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Working Notes
Working notes from the crisis era: history, capital, markets, and observations from a sitting CEO writing between the decisions themselves.
Use these field observations to locate your own situation in the larger crisis-era pattern, then move from interpretation to a practical leadership response.
128 dispatches
- How CEOs Conduct Leadership Drills That CountLearn how to conduct leadership drills that expose weak assumptions, clarify authority, and produce decision records fit for real crisis scrutiny daily.Sep 29, 2026
- Crisis Governance Versus Risk ManagementCrisis governance versus risk management: learn why boards must govern through disruption, not merely measure threats, controls, and exposure in crisis.Sep 21, 2026
- How Should CEOs Lead in a Crisis? Make the Hard CallHow should CEOs lead in a crisis? Set a governing code, act before consensus, protect trust, and keep records that survive close scrutiny under pressure.Aug 20, 2026
- The Counterfeit Golden AgeA nation secure in its greatness does not announce it hourly.Aug 17, 2026
- The Missing SunsetAn emergency with no review date stops being an emergency. It becomes the operating system.Aug 14, 2026
- The Kept TripwireCredibility in a Crisis is rebuilt by rules that can still say no to the people who wrote them.Aug 14, 2026
- The Strongman AuditionEvery Fourth Turning ends with strengthened authority. The only open question is its character.Jul 5, 2026
- The Cohn DoctrineIt has been the most successful operating system of the decade. Here is the case for honor anyway.Jun 24, 2026
- The Costume of PatienceStrategic patience and quiet avoidance wear the same face. The only way to tell them apart is to watch how a leader handles the contradiction he wishes you would not notice.Jun 17, 2026
- Alliance Erosion Under PressureWhen primary partnerships systematically destroy secondary relationships, maintaining your own integrity requires choosing between resistance, complicity, or strategic exit.Jun 13, 2026
- The Only Thing That Still ScalesWhen institutions decay and the tools built for stability stop working, character becomes the rarest competitive advantage there is.Jun 1, 2026
- The Trap That Builds Itself When two great powers tell themselves the conflict is inevitable, they tend to produce it. The leaders who break the pattern do it deliberately.May 17, 2026
- Nothing in ReserveGlobal oil storage has lost 255 million barrels in eight weeks. The system was built to win on price, and it is now learning what that trade-off actually costs.Apr 23, 2026
- Show Me the Incentive The talks in Islamabad failed for the same reason most negotiations fail. The signals were there the whole time.Apr 12, 2026
- Nothing Left To AbsorbWhat happens when every safety net thins out at the same time.Apr 10, 2026
- The Diagnosis Was Never EnoughOn what comes after naming the stormApr 10, 2026
- The Invisible ArchitectureEvery system you interact with was designed to solve a problem that no longer existsApr 3, 2026
- The Forty-Mile Hostage CrisisTwenty million barrels a day. Forty miles of open water. Fifty years of pretending this couldn't happen.Mar 29, 2026
- It’s Happening Faster Than You ThinkAI layoffs aren’t a future problem anymore. They’re today’s headline, and tomorrow’s new normal.Feb 27, 2026
- The Ladder Is EvaporatingThe career path that built the American middle class is about to disappear, not from the top, but from the bottom.Feb 15, 2026
