When I got my bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering, back in Chicago, I thought, “Let me go get a master’s.” Then I got my Master’s and thought, “When I get a job, I’ll be good.” Then I got the job and soon I said “I’ll be satisfied when I become a decision-maker. Let me go […]
It’s almost five years now since I published my first book. When I ventured out to interview musicians, designers, and entrepreneurs about music and it’s impact on social change, I was initially moving with the narrative that we all wanted to “fight the power” like my favorite musicians. I thought everyone would want to get […]
Creativity is a process, not an ouput. Sometimes I forget that I’ve written four books. I was reminded recently at a friend’s party while playing one of those “get to know who your fellow guests” games. Through a game of “identify the most probable lie,” it became clear that a lot of people did not […]
I remember the first time I published a personal post on LinkedIn. It was about my upcoming book, back in 2019. I paced around the room, wrote something, thought about it, over thought about it some more. Finally grew some chest hair and posted. These days I write, post, and don’t even think too much […]
I’ve been running a personal experiment. I’ve posted on LinkedIn every single day for 388 days. This is not a letter about consistency. It’s about the madness that I’ve been exposed to from doing this. Haven’t you seen it for yourself? People using ChatGPT to create posts on LinkedIn. You can smell the content from a […]
Your work is only as good as you communicate it. Three is a very powerful number in communications and this simple math trick will improve your control of language. I joined an improv class while I lived in Austin, back in 2010. At the end of the first class, I was chatting with the instructor […]
Engineer your message to take people on an enjoyable journey when you communicate. Starting my weekly newsletter in Jan 2023, I struggled to choose a topic. Back then I just wanted to at least publish on Saturdays. I put my head down and spent about 8 hours writing each week. I pulled my head up […]
Translating complex topics into simple messages is a skill everyone needs. It propels you towards your goals. I was at an industrial automation conference this week. I sat back in one of the cold conference rooms at the Renaissance hotel as I listened to an expert panel discuss how information technology and operational technology intersect. […]
Show your work after you do it. When you build something that no one knows about, does it provide any value? That’s a question I keep asking myself. I recently built a marketing app for an executive. It was a side project that could have withered in the loveless land of “who gives a damn […]
In my last newsletter I talked about building little projects to expedite your learning. Today, I want to talk about another tool I use. But let me take you back a bit. A few years ago, I sat in Vesta, a cafe in Victoria Island, Lagos. It had become a go-to spot to do work. […]