Poker involves luck, uncertainty, risk, and sometimes deception. Every decision you make for your agency is a bet. What new business opportunities should we pursue? What ideas should we pitch? Like poker, these are bets because not all the facts are known. You don't...

Why is simplicity so complex? Why do we give undue credence to complex concepts? Complexity bias. We're fooled into believing complex concepts are better than the more straightforward ones. Marketers make frequent use of complexity bias. We incorporate confusing...

The red flags were there. You see, the client... Scoffed at the need for a written agreement, Pushed back on following our process, And before kickoff, dramatically changed the scope. Then, two weeks into a project that takes 3+ months, the client expressed...

Tom Brady is the greatest football player ever. Why is this easy to recognize? Football, like other sports, is a finite game. Players are known. Rules are fixed. The endpoint is clear. Winners and losers are identifiable. But business is different. Just ask yourself…...

A NASA engineer made a stunning discovery in 1964. Every 176 years, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune, enter a rare alignment, which means a spacecraft could slingshot from one planet to the next, reducing the trip from 40 years to 10. The next alignment would...

Ah-ha! Hiding in plain sight, There it was! For weeks, I agonized over my next new hire. I was convinced I need a seasoned pro over a junior person with potential. Why? A senior hire would... 1. Help build a strong organizational foundation. 2. Manage future hires,...

Growing up, I often felt like an outsider. I often felt unnoticed in social settings. But in the classroom and on the sports field, it was different. I was smart and a great athlete. My brains and athleticism got me noticed and attracted friends. But outside of these...