“It’s our people that make us so special and different from the competition.” I have probably heard some form of this in every organization I’ve had the good fortune to work with. It’s absolutely true. The problem is, from a communications perspective, that doesn’t make them special. To be sure, organizations usually strive to hire and manage people for certain … Read More

In the incomparable movie The Princess Bride, Inigo Montoya, after praying to the spirit of his murdered father for guidance, follows his sword to the entrance to the dungeon—hidden in a large tree trunk—where his last hope The Man in Black is held prisoner. Inigo had trained for twenty years to revenge his father’s murder by the wicked Count Rugen, … Read More

Finding our way through knotty problems Many of us find metaphors and motifs that recur throughout our lives. For me, the story of Alexander cutting the Gordian Knot has been especially relevant in my work. According to legend, Gordius, the king of Phrygia, tied a knot (which hitched a chariot dedicated to Zeus to a pole) so complex it was said to be impossible … Read More