EMBA的小眼睛

Self awareness in the face of marketing

"I know that this expensive herbal tincture homeopathic remedy is merely an expensive placebo. But I'll take it anyway, because placebos work."

A friend used to wear a fur coat in the winter, telling me that it was the only thing that kept her warm. Of course, if the goal was warmth, she'd probably be better off wearing it inside out.

We buy luxury goods, take placebos and engage in all sorts of actions that aren't going to hold up under the rational analysis of a double-blind study. But they work because we want them to. And often, we want them to because of marketing.

We end up conflating the things we believe with the powerful marketing that got us to believe those things. We feel like questioning the role of marketing is somehow questioning who we are and what we hold dear.

Crowd pleaser is not the only option

You could choose crowd changer. Changing is far is more difficult and more important than pleasing the crowd.

Crowd disturber.

Crowd inspirer.

Crowd connector.

"I've got this"

A useful lesson for Presidents' Day: Some people care enough to take responsibility.

Not shifting the blame, or seeking power or stealing credit. Not finding a sinecure or pointing fingers.

What happens when we merely do what needs to be done?

We've created a culture where taking responsibility is one of the last sure ways to make a difference. It's easy to avoid, fraught with anxiety and rarely done, which is precisely why it might be your best available path.

Live at Carnegie Hall

Scores of famous musicians (and Bob & Ray) have performed live on the main stage of Carnegie Hall. I am not among them. Instead, last week, I was invited to give a seminar on the 9th floor, in one of their beautiful new classrooms.

This was a seminar for the best new musicians in the country, an elite group of young musicians who have spent their lives honing their craft.

I think you might find the lessons are relevant even if you're not a musician.

Here's a (sometimes shaky) audio recording of what we talked about. If you're a creator seeking a platform, it might be worth checking out.

Milton Glaser's rule

There are few illustrators who have a more recognizable look (and a longer productive career) than Milton Glaser.

Here's the thing: When he started out, he wasn't THE Milton Glaser. He was some guy hoping for work.

The rule, then, is that you can't give the client what he wants.

You have to give the client work that you want your name on. Work that's part of the arc. Work that reflects your vision, your contribution and your hand.

Prep, spec, fit and finish

In some settings, more than 90% of the time and effort invested isn't in the actual 'work', but in getting setting up, debugging and then polishing the work. Heart surgery, for example, might take five hours to perform, but the actual procedure might only take thirty minutes.

A piece of code might take a few hours to create, but days or weeks to be specced, reviewed, tested and then ready for the public.

Dinner at a fine restaurant is mostly cleaning, chopping, mise en place and service, not the part we see on the plate itself.

And yet...