About this Site

This site serves two main functions:

• It provides a place for me to capture my thoughts and notes on books, articles, and all things relating to leadership, marketing, and pretty much everything else that interests me; in this regard, it’s somewhat akin to a modern version of a commonplace book.
• It provides a medium through which I can share my guidance and experience with any and all interested parties. Sometimes my posts will be in direct response to questions I’ve received, whether from friends, colleagues, or random strangers; other times, I’ll just proactively post something that I think could be useful to others or is worth sharing.

Over the years I’ve observed that while I have a voracious appetite for many different subjects, certain ones seem to pop up more frequently than chance alone would allow:

• Leadership: I’ve always been drawn to leadership. More often than not, when I’m part of an organization I’ve eventually ended up leading it, driven by a desire to help and improve. I like to do things well, so leadership is an ongoing topic of research: Why are some people able to lead and inspire while others aren’t? What are the characteristics of a good leader? A bad leader? Under what circumstances does leadership emerge? What about the so-called reluctant leaders – those who never sought the responsibility but nevertheless assumed it when circumstances required? I enjoy finding, studying, and sharing examples of leadership in all walks of life.
• Marketing: Somewhat out of nowhere, and against all reasonable expectations, marketing has come to have a large role in my life. I don’t know exactly what I would’ve said in high school if you’d asked me to describe my future career, but I’m fairly confident that the word “marketing” would have been absent from the answer. Well, life’s a bit funny. For more than a decade I’ve worked in marketing, and I suppose that’s no accident. I find pretty much all facets of marketing to be…well, fun and fascinating; as a consequence, I read a great deal on the subject and try to apply what I learn in my day-to-day professional activities.
• Everything: A bit of a cop-out, but an apt one. I like learning, about pretty much everything. There are so many subjects that just amaze me to the point where I wonder how it’s possible that everyone else can’t find the subject as absolutely amazing as do I. While that might sound arrogant or ridiculous, it’s really just representative of the childlike sense of wonder that I’m thankful to have for so many things. In practice, certain topics might pop up in the “everything” category more than others, and I expect to find those patterns thoroughly captivating, too.

Finally, some disclaimers:

• Opinions are my own, not my employer’s, blah blah etc.
• My writing style will primarily be conversational and relaxed, so you might find everyday language sprinkled in; additionally, I’m usually just gonna bang out a post and then post it…so don’t be surprised to find typos
• I’m not a lawyer, so in the event that I ever weigh in on anything remotely related to legalities, then don’t interpret my content as legal advice
• I’m also not gonna suggest that all my guidance or recommendations are applicable in all situations; that’d be ridiculous. Every situation is different. Personally, I try to build up a body of knowledge and skills so that I can response appropriately in any situation, with whatever behaviour and actions are required.

So, without further ado, I invite you to join me as I learn about leadership, marketing, and everything.