Blog

Playbook in Practice: Joe DiMaggio and Jeff Walker

Is it possible to give it all to everything you do? A few months back I wrote a blog post to mark the anniversary of Joe DiMaggio's 56-game hitting streak. In the post, I shared what I consider to be the key elements of Joe DiMaggio's Playbook: a “Give It All” mindset, a commitment to excellence, creating a streak/consistency, and the importance of grace in both your behavior and contribution to others. The post resonated with a lot of my readers, friends, and associates. That wasn't a surprise … Read more about Playbook in Practice: Joe DiMaggio and Jeff Walker

Personal

Learning, Creating, and My Lifelong Revolt Against “Self-Help”

Far too often in my younger life, I would eagerly share something I’d just discovered — maybe it was a new book, an innovative idea, or even just a different way to approach something I was already doing — only to encounter eye rolls from older family members. I was talking about "self-help" and they didn't want anything to do with it. Even my immediate family members reacted as though learning was a fixed target that they’d already reached: They’d completed the required curriculum for … Read more about Learning, Creating, and My Lifelong Revolt Against “Self-Help”

Excellence

The Streak and the Legacy: The Joe DiMaggio Guide to Becoming a Dominant Player

Mud made Joe DiMaggio mortal on July 17, 1941. It was only six blocks from the hotel to Cleveland’s Municipal Stadium, but Joe DiMaggio and Lefty Gomez knew they’ve never make it through the crowds on foot, so they hailed a 20-cent taxi ride to the ballpark. The stadium was packed with 67,000 fans. All of America—from rural countryside to the big city, in roadside diners and five-star restaurants, ranch hands, store owners, executives, and homemakers—was caught up in Joltin’ Joe DiMaggio’s … Read more about The Streak and the Legacy: The Joe DiMaggio Guide to Becoming a Dominant Player

Brands

A Tuft Story

When a company makes you feel that you do, in fact, matter to them and that your issues are their issues, you feel valued. It’s as if you are their biggest client or customer. It’s hard for most large companies to treat customers and clients as though they’re VIPs and make them feel valued, but the great ones find a way. Here’s an example of one that did. We decided to purchase a mattress from Tuft and Needle. I had high expectations, both of the company that was disrupting the mattress … Read more about A Tuft Story

Marketing

There Is No “Go Viral” Button

We live in a connection economy, where trust and attention are both scarce and sought after. “Going viral” is today’s equivalent of striking gold, and tips for how to do it are heralded by clickbait promises such as, “Blog Post Formula That Will Guarantee Your Post Goes Viral”; “The 10 Keywords That Will Make Your Tweets Go Viral”; or The 5-Step Program to Going Viral on YouTube”. With articles like these becoming ubiquitous, it’s not at all surprising that otherwise rational people who aren’t … Read more about There Is No “Go Viral” Button