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What happens when we know we who are? Everything. Decisions are easier. Because we know what really matters. Postures are sturdier. Because we know what we stand for. Interactions are warmer. Because we know how to relax. Relationships are healthier. Because we know who to look for. Risks are smarter. Because we know what we’re willing to lose. Transitions are smoother. Because we know how to flex. Failures are…

Our desire to perform is not reason enough for people to hire us. If we’re not willing to do the work to sell the act, if we’re not willing to dedicate as much time – if not, more time – to finding an audience for the act, it doesn’t matter how good we are. It doesn’t matter how much we love it. We’re still winking in the dark. We…

[ View the infographic! ] “Everyone should wear nametags, all the time, everywhere, forever.” That’s my thesis, philosophy, dangerous idea and theory of the universe. My name is Scott, and I’ve been wearing a nametag for past four thousand days. And after traveling to hundreds of cities, a dozen countries, four continents, meeting tens of thousands of people, constant experimentation and observation, building a enterprise and writing a dozen…

Clarity is overrated. The better our work is, the harder it should be to talk about. Because if we can explain it, if we can write down a step-by-step process of how we did it, and if we can find other people to do it faster and cheaper, then it’s not really art. It’s just a task. Our goal is to become unclassifiable. To become somebody who reminds everybody…

Not every businessperson is an artist, but every artist is a businessperson. Whether they’re performers, painters, writers or sculptors, they can teach all of us key insights to help grow our business. Straight from my regular column on American Express Open Forum, consider these ideas: 1. Access. It’s impossible to matter in a void. If we want to win, we need an audience. Otherwise we’re just winking in the…

It’s not just about perfecting the audience experience. It’s about extending it. Right before Bruce Hornsby sits down at the piano and dazzles the crowd with his famous spider fingers, he walks over to the edge of the stage and scoops up a fresh pile of handwritten song requests, art pieces, love notes and other messages from the very audience he’s about to play for. Because while he was…

Knocking is an interruption. The days of darkening doorsteps to bother people into buying from us are over. Instead, we need to go where the door is already open. To follow the path of permission, greet the people who invited us in once before and gently remind them why we’re worth keeping around. What if, during a slow season of business, we spent a few days personally emailing every…

[ View the infographic! ] “Everyone should wear nametags, all the time, everywhere, forever.” That’s my thesis, philosophy, dangerous idea and theory of the universe. My name is Scott, and I’ve been wearing a nametag for past four thousand days. And after traveling to hundreds of cities, a dozen countries, four continents, meeting tens of thousands of people, constant experimentation and observation, building a enterprise and writing a dozen…

Everything that comes out seems to be a sequel, a prequel, a remake, a revisit, a reboot or a reinterpretation of another artist’s work. Which is fine if we want to ship easy, predictable safe projects that appease our corporate masters and their incessant pressure to create fail proof work. But there are no cover bands in the rock and roll hall of fame. And if we want to…

[ View the infographic! ] “Everyone should wear nametags, all the time, everywhere, forever.” That’s my thesis, philosophy, dangerous idea and theory of the universe. My name is Scott, and I’ve been wearing a nametag for past four thousand days. And after traveling to hundreds of cities, a dozen countries, four continents, meeting tens of thousands of people, constant experimentation and observation, building a enterprise and writing a dozen…