Filed under: A Bit Of Inspiration, Complicity, Corporate Evil, Craft, Creative Development, Creativity
First post of the 20th year of this blog … and it may even be good.
Or less shit than 99% of the last 20 years of posts.
Plus – and here’s the added bonus, especially for a Monday, I’m away for work for the rest of the week – so this is the only post you’re going to have to endure. If only the rest of my ‘post-20 years’ blogging was the same. Except it won’t. Not yet anyway. [Cue: Evil Laugh]
Anyway …
A few weeks ago, The Guardian interviewed David Chase – creator of The Sopranos, widely acknowledged as one of the best pieces of television in the history of television.
He’s a fascinating character – strong willed, challenging, complicated, textured, stubborn and opinionated – but always grounded in a desire to do the right thing, the right way.
Which may explain his open distain for the attitude, approach and behaviour of so many television executives as this quote captures perfectly.
[As an aside, my Dad once told me when he was starting out in law, he was advised by a senior partner to “get used to eating client shit”. Apparently, when he asked why, he was told it was how to get rich to which he apparently replied, “I’d rather eat my own shit and be able to look at myself in the mirror” … which not only highlights how every industry suffers from egotistical and delusional leadership, but I am far too similar to my Dad than even I may have suspected – haha]
Anyway, as the world is all a bit shit right now and all our industry ‘leaders’ are talking about is ‘efficiency and productivity’ [read: so they can justify cutting jobs for AI and pretend they’re business geniuses, even though – as David Chase also said – most C-Suite are like Golden Retrievers, licking their customers faces every night and asking ‘do you like me?’] I thought I’d offer a bit of a Monday antidote to all this bleakness.
OK, if truth be told, it won’t fix the trajectory we’re all heading – we need to come together do that – but if you believe in the craft of storytelling and know the pain of dealing with corporate leaders who know fuck-all about what quality is, let alone what it takes to create it [but think they do because they’ve mistakenly/conveniently decided their ‘big title’ represents ‘superior wisdom’ when often, it’s more about their willingness to exploit others for the benefits of their bottom line] … this will make you feel all warm inside as you read how even Grade-A, internal-fuckery can’t always stop greatness from being able to flourish.
How’s that for inspiring a better Monday morning?
You can read David’s interview here. Enjoy.
Filed under: 2026, A Bit Of Inspiration, Agency Culture, Attitude & Aptitude, Comment, Corporate Evil, Corporate Gaslighting, Leadership, Management, Mediocrity
I was recently in a conversation with someone who is old school successful.
By that, I mean they built a business to success, rather than optimized it through short-cuts and re-orgs.
He’s pretty scathing towards the way many modern CEO’s run their business, especially those who have been ‘dropped in’ rather than built it themselves … thinking they’re both selfish [ie: doing things for their short-term gain, not the long-term benefit of the company they lead] as well as egotistical in belief they’re better than everyone around them and so everyone around them is disposable.
He’s always had the view you judge the quality of a CEO over decades, rather than financial quarters … but he also accepts those days have pretty much gone given too many CEO’s work for the needs of the market rather than their customers.
And it was here he said something that really hit me:
“When companies can only drive growth through ‘re-orgs, consolidation or buy-to-kill takeovers’ … they’re operating a Ponzi scheme more than a business plan”.
It reminded me of something I wrote about ages ago, when Frank Oz – film director, voice of Yoda and countless muppets and expert puppeteer – talked about how he felt Disney had completely failed to appreciate what they’d bought when they acquired Star Wars because it was negotiated by money men rather than artists and as such, would end up being a more superficial … less crafted … less influential … more commercialized expression of the Star Wars story and world.
Or said another way: They would ruin the very thing that made them want to spend billions on it in the first place.
Is he wrong?
Probably not … especially as some say their ‘strategy’ after acquisition was to churn out as much as possible in as short a time as possible so the market can be flooded with all manner of stuff so they can profit as quickly as possible from the hunger and good will of fans before they stop, step back and say, “what is this shit?”.
And if that isn’t scary enough, let’s remember this is coming from Disney who – whether you like them or not – are at least built on being a creative company who appreciates the importance of craft, emotion and story. So imagine what other companies are like where they don’t share any values beyond wanting to exploit as much cash as possible with as much outsourcing as possible.
Which all leads to a question the CEO I interviewed replied with, “Exactly!”.
“What happens when the CEO’s who are obsessed with outsourcing, optimizing, reorganizing discover they have no one else they can buy, fire or kill?
Or, even more terrifying [for them] … sell to?”
I know life goes fast, but maybe it’s time we recognize the best leaders are the one’s who look to the future rather than look down to maximize their pwn, personal present.
Filed under: 2026, A Bit Of Inspiration, Attitude & Aptitude, Brand Suicide, Business, Corporate Evil, Dad, Egovertising, Fake Attitude, Grifting
This is old … published when Trump was trying to win the Presidency for the 2nd time.
And while I am willing to accept he maybe meant it when it was posted, his recent behaviours has pretty much destroyed it.
But the lesson here, isn’t that changing circumstances can change your promises …
It’s that in the world of politics and business, convenience trumps all.
Especially when there’s money to be made.
Or from winning political favor.
Or boosting profits.
It’s why FIFA can give Trump their ‘peace prize’ all while they watch him attack countries and people without justifiable reason.
Funny how it’s only a few years ago we were supposedly living in a ‘brand purpose’ era …
A time where – supposedly – everything a company did, was in service of a higher purpose.
Hahahahahahahahahahaha!
Mind you, I suppose that could be true if the brand purpose is ‘do whatever you need to do to get whatever you can want’.
It’s why strategy is becoming increasingly difficult to do well.