- Humility and Patience Are the Operating SystemWhy restraint, not brilliance, determines who survives pressureFeb 4, 2026
- When the Dollar Weakens, Everything Else Starts to Feel UnstableWhy record markets and everyday strain can exist at the same timeJan 28, 2026
- Wisdom Under PressureWhat Alfred P. Sloan and the Interwar Years Teach Us About Building Institutions That EndureJan 14, 2026
- The Overnight Money Warning What the repo market is telling us about bank liquidity and why it mattersNov 3, 2025
- The Long GameWhy success in today depends less on speed and more on stamina.Oct 25, 2025
- The Private Credit BubbleWhy It Matters for B:Side, SBA Lending, and Regional BanksOct 24, 2025
- The Hard Way HomeWhy the hard way is the only way forwardOct 22, 2025
- The Second Wave: Why Regional Banks Are Cracking Under the Weight of the TreasuryAnother regional banking crisis might already be underway. Here’s what the signs are telling us, and what B:Side sees ahead.Oct 1, 2025
- Confidence Is Built in the FireConfidence doesn’t come before the trial. It’s forged in the middle of it.Sep 23, 2025
- Make This Your Defining MomentHard years separate managers from leaders. Choose your response. Lead with dynamism, boldness, and grace.Sep 18, 2025
- I Have A Bad Feeling About This...The Fed Prepares to Cut Rates Into a Market It May Not Fully UnderstandSep 17, 2025
- Through the StormLeadership, Obstacles, and the Way ForwardSep 10, 2025
- When Easing Rates BackfiresWhat Smart Leaders Should Watch NextSep 5, 2025
- Eight of the Last TwoSome predictions are wrong. This one might just be early.Sep 4, 2025
- Printer Is ComingThe Uneasy Return of Easy MoneyAug 26, 2025
- Discipline Builds TrustWhy Teams Follow Leaders Who Are Steady: Not Just SmartJul 28, 2025
- The Edge Belongs to the TeachableWhy the Willingness to Learn Still Wins in a World That Worships TalentJul 26, 2025
- Rate ExpectationsUnpacking the Risks Behind Trump’s 300 Basis Point ProposalJul 10, 2025
- The Office MeltdownWhy CRE Is Cracking and What It Means for Regional Banks, SBA 504 Lenders, and the Future of CitiesJul 3, 2025
- Don’t Avoid DifficultyThe strength you’re looking for is hiding inside the pain you’re running fromJul 1, 2025
- Belief Is the Last BackstopWhat Easing Bank Capital Rules Really Means for the Treasury MarketJun 19, 2025
- Read Not the Times. Read the Eternities.Why stepping away from the noise might be the clearest move a leader can makeJun 18, 2025
- Hold the LineHow We Will Stay Calm When the World Goes MadJun 13, 2025
- Tolerance for UncertaintyA Quiet Strength for Chaotic TimesJun 9, 2025
- When Pride Leads, Leaders FallThe root cause of most blowups isn’t strategy, it’s ego, pride, and a lack of self-awareness.Jun 5, 2025
- Banking Contagion Is Closer Than You ThinkWhat’s Happening Now, and What Comes NextMay 27, 2025
- To Save the Bond Market, Stocks May Have to BurnFacing hard truths, falling equities, and the fight to steady the U.S. economyMay 23, 2025
- The Debt Wall Is Here Why the $9.2 Trillion Maturity Cliff Could Define the Next DecadeMay 13, 2025
- Connecting the DotsWhy Great Leaders Are Master Pattern-RecognizersMay 10, 2025
- The Crisis EraWhat It Means, Where We're Headed, and Why It Matters NowMay 8, 2025
- Echoes Across a Century: Part 6, Preparing for What's NextHow Organizations Can Build Resilience, Agility, and Strength in an Era of Global InstabilityMay 4, 2025
