When A Tugboat Steers Us Toward A Golden Age
It’s easy to be cynical about the typical large firm in today’s economy. Many seem motivated by serving only investors, they’re laying off staff, they pay poorly and they’re skimping […]
Your Human Magic: A Conversation with Johan Roos
I’ve known Johan Roos for close to thirty years. We first crossed paths when he was developing LEGO Serious Play with his colleague Bart Victor — a concept that turns […]
A Public Service Offering for Those Lacking Fluency in Corporate-Speak and Jargon
Image via Google Dear friends, In the frenzied world of corporations buying emergent companies in their hundreds, and consultancies trying to differentiate themselves in the face of AI-induced desperation, we […]
Sneak Peek: This Week’s Thought Sparks Podcast — Johan Roos on Human Magic
Dropping Tuesday, March 31 — but you’re getting this first. If you’ve been wrestling with how to think about AI — genuinely excited by its possibilities, but nagged by a […]
Is the AI Era the Beginning of The End of VC as We Know It?
Content originally published by Fast Company Photo by micheile henderson on Unsplash Incredibly, when you think about it, US-based venture capital has remained structurally unchanged for half a century. The […]
A Sneak Peek Inside Sangeet Paul Choudary’s Next Book (And Why Strategy Has Changed Forever)
Conventional strategy had specific rules. When the game was largely about occupying markets in the physical world and dominating over companies doing the same thing you were (how we used […]
The $150 Oil Shock Might Be Exactly What our Future Needs
A crisis in the Strait of Hormuz is terrifying. But economist Carlota Perez has long argued that expensive oil and materials aren’t a bug in the transition to a green, […]
The Overton Window Has Slammed Shut on Kids and Social Media
Content originally published by Fast Company Thanks for reading Thought Sparks! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work. When social psychologist Jonathan Haidt published The Anxious […]
Beware the business school case study: The cautionary tale of Southwest Airlines
Content originally appeared in Fast Company. Southwest Airlines CEO Herb Kelleher in 1990. [Photo: Pam Francis/Liaison/Getty Images] via Fast Company The venerable business case study method got its start in […]
When Leadership Becomes Unlimited: Lessons from 25 Years Leading Through Crisis
Only one in four employees is fully engaged at work—a staggering indictment of our current leadership models that represents a massive hemorrhage of human potential. Jose Marcilla, Novartis executive and […]
It’s Not Content, It’s Choice Architecture
Despite a widespread and pervasive pro-innovation bias (if it’s new and improved, it must be good, right?), every so often a moment comes along that causes quite a lot of […]
2026: What we’re watching (when we’re not thinking about AI)
Most predictions are wrong. But it’s still important to pay attention to the weak signals of change. Here are five topics I’m watching in 2026. Thanks for reading Thought Sparks! […]
The Turning Point: Why 2025 Gave Us Reason for Both Hope and Worry
As we close out another turbulent year, I find myself returning to the work of economic historian Carlota Perez, whose framework for understanding technological revolutions offers perhaps the clearest lens […]
AI, Meet the Billable Hour Business Model
On December 4, 2025, I published a short article in the Wall Street Journal entitled “Say Goodbye to the Billable Hour, Thanks to AI.” Who knew I’d be kicking up […]
Kraft Heinz’s Breakup: The End of Mass Produced Food?
It was a mega-merger of iconic brands, supported by no less a genius than Warren Buffett. It was supposed to unlock value for investors and rethink how food would be […]
Americans Are Pretty Smug About Tech Leadership. They Shouldn’t Be.
America stands at a dangerous crossroads in the global race for green technology supremacy. While European nations surge ahead with coordinated multi-trillion dollar investments and China dominates manufacturing with record-breaking […]
The Gen Z Crisis
The Gen Z Crisis Generation Z – born between 1997 and 2012 – are preparing for college, entering the workforce, and are at the beginning of their professional and educational […]
The Great Productivity Paradox: Why We Measure Everything Except What Makes Life Worth Living
Since the days of Adam Smith, we have credited rising living standards with an improvement in productivity, typically manufacturing productivity. But as we are on the cusp of a revolution […]
Why you would have a strategic edge if you’d attended “Leading Strategic Growth and Change” in the 90’s
It’s fun to reflect on how my course “Leading Strategic Growth and Change” has evolved over the years. I first took over as the Faculty Director for the course in […]
The Merger Mirage: The Triumph of Hope over Experience
Synergy. Market expansion. Gaining share. Cost savings. Diversification. Talent acquisition. Owning a unique asset. Moving into a high-growth sector. These and many more reasons have often propelled companies into one […]