Unlocking new employee learning experiences — Over the summer I wrote several articles about the future of online work, based on discussions I’ve had with individuals at companies around the world. In these discussions, there’s a particular response I often hear: “as work moves online and goes remote, we’re lacking a crucial in-person connection”. I fully…

What happens when you get the meeting? — Previously I’ve covered how to develop a broad Business Development Plan for a design studio, or any type of consulting company, and why account management is critical once you land a client. But what happens when you get that first call after doing an outreach? …

It’s not what Designers think it is — Most designers — especially early in their career — have a very clear, and very wrong, idea of what to present to their clients. Designers often want to talk about process and iteration, while clients want to hear about one simple item — solutions. The underlying problem is one of…

…and start having conversations — There’s a great moment in the 2020 film The Courier in which the businessman Greville Wynne (played with calm intensity by Benedict Cumberbatch) gives one of the best openings to a sales conversation I’ve ever heard. …

When I was younger, I watched many design leaders join legacy companies and, for lack of a better term, “hide” after 40. I often wondered why they did this — the “rest and vest” corporate acquiescence — but now that I’m past 40, I understand. In spring of this year…

One of the best parts of being a consultant is the breadth of information I’m exposed to in my work. The variety of viewpoints and cultural perspectives brings a new element to nearly every conversation I have, and often leads to better product concepts. …

It’s time to change how we reward remote teams. — When it comes to building software, the end result is what we pay attention to. But anyone who designs or develops software knows that the vast majority of work takes place much earlier, before anything resembling a feature is clearly visible. Think of it like watching a re-cap segment of…

Account Management isn’t what you’d typically think of as a Design role. …

We need new operating models for a new world! — Since writing about TwitchCon, I’ve had a flood of conversations on the future of work in tech, and about productivity overall. All of these have convinced me it’s not about a Great Resignation, but about companies re-setting. 👾 In the last 10 years, technology has enabled so many new tools…