Writing

On Relevance and Resilience

There’s nothing like a pandemic to force focus and prioritize what’s essential. Whether as individuals managing our lives or businesses fighting for survival. These are times we revert to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. The result is many of us are caught in the crosshairs. That thing we do with such pride that we believe had so much value may not be valued right now. Or it may be valued but not essential. RIGHT NOW.  In business, it can be the marketing and sales teams which can be paired down to the basics given few are buying much. And what people

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Patrick

The loneliness Crisis

There’s a loneliness crisis in the world. Although we’re more connected, we’re more alone as we live within our screens. Loneliness can be felt even in the presence of others when our digital devices distract us or capture our attention. We can be alone together. Reports say that 40% of Americans say they are lonely. Men in particular struggle with building and maintain close meaningful friendships. Woman have an innate ability to prioritize and nurture close friends. Loneliness and a lack of close friends is the number one predictor of early death. Those with cancer are more likely to recover

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Patrick

My three words for 2020

I’m late in posting about my three words for the year and have been living with them since the start of this visionary year. What I’ve realized is that I am finding myself embodying them and also toying with what they mean because these are simple but hard words for me. Last year they were audacity, choose and zest. I made a lot of choices that were at times audacious. But I missed the mark on zest. But I can always carry them forward as this is a journey. Aware This is the easy one of the three. Aware is

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Patrick

Complexity is easy

The complicated is relatively simple. It’s easy to add layers of  detail, layers of options and layers of management. What’s hard is making things simple. Simple that is, in a way that creates understanding and engagement. Simple is hard because it requires you to translate the complex into words that are easy to understand without being generic. Simple is hard because when you get too simple, you can often end up not saying anything meaningful. And so you say nothing at all. When you want to create marketing messages that appeal to the many, that many people can use, and

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Patrick

My three words for 2019

Once again, it’s time to reflect on the words I chose for 2018 and introduce the three new words building on those that came before for 2019. This year, they were Intentional, Simple and Focus. I am still working at living up to all of these. I am being more intentional in most areas of my life with two wonderful peer groups that hold me accountable and push me forward. These came out of Seth Godin’s altMBA program and represent the power of meaningful connection. I’m grateful to spend time each week with these amazing people bent on changing the

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Patrick

It should only take 5 minutes

Having spent a career in design and marketing, there’s a myth that because we use computers, everything should be a quick fix. That includes retouching photos, designing a logo, updating a website or changing content in a brochure. The simpler the end design and communication, the perception of how long it takes decreases. Ask anyone tasked with making such changes and you’ll get the all too knowing eye roll. When you don’t understand what really is involved, you just don’t know how long that simple little change or project should take. And many when they hear that it will take

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Patrick

Playing by the rules

As much as we all hate rules and like to break the rules, we really like to have some. They give us guideposts. As conscious humans, each of us operates from our own playbook filled with our own ‘rules’. Whether in our personal or professional lives, our communications and interactions are shaped by all of the experiences that came before. These are the informal playbooks we don’t think about. We don’t write them down in contrast to those produced to support your product launch plans, integrated marketing campaigns, trade shows and more. The latter are important to align your teams and ensure

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Patrick

Ship your work

I spent a month this winter in Seth Godin’s altMBA. One intense month with some amazing cohorts. Produced more writing and work in that time than ever thought possible. It was all about shipping. Putting your work out there for others to see and comment on. And for you to reflect upon. I can’t recommend the experience highly enough. Just do it and don’t look back. The lesson is that each of us is capable of so much more than we give ourselves credit for. We discount what’s possible. We don’t believe in ourselves enough to ship our best work.

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Patrick

On Barbs and Wire

Combined they formed barbedwire, that stunning tool used to keep people and animals in and out of places. Invented in the mid 1800s, you can learn all you need to know at the Barbed Wire History Museum. There is of course, a museum for most everything. Beyond the physical manifestation, barbs and wire show up everyday in our lives. Prickly people who don’t align with our thinking and desires. Technology that doesn’t bow to our will or in other words deliver on the promise of improving our productivity. They are things that slow us down. Or at the worst, stop

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Patrick

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