- Echoes Across a Century: Part 5, The Vacuum of LeadershipHow the Absence of a Global Stabilizer Turns Crises Into CatastrophesMay 4, 2025
- Echoes Across a Century: Part 4, Geopolitical Fault LinesWhy Rising Tensions Are Shaping the Next Economic and Leadership CrisisMay 2, 2025
- When the Ships Stop ComingWhat the Collapse in China-to-U.S. Shipping Means for You and the Small Business EconomyMay 1, 2025
- Echoes Across a Century: Part 3, How Trade Wars Sink GrowthWhy Rising Tariffs and Economic Nationalism Are a Warning Sign Leaders Can't IgnoreMay 1, 2025
- Echoes Across a Century: Part 2, The Hidden Dangers of SpeculationHow Greed and Wishful Thinking Set the Stage for Collapse: Then and NowApr 30, 2025
- Echoes Across a Century: Part 1, The Heavy Weight of DebtLessons for Leaders on Why Debt Buildups Always End the Same WayApr 29, 2025
- This Will Pass (And Then Get Worse, Then Better, Then Worse Again)How leaders stay sane in a world built to whipsaw them into madness.Apr 10, 2025
- It’s Not About the TariffsWhy the Real Forces Shaping Our Future Are Harder to See, and Harder to StopApr 8, 2025
- Leadership in The Trump 2.0 Era: Resist or Influence? Part 1: When Principles and Power CollideMar 31, 2025
- Leading Through the FogFinding Clarity When the Path Isn't ClearMar 12, 2025
- Embracing the CrucibleHow Suffering Shapes Strength, Wisdom, and GreatnessMar 11, 2025
- Wisdom Won’t Find YouYou Must Seek It OutMar 6, 2025
- Ancient Wisdom for Modern LeadersKautilya and the ArthashastraMar 4, 2025
- Reading Between the LinesHow to Decode the Hidden Intentions Behind People's Words, Actions, and BehaviorsMar 3, 2025
- The Mentor LeaderPart 3: Why Great Leadership Is About Teaching, Not Just WinningFeb 3, 2025
- The Hero’s Journey in LeadershipPart 2: Why Strength Without Limits Becomes a TrapFeb 2, 2025
- Special Edition - Leading When the Rules ChangeThriving Through ChaosJan 28, 2025
- Endurance and VisionLeadership Lessons from the FrontierJan 27, 2025
- The Outsider AdvantageLessons from Masayoshi Son on Breaking Through BarriersJan 24, 2025
- Stop Giving to GetHow Leaders Can Avoid the Trap of Invisible StringsJan 17, 2025
- Battling ResistanceLessons in Getting Out of Your Own WayJan 14, 2025
- The Chaos AdvantageTurning Uncertainty into Leadership OpportunitiesJan 13, 2025
- The Leader and the MomentLeadership as a Two-Way StreetJan 10, 2025
- Choosing Joy When Life Isn’t EasyLessons from the Hardest of TimesNov 12, 2024
- The Leadership DilemmaWhen Ambition Threatens the RepublicNov 1, 2024
- It’s Probably Nothing, but...Why the Warning Signs in the Markets Are Getting Harder to IgnoreOct 30, 2024
- Shifting the Overton Window in LeadershipHow Bold Ideas Become the New NormOct 29, 2024
- The Dangers of Rivalry and BetrayalHow Personal Egos Sabotage ProgressOct 25, 2024
- Adversity Fuels SuccessTurning Setbacks Into Your Greatest AssetOct 23, 2024
- The First-Rate MindA Leader’s Path to Integrated ThinkingOct 12, 2024
- Preparing for a Minsky Moment in 2025A Business Leader’s GuideOct 9, 2024
- Facing the Future Without FearA Lesson from Marcus AureliusOct 8, 2024
- Rising to the MomentPreparation Meets OpportunityOct 4, 2024
- Embody, Don’t ExplainLiving The B:Side WayOct 3, 2024
- Comfort is the Worst AddictionWhy Staying a Little Uncomfortable is the Key to Growth and FulfillmentSep 27, 2024
- The Power of SuspenseWhy You Shouldn't Show Your Full Hand in BusinessSep 26, 2024
- The Intersection of IdeasPowering Innovation through Integrated ThinkingSep 25, 2024
