JAY-Z, 4:44 and The Promise of Imagination
JAY-Z has returned after a hiatus of almost 3 years with his new project 4:44. The project (is it fair to call anything an album nowadays?) was released with JAY-Z’s streaming service TIDAL and in partnership with Sprint. No conversation about JAY-Z is ever complete...
Crisis at Uber & the Promise of Stewardship
The past couple of weeks have not been kind to ride sharing company Uber. The news has been dominated with their most recent scandals. First, a scathing blog post by engineer Susan J. Fowler who recounts in detail her year spent at the company. She allows us inside an...
Culture Is The Territory
Alfred Korzybski, was a scholar in the field of general semantics. Although his work is extensive in the field and he is oft quoted I want to draw attention to his thoughts about map and territory. Korzybski says: A map is not the territory it represents, but, if...
Culture Has No Sidelines
Many brands still try to avoid controversy at all costs. PR is still all too often about “damage control”. Brands still fall victim to the idea they can remain “above the fray” and avoid controversy. Making a stand or aligning oneself with the social issues is still...
Issa Rae
Despite the title HBO would hardly seem in need of saving. It is coming off a recent Emmy’s performance where perennial powerhouse Game of Thrones snagged the most awards ever for a series. It is consistently the most highly nominated network and one can argue the...
Why We Get What We Deserve (The Remix)
Almost a year ago, myself and my co-host of 2 Dope Boys & a Podcast, Michael Brooks wrote an article titled “Why We Get What We Deserve”. In it, we derided (among others) Martin Shkreli, infamous former CEO of biotech company Turing Pharmaceuticals. Shkreli...
Chobani, Leadership & The Cultural Future
Chobani CEO Hamdi Ulukaya’s surprise announcement that the 2000 full time employees of Chobani would be receiving a 10% stake in the company has entered the media bloodstream with force. Segments on NBC and other major outlets shined a light on this act of genuine...
Mark Zuckerberg’s Memo Isn’t Leadership
It was recently reported that Facebook Founder, Mark Zuckerberg released a letter dealing with intolerant behavior on behalf of his employees. Apparently, within Facebook HQ has a wall where employees are encouraged to share thoughts, ideas or general musings for...
Creed Vs. The Force Awakens: How Culture Delivers a Knock Out
Oscar nominations were released this morning to the usual fanfare and celebratory proclamations we are accustomed to during Hollywood award season. A sentimental favorite in the Best Supporting category is 80s action star Sylvester Stallone who takes up the mantle as...