What’s Your Latest Bad Idea?

Our friend Dr. Benjamin Hardy frequently quotes Robert Brault in Be Your Future Self Now: “We are kept from our goal not by obstacles but … The post What’s Your Latest Bad Idea? appeared first on Gapingvoid. | Continue reading


@gapingvoid.com | 1 year ago

Feed the Wolf?

There’s a famous Cherokee myth about good and evil. As it goes.. An old man was teaching his grandson about life. “There’s a battle going … The post Feed the Wolf? appeared first on Gapingvoid. | Continue reading


@gapingvoid.com | 1 year ago

A Solution in Search of a Problem?

The great software question is always, “what’s it for?” Much like the “five-whys” protocol, or Amazon’s “so what?” test, this question is designed to refocus … The post A Solution in Search of a Problem? appeared first on Gapingvoid. | Continue reading


@gapingvoid.com | 1 year ago

What Comes First, Action or Courage?

They say leaders eat last. While this is slowly becoming a pithy, overused catchphrase, it’s also a powerful maxim that reminds leaders of their primary … The post What Comes First, Action or Courage? appeared first on Gapingvoid. | Continue reading


@gapingvoid.com | 1 year ago

Does Slow and Steady Win the Race?

If you came of age in say, the late nineties or sooner, there were two rules you had to know: 1. Google is unstoppable, nobody … The post Does Slow and Steady Win the Race? appeared first on Gapingvoid. | Continue reading


@gapingvoid.com | 1 year ago

Want to be Noticed?

The human brain has all sorts of reflexes that shape our judgment. As behavioral economists discovered, we experience a salience effect, judging things that stand … The post Want to be Noticed? appeared first on Gapingvoid. | Continue reading


@gapingvoid.com | 1 year ago

How Much is Too Much

In 1965, CEOs at the top 350 publicly owned US firms made 20 times as much as their average employee. In 2021, they made 400 … The post How Much is Too Much appeared first on Gapingvoid. | Continue reading


@gapingvoid.com | 1 year ago

Fact Vs. Fiction: It’s Not About the Truth

A myth, once circulated, can last a long time. That’s because our cognitive machines are rife with glitches. (The existence of these glitches is the … The post Fact Vs. Fiction: It’s Not About the Truth appeared first on Gapingvoid. | Continue reading


@gapingvoid.com | 1 year ago

What Does It Mean to Be Human?

If you read The Holy Bible or sacred books like it, what do you find? People struggling away at whatever challenges the Almighty sends them. … The post What Does It Mean to Be Human? appeared first on Gapingvoid. | Continue reading


@gapingvoid.com | 1 year ago

Kids, What Are They Good For?

In many families, people can say it like it is. You’re more likely to be brutally honest with a family member than Bob from accounting. … The post Kids, What Are They Good For? appeared first on Gapingvoid. | Continue reading


@gapingvoid.com | 1 year ago

FOMO for Fun and Profit

Understanding human nature is the key to a successful business. That hasn’t changed for centuries (and neither has human nature). The burgeoning field of Behavioral … The post FOMO for Fun and Profit appeared first on Gapingvoid. | Continue reading


@gapingvoid.com | 1 year ago

Big Tech: Proceed with Caution

Two things have been dominating headlines. Predictions that we might be on the cusp of a big recession and tech companies laying people off in droves. … The post Big Tech: Proceed with Caution appeared first on Gapingvoid. | Continue reading


@gapingvoid.com | 1 year ago

Scaling Innovation: Is Necessity the Mother of Invention?

  Alphabet (Google’s parent company) is reportedly looking to rein in X, a division of Google that sets “moonshots”(- i.e. big audacious projects seeking to … The post Scaling Innovation: Is Necessity the Mother of Invention? appeared first on Gapingvoid. | Continue reading


@gapingvoid.com | 1 year ago

Have you liked the egg?

Messi’s team may have recently won the world cup. However, his bigger victory might just be beating an egg at the game of Instagram. But … The post Have you liked the egg? appeared first on Gapingvoid. | Continue reading


@gapingvoid.com | 1 year ago

The End of the World is the Beginning

The Joe Rogan podcast has rather unexpectedly emerged in the last few years as a place where many of the most interesting new ideas coming … The post The End of the World is the Beginning appeared first on Gapingvoid. | Continue reading


@gapingvoid.com | 1 year ago

Missing Out?

