because it was easier than leaving. Convenience...