I’m addicted. I know. I can’t help it.
Two months ago, I decided it was time to quit.
But I can’t, and I don’t know why or what it means.
I’m addicted to writing these newsletters every Saturday morning.
Even if no one will read them (thank you to the hundreds of people who do).
I will make a few changes. I want to update the layout, suggestions are welcome.
It might be shorter or longer, with a different vibe or cadence between them.
But I’ll keep writing.
THOUGHTS
Between LinkedIn, employer branding and the AI “let’s fire everyone and use agents” revolution, I think we lost something very important.
The brand.
More than that, I think many companies have completely lost sight of what their brand ever stood for. Or worse… what they keep telling the world it stands for.
And when a company loses its brand… fear takes over.
Suddenly management stops leading and starts reacting.
“Do more with less.”
“Be more entrepreneurial.”
“Adapt faster.”
“Own more.”
“Figure it out.”
“Use these new tools.”
Job descriptions become meaningless.
Two people’s work becomes one person’s KPI.
Burnout gets renamed “high performance.”
Learning becomes another task.
Meetings multiply.
Clarity disappears.
Employees are asked to do more than ever before, with less direction, less honesty, and less support.
Essentially being asked to saw off the very branch they are sitting on.
And here’s where it gets interesting.
Internally?
Confusion.
Politics.
Endless meetings.
No clarity.
No direction.
No honest conversations.
People scared to ask questions.
Managers scared to admit they don’t have all the answers.
Externally?
Culture posts.
Leadership awards.
Innovation announcements.
Employer branding campaigns.
Smiling team photos.
Purpose statements.
Customer obsession.
“People are our greatest asset.”
Everything looks amazing.
Internally people are exhausted.
When corporates stop talking to their employees, but keep telling the world how amazing they are to work for… it’s a lie.
Not a facade.
A lie.
And I get it.
Top management is scared too.
Markets are changing.
Technology is moving fast.
Shareholders want growth.
Boards want certainty.
Everyone wants results.
So panic kicks in.
And when panic kicks in, many companies stop building…
And start performing.
And I call this:
Brandsturbation
Brandsturbation is when a brand publicly talks about its values, purpose, culture, innovation, or customer obsession… while its employees, customers, and daily decisions prove the exact opposite.
And once you see it… you can’t unsee it.
“We put people first.”
But nobody is listening internally.
“We embrace innovation.”
But every new tool creates more fear than opportunity.
“We care about culture.”
But nobody has had an honest conversation in months.
“We’re customer obsessed.”
But support feels like punishment.
“We’re building for the future.”
But every decision is driven by this quarter.
Here’s the uncomfortable truth.
Most companies don’t lose because of change.
They lose because they forget who they are while change is happening.
Not market pressure.
Not technology.
Not competition.
Identity.
Because a real brand doesn’t fear change.
A real brand leads through it.
And if you read this, smiled, nodded, or thought about your own company…
You already know.
This is happening.
“If your culture deck says one thing and your customers feel another, that’s brandsturbation.”
N.Zavaro
Building in Public
She’s running to stand still.
One of my favourite U2 lines.
For years, it felt as if I’m running to stand still. It was only when I landed in Chiang Mai, northern Thailand, that I really understood what it meant.
Almost nothing to my name, and all the time in the world to sit and reflect.
But then, coming back to reality, and that reality had a few struggles.
With my business done, starting from scratch to build something else, with a war in the Middle East, traveling for workshops was limited to, well… zero.
I had to start thinking about everything from scratch, but this time it was about enjoying the journey.
To do that, I had to do less, not more.
To focus is always hard for me, and I guess I’m just not that type.
But here we are, with Stook launching again.
(I told you about the cue card platform? Well, that’s the name.)
I will be documenting the specific struggles to build, market, and scale.
You can follow the journey on Twitter.
Just For Fun
Giphy
Every week, I collect things I enjoy online. This is my curated top three: playlists to work with, trailers, videos, or just fun stuff.
🎧 Music
This week’s Storyletter was written while listening to this Fatboy Slim Coachella playlist.
👉 Listen
🏭 How one car changed factories forever
The Ford Model T had a huge impact on how we manufacture, and this is a great video.
👉 Watch
👨🍳 Are you a chef? I’m a writer
The biopic about the late Anthony Bourdain.
👉 View