- Launching Through ImperfectionHow I Overcame My Perfectionist Tendencies to Publish My Latest BookSep 24, 2024
- The Loyalty AdvantageHow Awareness Fuels Long-Term PartnershipsSep 23, 2024
- When Inspiration Doesn’t Show Up How to Keep Creating When You Don’t Feel Like ItSep 17, 2024
- The Strength of SimplicityHow clear, focused leadership builds trust and drives successSep 12, 2024
- Mastering Mental Clarity in the Heat of the MomentHow to stay focused and make sound decisions when emotions are highSep 11, 2024
- Walking AloneLeadership Lessons from Musashi’s SolitudeSep 10, 2024
- The Wisdom of the FoolHow Playing Dumb Can (Sometimes) Be a Smart StrategySep 9, 2024
- The Art of MentoringChristopher Hitchens’ Legacy of Insight and ChallengeAug 29, 2024
- Overcoming Resistance and Embracing RoutineHow I Wrote The B:Side WayAug 27, 2024
- Leading Through TurbulenceHistorical Lessons for Modern LeadershipAug 1, 2024
- The Perils of Personal Desire and Inflated Self-ImportanceLessons from George Armstrong CusterJun 18, 2024
- Courage, Humility, and GenerosityMy Father’s Guide to LeadershipJun 15, 2024
- Confronting the Dark SideTurning Repression into StrengthJun 14, 2024
- The Lindy Effect in LeadershipCultivating Longevity and WisdomJun 10, 2024
- Confronting with PurposeFocusing on Values Over IncidentsMay 31, 2024
- Lessons from Hannibal’s Tactical GeniusThe Value of AdaptabilityMay 30, 2024
- Lessons from "How to Be a Bad Emperor"Ancient Wisdom for Modern LeadershipMay 25, 2024
- Embracing the OODA LoopA Fighter Pilot's Framework for Agile LeadershipMay 23, 2024
- The Power of Letting GoThe Paradoxical Approach to Unlocking SolutionsMay 15, 2024
- The Power of Doing Your BestA Mother's Day Message That StuckMay 12, 2024
- The Tao of LeadershipEmbracing Quiet Influence in a World of Celebrity CEOsApr 26, 2024
- The Perils of ComfortHow Embracing Hard Work and Life's Challenges Leads to a Fulfilling LifeApr 22, 2024
- Don't Be a "Pigeon" CEOGrowing Beyond the "Swoop and Poop" Leadership StyleApr 18, 2024
- The Power of High AgencyDriving Change in Yourself and the WorldApr 15, 2024
- Navigating Power DynamicsThe Key to Meaningful FeedbackApr 8, 2024
- Mastery of MindLeading with Wisdom in the Modern WorldApr 1, 2024
- From Reflection to RenewalAn Easter Season Guide for Leaders Navigating ChangeMar 29, 2024
- Burro Schmidt's TunnelUnearthing the Hidden Gems of Hard Work and PerseveranceMar 27, 2024
- The Path to MasteryCombining Diverse Skills Into Something SpecialMar 26, 2024
- Mastering the Art of ChangeLessons in Swift AdaptationMar 20, 2024
- On GratitudeThe Keystone of Positive Workplace Culture and Personal Well-BeingMar 16, 2024
- Talent Recruitment and Retention J. Robert Oppenheimer's Leadership Genius Behind the Manhattan ProjectMar 12, 2024
- The Litany Against FearA Leadership Lesson from DuneMar 10, 2024
- The Art of Strategic Detachment Cultivating Clarity, Resilience, and Focus in a Turbulent WorldMar 7, 2024
- Awakening from the Great NapNavigating the Fourth Turning with Resilient Leadership and Disciplined WisdomFeb 25, 2024
- Unbusy Leadership The Art of Deep Work in a Distracted WorldFeb 24, 2024
- Strategic Resilience Preparing Leaders for the UnpredictableFeb 20, 2024
- The Art of Giving A DamnTurning Intense Feelings into Creative PowerFeb 16, 2024
- Valuing the InsignificantA Leader's Eye for DetailFeb 14, 2024
- Credible LeadershipThe Acknowledgment of LimitsFeb 14, 2024
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