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Narrative Trumps Brevity, or, Why People Would Rather Hear a Strong Story Than a Straight Answer
Storytelling isn’t everything, it’s the only thing. Narrative is our basic tool for making sense of the world, the currency of human contact, the fundamental instrument of thought and the foundation that psychologically sustains our species. And yet, in the past few years, social scientists keep reporting that human attention span has declined to a mere nine seconds. Really? Tell that to the millions of viewers who watched thirteen…
What’s Your Company Artifact?
My grandfather has a knack for making artifacts. When he was a kid growing up in the thirties, he found a poem crumbled up in his father’s roll top desk. The passage talked about how to live a good life, be a person of character, stuff like that. But since the poem had such an impact on his life, he kept it for the next fifteen years. And when…
Scott’s Sunday Sentences, Issue 004
Sentences are my spiritual currency. Throughout my week, I’m constantly scouring and learning and reading and annotating from any number of newspapers, blogs, online publications, books, articles, songs, art pieces, podcasts, eavesdroppings, random conversations and other sources of inspiration. Turns out, most of these sentences can be organized into about eleven different categories, aka, compartments of life that are meaningful to me. And since I enjoy being a signal tower of things…
If You’re Really Good, Your Legacy Will Come To You
Game raising is the quiet catchall. Just keep getting better, and everything else will take care of itself. I learned that from a famous comedian. When describing his rise to fame, he attributed his success to constant work at the alter of improvement. What I like about that approach to success is, it has the least amount of glamour and speed––and the most amount of grit and patience. It’s…
The Schizophrenia of Trust
Trust is a reciprocal transaction. When we ante up first, people follow suit. When we approach others as already being trustworthy, they prove us right. And when we think the best of people, seeing everyone as good until proven otherwise, our belief encourages them to reveal their better selves. And they usually do. We give what we need. That’s human nature. Our communal caveman wiring makes trust possible. The…
Consistency is the Ultimate Shortcut
Why do I wear a nametag everyday? Because I’m obsessed with consistency. It’s just how I’m wired. Since I was young, routine and symmetry and structure have been the organizing principles of my life. For me, if repetition and continuity aren’t the answers, I rephrase the question. But like most things in life, our temperament is both an asset and a liability. What we’re good at, we’re bad at….
Are You So Weird That Nobody Knows What To Do With You?
Weird has become the new cool. Thanks to the simplicity of creation, the ubiquity of connection and the disappearance of permission, our culture is fetishizing authenticity and sanctioning individualism. Escaping the normality trap has become our country’s national pastime. It’s never been easier or more popular to be yourself. Which I can’t help but applaud as a lifelong nonconformist. The challenge is, uniqueness is a binary construct. The idiosyncratic part…
Would You Rather Have Skills Or Credentials?
Makers are people who have skills as opposed to credentials. Fascinating insight from Aaron Dignan. So I couldn’t help but wonder. What’s the difference between the two? The word credential comes from the Latin term credentialis, which means, “letters entitling the bearer to certain confidence.” People with credentials get degrees and earn certifications and win awards and have titles use designations. It’s a permission-based experience. They’re valuable through the endorsement of…
How Well Do You Integrate?
Successful people integrate. That’s a big word for me, integrate. It literally means, “to render something whole.” And the people who master this art––actually, it’s more of a way of being, really––bring substantial value to those around them. The challenge is, integration can’t be taught. There’s no formula or system or seminar. But it can be modeled. Consider these examples: Zapponians are encouraged to bring unrelated passions to the…
Why I Take Notes On Everybody, Everything, All The Time, Everywhere, And Refuse To Stop
My obsession with taking notes has very little to do with writing. From an existential perspective, taking notes brings me joy. It gives me energy and makes me feel like I’m a productive, purposeful and useful citizen of the world. I always say that I can rationalize almost any activity or experience, as long as I write down at least one interesting thing I heard. Sentences are my spiritual…
