The insurrection will be monetised.
Learn the facts, Steed-Asprey used to say, then try on the stories like clothes. — Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, by John le Carré This email newsletter …
Review of Robert A Caro’s Working
This isn’t a review, it is a reflection, an act in keeping with the lessons shared by a master of his crafts – of writing, …
My best reads of 2020
This is cross–posted from my new Antonym Substack – an email newsletter/blog platform. I published it there as a series of five posts – but have combined …
Invisible bombs
This article is adapted from a letter to my team at Brilliant Noise last week. It has a special resonance on the eve of the 75th …
Why you should read Machiavelli
A friend asked on Twitter: “What two books would you recommend a new people manager reads and why?” One book I recommended was The Prince, …
Brave enough to not be busy
Sometimes we talk about being less busy as a kind of dream or a luxury. Not being overworked is not a luxury that you earn …
My best reads of 2019
Writing about what I read in the past twelve months has become an annual ritual, part of the seasonal no-man’s-land between Boxing Day and New …
The Hero
My lovely sister-in-law and her husband gave me this TLS monograph as a Christmas gift: The Hero, by Lee Child. It’s rather magnificent, so I’m …
Systems, planning and punches to the face
TL;DR: “dynamic, self-adjusting system cannot be governed by a static, unbending policy” is academic for “everybody has a plan until they get punched in the …
Two ad giants falling. Will either get up again?
The different approaches at WPP and Publicis are examined in an FT article today. While both companies have endured falling share prices for the past …