Sometimes the best creative move isn't to dive right in,
it's to…
Zoom Out
Zoom Out
ZO-001. Well Begun Is Half Done. Observed circa 2011.
After years of launches, rebrands, agency reviews and strategy sessions,
I found myself collecting the same observations over and over.
Not about advertising, but about the habits, behaviors and patterns
that shape good decisions.
Welcome to Zoom Out. A gallery of observations worth another look.
After years of launches, rebrands, agency reviews and strategy sessions,
I found myself collecting the same observations over and over.
Not about advertising, but about the habits, behaviors and patterns
that shape good decisions.
Welcome to Zoom Out. A gallery of observations worth another look.
ZO-002. Band-Aids are just that.
ZO-003. Beware of the "good meeting." First experienced circa 2014.
Protect the runway.
Preserve the energy.
Don't stop noticing.
Protect the runway.
Preserve the energy.
Don't stop noticing.
Sometimes the best creative move
isn't to dive right in,
it's to…
ZO-002. Band-Aids are just that.
ZO-001. Well Begun Is Half Done. Observed circa 2011.
Band-Aids.
Well begun is half done.
"Good Meetings" – X
A little could tension can be lots of progress.
We often leave a meeting saying,
"That was a good meeting."
If nobody challenged the work...
challenged the assumptions...
or changed their position...
was it really a good meeting?
The best meetings I've been part of usually
had a pulse.
Creative tension isn't the problem.
Silence usually is.
ZO-002. Band-Aids are just that.
ZO-003. Beware of the "good meeting." Observed 2014.
Organizations rarely fail because they
paused too long. They fail because they
never paused at all.
It’s not just poetry.
We rush because momentum feels productive.
Then we spend six months undoing what
one more week of preparation could have
prevented.
Look, I’m not naive…Sometimes you have to
build while flying. But I’ve seen too many
teams mistake urgency for productivity.
Momentum is exciting.
Alignment is underrated.
Temporary fixes have a way of becoming
permanent strategy.
No one ever said: Please half-fix our brand.
But they may as well have. Bigger repairs
ask more of everyone. They require conviction,
alignment, and the willingness to leave
something familiar behind.
So another patch feels safer. Until it isn't.
It's 1,001 tiny deaths.