The fear of missing out (a.k.a FOMO) rules the world. In Influence, Robert Cialdini called it the scarcity principle. A millennia ago, FOMO was a … The post Missing Out? appeared first on Gapingvoid. | Continue reading


@gapingvoid.com | 1 year ago

Regrets, I’ve Had a Few

In his latest book, “The Power of Regret: How Looking Backwards Moves Us Forward,” Daniel Pink opens with the following story about the great French singer, … The post Regrets, I’ve Had a Few appeared first on Gapingvoid. | Continue reading


@gapingvoid.com | 1 year ago

The Next Picasso?

There are a lot of stories in the news lately about how AI is “borrowing” the work of living artists to use as source code … The post The Next Picasso? appeared first on Gapingvoid. | Continue reading


@gapingvoid.com | 1 year ago

No Emotion, No Justice

Martin Luther King Jr. (MLK) was a breath away from not saying “I Have a Dream.” What is arguably the greatest speech in the history … The post No Emotion, No Justice appeared first on Gapingvoid. | Continue reading


@gapingvoid.com | 1 year ago

Machines vs. Humans

McDonald’s just opened its first fully automated restaurant. Goodbye people, hello, robots! For this one location in Texas, customers can order and pick up their food … The post Machines vs. Humans appeared first on Gapingvoid. | Continue reading


@gapingvoid.com | 1 year ago

When Life Gives you Lemons, Make… Beer?

One place is unlikely to be doing dry January this year. Argentina. At the end of the year, large beer shipments were received across the country following … The post When Life Gives you Lemons, Make… Beer? appeared first on Gapingvoid. | Continue reading


@gapingvoid.com | 1 year ago

Odds Are You Won’t Be on Top for Long

It takes A LOT of energy to get to the top, and even more energy to stay there. Damocles, a courtier in the court of … The post Odds Are You Won’t Be on Top for Long appeared first on Gapingvoid. | Continue reading


@gapingvoid.com | 1 year ago

Where’s the Love Gone?

It’s Murphy’s Law that the one time of the year that you really don’t want your travel plans going wrong (e.g. the Holiday Season and … The post Where’s the Love Gone? appeared first on Gapingvoid. | Continue reading


@gapingvoid.com | 1 year ago

Is No Plan the Best Plan?

Oblique: “having a sloping direction, angle, or position. e.g. Through the window came the last few oblique rays of evening sunshine. He gave her an … The post Is No Plan the Best Plan? appeared first on Gapingvoid. | Continue reading


@gapingvoid.com | 1 year ago

Should We Bring Back the Jester?

Kristel from Belgium wrote to us recently, questioning the merit of bringing back the role of the court jester in the business environment.  “I’m Belgium … The post Should We Bring Back the Jester? appeared first on Gapingvoid. | Continue reading


@gapingvoid.com | 1 year ago

A Christmas Truce

In Chapter Three of his bestselling book, “The Culture Code,” Daniel Coyle wrote about the famous WWI “Christmas Truce” of 1914. On Christmas Day, both … The post A Christmas Truce appeared first on Gapingvoid. | Continue reading


@gapingvoid.com | 1 year ago

Conversations that Matter

Back in the Soviet Union (1917-1991), a lot of books were banned, especially Western ones. So if you wanted important but forbidden voices to be … The post Conversations that Matter appeared first on Gapingvoid. | Continue reading


@gapingvoid.com | 1 year ago

Optimistic Nihilism: Tastes Like Chicken

A big part of being a leader is helping people find more meaning in their jobs. “Making meaning” is a fundamental credo in the culture-building … The post Optimistic Nihilism: Tastes Like Chicken appeared first on Gapingvoid. | Continue reading


@gapingvoid.com | 1 year ago

Why is the World Cup Such a Big Deal?

Congratulations to Argentina for their tremendous World Cup victory! Once again, the tournament has demonstrated the amazing ability of sport to bring the world together … The post Why is the World Cup Such a Big Deal? appeared first on Gapingvoid. | Continue reading


@gapingvoid.com | 1 year ago

Trying not to Try

The philosopher and sinologist, Edward Slingerland was on the Infinite Loops podcast recently, where he discussed among other things his 2014 book, “Trying Not To … The post Trying not to Try appeared first on Gapingvoid. | Continue reading


@gapingvoid.com | 1 year ago

Why 80% of Mergers & Acquisitions Fail

In November, there was a great story in the New York Times about the train wreck that was the 2018 merger between AT&T and Time … The post Why 80% of Mergers & Acquisitions Fail appeared first on Gapingvoid. | Continue reading


@gapingvoid.com | 1 year ago

When Nothing Means Everything

Simple symbols convey complex ideas. For example, two intersecting lines symbolize a religion held by 2.2 billion people and a religious text of 783,000 words. … The post When Nothing Means Everything appeared first on Gapingvoid. | Continue reading


@gapingvoid.com | 1 year ago

Chess but with Infinite Pieces

As Harvard Business Review recently argued, “in a volatile world, your strategy must be flexible.” Today, nobody denies the world is volatile. It’s especially easy … The post Chess but with Infinite Pieces appeared first on Gapingvoid. | Continue reading


@gapingvoid.com | 1 year ago

What a Chicken Chain Can Teach Us About Culture

Walk past any fast food joint these days, and you’ll most likely see a “HELP WANTED” sign, often offering terms that were unheard of a … The post What a Chicken Chain Can Teach Us About Culture appeared first on Gapingvoid. | Continue reading


@gapingvoid.com | 1 year ago

Where Does Creativity Come From?

