Hey friend – Rob here.

Holiday was cool, i've probably eaten half my weight in fish.

But i've missed typing things, so here i am.

ICYMI, i'm making some changes.

Now, without further ado...

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Previously in "stop spinning in strategyland"

These are words i came up with my business coach, and i love them.

They're why we need more practical stuff and less philosophical pondering in strategy.

So, fresh out of the oven, two new practical guides to help you be smart without losing your sanity:

1. ​How to discuss cool but off brief ideas. The problem with creativity ruling the roost at the expense of strategy? Sometimes you do very creative things but you can't prove their impact. And no impact equals less chance of getting budget for more very creative things. Sorry, i don't make the business rules.
2. ​Social may not always need to be 'on message' (and this is fine!)​. Sometimes you can't think about social and content and earned media by simply going off the three words you isolated for your brand. But based on some simple bits of evidence, you may not have to.

Go forth and get more practical with your ✨ strategic provocations ✨.

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How to not become a dinosaur

Wondering if you're growing old?

Edith Wharton has a good reminder for ya:

I'm only 35, but i think about old age a lot.

Being a parent has put me in a strange dual mode, where i think in hours or decades, very little in-between.

Which means i often wonder about this:

You know the type.

"Dinosaurs" are folks who have been around the block but refuse to embrace the changes of the world.

But here's the thing, just because we're not dinosaurs today, doesn't mean we can't become one tomorrow.

So i reflect on this question to minimise the risk of ever getting there.

Because you see, you can either:

1. Have an informed, even critical, point of view on the world born out of knowledge
2. Or you can have a critical point of view born out of not wanting to even know

It's when we refuse to acquire knowledge, so we can then critique it, that dinosaur-ness starts emerging.

As Andy Grove famously said:

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How to not lose hope in the jargonverse

Ever felt slightly under-educated in strategy discussions?

Especially when you're a non-English native speaker who prefers simple language?

Well, you're not alone.

Loads of smart folks i know are expats or immigrants and they struggle with this too.

Nassim Taleb says something good about it:

Now, i'm all for education and growing your knowledge.

But there's a danger of people confusing ten dollar words with a sign of intelligence.

Especially if said ten dollar words have ten cent meanings.

When in fact, people who make an effort to speak ten cent words to explain ten dollar concepts are much better off.

It doesn't look as smart, but it means everyone else ends up understanding what the smart thing to do is.

And by understanding it, they are more likely to start acting to get it done.

Which is ultimately the job we're here to do.

Ditch the acting, spark action.

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Your boundaries are showing

I'm trying to be better at politely explaining why we can't start work without certain requirements.

It's not about being difficult, it's about being respectful.

Sure, we could start thinking about a campaign before having some basic ingredients to work with.

But chances are, we'll do a lot of thinking, get excited, over-commit... and then the brief might change.

And when that happens, the problem isn't whether the work done to date can be repurposed.

It's whether people even feel emotionally committed to give it their best all over again.

If you over-invest in short-term momentum, you suffer greatly in long-term morale.

Dr Becky Kennedy has a good definition of boundaries:

Part of me agrees with this, but in some instances you need the damn request.

I need this before i can do that.

It's not about being difficult, or lazy.

It's about being intelligent with the scarce resources you have to do a great job.

Managing this delicate balance is also part of the art of managing creative people.

It's less about time management, and more about energy management.

After all, as a creative director of mine said recently:

Amen to that.

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Rob Estreitinho Founder of Salmon Labs Here’s how else we can help you: 📱 Join our private community​ 💌 Read our newsletter archive​ 🛠️ Let's work together​

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