Punks & Pinstripes

I will be in NYC from 23-26 Feb for a Punks & Pinstripes gathering. I cleared up my schedule to hang out with cool people. Interested in leadership, growth, tech, crypto, and AI. If there are any events you are attending, I am a fantastic +1. DM.

The widely believed origin story of Cindy Gallop’s MakeLoveNotPorn is that it was launched at the 2009 #TED Conference when Cindy electrified the conference with a talk about how the ubiquity of porn distorts the reality of sex. But, that was Make Love Not Porn’s launch, not its origin. A few years earlier Cindy was the chair and president of BBH USA, the powerhouse #agency behind Tesco, Netflix, and many other huge brands (acquired by Publicis in 2012). The origin of second-act #entrepreneurs - who leave #executive #leadership to launch #startups is messier than we’re led to believe. There’s a heavy moment when they’re jolted into a sudden awareness that the success they’ve pursued is no longer who they are. Sometimes that jolt is a big life event like death, divorce, love, birth, or illness. Sometimes the jolt just shows up for no reason and won’t leave. THAT’s what I want to talk to Cindy about on February 24 at Nura, in #NYC. What was that jolt for her? I launched Punks & Pinstripes because, similar to Cindy, I found that social media distorts success in the same way that pornography distorts sex. Most executive communities are structured around success porn - rather than the actual reality of being successful. If all you want is more stuff: more seniority, money, power, and recognition - then you can easily find a community that will serve you. But that version of success doesn’t fulfill you for very long.?Those communities can make you feel more displaced if you've felt the jolt. If you experience the jolt - and you crave more impact, mission, exploration, and compassion then you need to speak to people like Cindy who’ve built something amazing after feeling the same thing. That’s what I’ll be talking to Cindy over dinner on February 24 at Nura in Brooklyn. There are still a few spots left and they’re selling fast. It’s free for members of Punks & Pinstripes. Link in the comments.

Golden handcuffs are still handcuffs. The new year is when bonuses land in bank accounts and brilliant executives start to feel existential angst about the direction of their career. “Is this the best i can do with my finite time here on Earth?” they ask themselves. If that’s you, this article can help. Link in the comments.

Golden handcuffs are still handcuffs. Now is when bonuses land in bank accounts and brilliant executives start to feel existential angst about the direction of their career. “Is this the best i can do with my finite time here on Earth?” they ask themselves. If that’s you, we’re here to help. Next Wednesday, January 15th, Greg Merrill (former head of transformation at Nike) and I are hosting a breakfast for executives contemplating their next move. It’s free, but space is limited to 6 people. If you are selected, we will let you know the location. We absolutely promise to protect your confidentiality. Link to apply in the comments.

We’re #hiring a new Growth Marketing Lead in New York City Metropolitan Area. Apply today or share this post with your network.

NEW YORK!!!! It’s time. You’ve got 10 days to become one of Punks & Pinstripes’ next 25 members. We’re a vetted community of Business Punks who have each other's backs. We build incredible breakthroughs together. Here’s why you should care: There’s a lot of heavy $h*t that we all carry. You don't have to do it alone. Like: - Transforming a company that doesn’t want to change. - How to talk to your family about leaving corporate to launch a #startup. - Launching a product, building a team, and making serious money as a post-corporate #entrepreneur. - How to pivot / persevere without panicking. We’re here for all of it. It’s how we get through the hard stuff and build epic sh*t. Our members have built $2.5 billion startups, quit bad jobs, and found invigorating ones. We’re the Punks who make progress possible. Let’s do something real together. Apply now. Link in the comments.

Definitely the most frequently asked question among the members of Punks & Pinstripes

What's the difference between corporate propaganda and healthy #corporateculture? Healthy corporate culture drifts into the lane of toxic propaganda when it creates a false narrative of omnipotence and fear. This is the key message in an exceptional new book by Peter Pomerantsev, “How To Win An Information War.” The book explains how propaganda and counter-propaganda works from Nazi Germany to modern Russia to modern election campaigns. The tools of propaganda also bleed into modern corporate #communications. Pomerantsev’s description of political propaganda transported me back to Bloomberg, where I worked from 2011 - 2015. Where slideshows of grinning employees volunteering to clean a park, and our triumphant leader played in a loop. According to Pomerantsev, once propaganda can no longer be trusted, its decline is irreversible. We're seeing that now: quit rates in large companies have exceeded 30,000 per month for 48 consecutive months, the longest streak of voluntary departures in American economic history. We talk about it more in this article. https://lnkd.in/eVWqyDeK #innovation #leadership #culture

Let's #CrushIt #Chicago

The application window to become one of Punks & Pinstripes Chicago's next 12 members is open today until April 5th. Here’s why you should care: ???Because it feels really good to create something amazing that everyone thought was crazy ???Because living someone else’s vision of your success will slowly crush your soul ?? Because there’s no such thing as success without solidarity ?? Because likable mediocrity is a terrible and slow death ???Because progress is impossible without Punks who are defiantly different. ???Because a “Do Leader” will always help you more than a thought leader. Punks & Pantsuits is a community of Business Punks. If you're in #chicago and you want what we have then apply today. Link in the comments