I recently read this wonderful book titled The Craftsman by Richard Sennett. Here are few gems of wisdom I extracted from it. Craftsmanship names an enduring, basic human impulse, the desire to do a job well for it’s own sake. Skills that mature and pride in one’s work lies as the heart of craftsmanship as the reward for skill and commitment. Craftwork and innovation are deeply intertwined. Good craftwork: focuses on objects and impersonal practices tempers obsession turns the craftsman outward integrates doing (how) and reflecting (why); makes and observes at the same time embodies repetition, slow revisions, slow learning and cultivation of habit, working memory connects the hand to the head welcomes ambiguity embraces curiosity, investigation and patience applies the principle of application of minimum force and release uses all available tools (e.g. Instruction through illustration, narrative and metaphors; or innovation through syllogism, intuitive leap, reframing, metaphors and integrative thinking) fosters the interplay of practice, imagination, and possibility sees … Continue reading →

We expect reliable brilliance from professionals who serve us, and those we hire. If you ask most people if they deliver reliable brilliance, 90% will say “yes”. Yet, it is quite rare. In reality, mediocrity rules, good enough pervades, dropped balls are the norm. Every day I observe people’s daily lives and find that there is a shortage of remarkable experiences, whether it is a visit to a doctor, a contractor, a school, a grocery store, a drug store. In our Interactive Marketing space tool, I see little that is remarkable in business strategy, interaction design, user experience, technology implementation, content strategy, search marketing, and other disciplines. The big question: how does one find people who deliver reliable brilliance? Most of them are very special people who rarely switch jobs; they are neither hanging out on Monster.com nor the careers portion of your website; they are gainfully employed, and being given respect, environment and rewards by enlightened employers. The only … Continue reading →