Dear Friends You know that from time to time, I segue into art and wine. Well, jazz too, and sometimes classic cars, and architecture, and cute critters, and, well, anything that catches my eye. These three have all appeared here…
Dear Friends I initially read Dan Wang’s Breakneck with a simple objective – to deepen my understanding of the world’s largest economies, the US and China. I got that. Unexpectedly, I also received several strategy lessons. Today’s letter zooms in…
Dear friends We are back. Thank you for allowing me my writing break. If you joined strategy, soul & self during August I apologise for my silence. I have paused the newsletter every few months this year, in order to…
Dear friends You’ll remember, I hope, that this year’s newsletter schedule is a little different: it arrives weekly for three months, then doesn’t for a month. That is because I am, foolishly, trying to write something that might become a…
Good morning dear friends “All acts of kindness are lights in the war for justice.” These words are part of Joy Harjo’s Reconciliation, A Prayer included in How We Became Human. /strategy In Humanocracy, London Business School professor Gary Hamel…
Dear friends I woke on Tuesday to the news that the great Abdullah Ibrahim had passed on the day before. False Bay was wind-whipped; the Cape howling its grief. Bruised blue swells boomed off granite boulders, a marching band’s bass…
Good morning, dear friends Today’s letter is more essay-like than letter-like, so pour the coffee or the tea (or the wine, if it is time) and settle in. A few years ago, one of my nieces spent some time with…
Good morning friends /strategyThe strategy industry and its remoras too often create caricatures of strategy. Strategy is not a list of goals. It is not how it is measured. Nor is it a template, one-page, or otherwise (Richard Rumelt is spectacular…
Dear friends The month’s writing break is done, and we are back. Apologies if you joined this community whilst I was away. I should have set up an “out-of-office doing deep writing” message, but didn’t. Next time. For those of…
Dear friends Before we get to this week’s letter, a quick reminder of last week’s announcement that for this year, we will have 8 weeks of letters, followed by a 4-week production break. I am creating space for advancing deep…
Dear friends My coaching work often integrates fiction. I do so because it allows us to see depth and nuance that non-fiction can’t. The non-fiction author can’t explore imagination or internal dialogue, but our unspoken dreams, hopes and fears influence so…
Good morning friends At the end of 2025, Eben Etzebeth released his biography, Unlocked. Etzebeth is South African rugby’s most capped player. In fact, he is one of the most capped players in all of rugby history. He has two…