It’s the age-old question. What boosts creativity? What’s the best way to get in the zone? Hint: It’s not drugs and booze (although it might increase how creative you FEEL … The post Where Does Creativity Come From? appeared first on Gapingvoid. | Continue reading


@gapingvoid.com | 1 year ago

Why Great Leaders Are Always Training Their Replacement

They say the best consultants plan for their own obsolescence i.e. they do such a good job imparting new skills and knowledge to their clients, … The post Why Great Leaders Are Always Training Their Replacement appeared first on Gapingvoid. | Continue reading


@gapingvoid.com | 1 year ago

It’s Not About the Turkey

“Ritual is the enactment of a myth. And, by participating in the ritual, you are participating in the myth. And since myth is a projection … The post It’s Not About the Turkey appeared first on Gapingvoid. | Continue reading


@gapingvoid.com | 2 years ago

More Dancing, Less Box Checking

Former Ogilvy ad-man and current Executive Creative Director at LG US, John Long, recently sent out a deliciously snarky tweet. It’s a photo of a … The post More Dancing, Less Box Checking appeared first on Gapingvoid. | Continue reading


@gapingvoid.com | 2 years ago

Success: More Grit or Talent?

Back in August, Debbie Millman interviewed Chris Evert, one of the top female tennis stars of the last half century, who is now a successful … The post Success: More Grit or Talent? appeared first on Gapingvoid. | Continue reading


@gapingvoid.com | 2 years ago

Innovation is Reinvention

It is easy to think of founders as idea machines and first-time visionaries. Cue Bill Gates and the PC, Henry Ford and the assembly line … The post Innovation is Reinvention appeared first on Gapingvoid. | Continue reading


@gapingvoid.com | 2 years ago

Life is About More than Happiness

“Happy employees, happy company” is a common mindset these days. It tells us to aim directly at organizational happiness. But aiming at happiness is exactly … The post Life is About More than Happiness appeared first on Gapingvoid. | Continue reading


@gapingvoid.com | 2 years ago

Be Water, My Friend

We usually think of militaries as rigid. But the best militaries operate with a fair bit of flexibility. Churchill once remarked that the Wehrmacht was very … The post Be Water, My Friend appeared first on Gapingvoid. | Continue reading


@gapingvoid.com | 2 years ago

Lies: Building on a Foundation of Sand

Lies multiply. First one lie. Then a second lie to prop up the first lie. Then a whole slew of accidental lies when someone spreads … The post Lies: Building on a Foundation of Sand appeared first on Gapingvoid. | Continue reading


@gapingvoid.com | 2 years ago

Remote Terminations: What not to do

Big tech layoffs and hiring freezes are all the rage these days. Meta (AKA Facebook) just announced major layoffs. Lyft has reported plans to cut staff … The post Remote Terminations: What not to do appeared first on Gapingvoid. | Continue reading


@gapingvoid.com | 2 years ago

Don’t Bet Against Twitter

A decade ago, after the Arab Spring, everyone was talking about Twitter. Five years ago, when Space X and Tesla were starting to make serious … The post Don’t Bet Against Twitter appeared first on Gapingvoid. | Continue reading


@gapingvoid.com | 2 years ago

Nothing Lasts Forever

China is the future. We’ve been hearing that for thirty years. It does sound pretty plausible. It took Britain seven generations to industrialize. It took … The post Nothing Lasts Forever appeared first on Gapingvoid. | Continue reading


@gapingvoid.com | 2 years ago

Nothing Lasts Forever

China is the future. We’ve been hearing that for thirty years. It does sound pretty plausible. It took Britain seven generations to industrialize. It took … The post Nothing Lasts Forever appeared first on Gapingvoid. | Continue reading


@gapingvoid.com | 2 years ago

Show Me the Data

The fictional LA detective, Joe Friday, was famous for saying “Just the facts, Ma’am.” Similarly, in the tech and business worlds, “Show me the data” … The post Show Me the Data appeared first on Gapingvoid. | Continue reading


@gapingvoid.com | 2 years ago