Because at its heart, to do it well requires truth and clarity to make things happen … but right now, too many organisations act in opaque ways. Behaving like a chameleon who can – and will – shape-shift to whatever suits their purposes at any given moment.
And I am OK with that if we were honest about that, but too often, we see too brands approach their positioning in the same way Trump approaches his promises … the result of which is short-term gain, long term pain and mistrust.
But hey … who cares when the people driving those choices can get out with a bunch of cash before society catches up – or catches on – with the rug that’s just been pulled on them.
It’s why my Dad’s words ring especially true to me right now:
“Pay attention, because someone out there is banking on you not”.
Filed under: A Bit Of Inspiration, Advertising, Agency Culture, Attitude & Aptitude, Authenticity, Comment, Communication Strategy, Corporate Evil, Corporate Gaslighting, Creativity, Culture, Management, Mental Health, Miley
Once upon a time, I saw someone who was doubted by their bosses.
Not because they were bad, but because their bosses were.
Blinkered.
Delusional.
Arrogant.
Toxic … albeit in a ‘positive’ way.
And of the opinion your job is to do whatever the client, or the bosses, want – regardless ofstandards, time or impact it has on the health and wellbeing of the team around them.
And yet each day, this individual did all they could to try and ‘win’ their bosses over.
But they failed.
Partly because they wanted to do the right thing, even if it was the harder thing.
Partly because they had their own ideas when their bosses just wanted them to blindly follow orders.
Partly because their bosses took some pleasure in bullying people into submission.
One day I took them out and asked what they were doing.
They told me they worked hard.
They told me they wanted to do the right thing for the client and the company.
They told me they just wanted to prove to their bosses they were good.
To which I told them this:
“Have you considered that if you win your bosses over, it means you’ve failed?”
There was a brief pause before they asked me what I meant – to which I told them that if they did eventually win their bosses approval, it would be because they had defaulted to what they wanted them to do/be rather than them bringing their bosses over to their standards or ideals.
I should point out that while this individual was young, they had excellent standards and taste and had come from a place where they’d done work that had been widely acknowledged as very good.
It’s ultimately what got them hired.
Except they now realized it had less to do with their new company valuing what they do and more to do with their new company valuing the PR they could now spin among clients and industry media.
I know, it’s mad, but it’s not uncommon.
I also experienced something like this and it took me ages to see it for what it was because I couldn’t believe someone would hire me and then actively NOT want me to do what made them want them to hire me in the first place.
The point is, while we should always try to demonstrate our value through the work we do, when you find yourself in a situation like this [and Corporate Gaslighting has shown us, there’s a lot of people in this position], the best action is to stop trying to prove yourself and start focusing on improving yourself.
That might mean doing additional training.
That might mean seeking external help and advice.
But more often than not, that might mean realizing you’re in the wrong place.
Of course, you need to be objective in evaluating your situation before you make that decision … but should you realise you’re in an organization that only focuses on what you’re doing wrong, regardless of what you do or why you did it … then you may have to accept you’re working for a place that won’t grow you, only destroy you.
And if you think that’s as toxic as it can gets you’re wrong.
Because as bad as that is, it’s ten times worse when the person doing the abusing has never achieved anything of note or worked anywhere of note because their goal is to make you play down to their standards rather than up to your potential … often to protect their ego from having to face the reality of their own shortcomings. [Which is why they’ll undermine your confidence rather than see your skills]
Also known as ‘Tom-syndrome’, as in Tom … from Succession.
Now I obviously appreciate suggesting getting a new job is a big thing – especially in this job market – however it’s also worth remembering that even acknowledging your reality can be a positive step forward, because not only will you start to realise their comments reveal far more about them than you, you can stop look at new opportunities without feeling you failed at proving your value to your bosses.
Because you never were going to … unless you acted just like them.
Which you weren’t going to, because you are better than that. And them.
Filed under: 2026, A Bit Of Inspiration, AI, Comment, Corporate Evil, Management, Money, Music, Technology
While this post doesn’t rely on you watching this clip first, it may help explain why I have written it …
As many of you will know, I am a huge fan of technology.
Which means, I am also a huge fan of AI.
However, what I’m not a huge fan of, are the vast majority of people behind it. Or more specifically, their reasons for doing it. And the implications we’ll all encounter because of it.
It’s because of that, I’m fast coming to the view that the vast majority of tech bros, should be called terrorist bros – hence the title of this post.
Let’s be honest, for all their expensive manufactured PR claiming they want to help society ‘win at life’, we continue to watch their hunger for power, money, ego and control wreak havoc across society through their self-interest crafted half truths, delusion and manipulation.
What makes it worse is AI can do so much good for so many people so it’s doubly sad the vast majority of tech leaders [and corporate leaders] seem to just want it for pushing profit and productivity – regardless of cost or implication on everyone else both short term and long.
Which made me think …
What if another nation acted this way? Did things that were purposefully designed to destabalise how another society functioned or operated (be it environmentally, socially or economically) for their own benefit?
Would we just accept it or see it as an attack? An act of commercialism or an act of aggression?
We don’t have to look too far to see how certain countries respond to ‘perceived’ threats that aren’t anywhere near as overt or obvious as AI. [Cough cough]. So when do the tech companies get reigned in? When do we get back to valuing substance and experience not just celebrate how fast we can get to the aggregated superficial? When do we get back to investing in people and training rather than reducing and discarding?
OK, rant over. But wouldn’t it be great if we all looked up to the values and standards of Prince rather than the culture vampires like Mikey Shulman.
Finally …
How grateful are you that I don’t drink?. Can you imagine what this would be like if I did? Haha.
