A Curator of Strategy, Leadership, Spirituality, and Rock and Roll…. "Changing the world…one "contact" at a time…."
Articles by me or at least mostly by me…
Help me make the most of freedom and of pleasure Nothing ever lasts forever Everybody wants to rule the world. . -Tears for Fears, Everybody wants to Rule The World (1985) The song "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" by Tears for Fears was released in 1985 and became one of the Tears For Fears …
Who do you want to be today?Who do you want to be?Who do you want to be today?Do you want to be just like someone on TV? Oh, boredom is so terrible; it's like a dread diseaseNothing could be worseThan when there's nothing on TVI'd rather be a cowboy than to stare blank at the …
Breakin' rocks in the hot sun I fought the law and the law won. --The Clash (sort of) I had a colleague ask the other day—what’s the story behind innovation in a massive bureaucracy like the US Department of Defense—what are the enabling factors? That last part had me a bit miffed—what are the enabling …
Well, I ain't evil I'm just good lookin' Start a little fire And baby start cookin' I'm a hungry man But I don't want pizza I'll blow down your house And then I'm gonna eat ya —FEED MY FRANKENSTEIN I've always been fascinated by the evolution of military strategies, specifically the offset strategies employed by …
Continue reading "OFFSET STRATEGY X: Feed my Frankenstein–Neo-DeMarcoian Thought "
When I first heard of the Blue Ocean Strategy—all I could think of was Blue Ocean, like open skies—few competitors, etc. Red Ocean, lots of blood, sharks, competition, and so on. I recently read Friedman’s book Strategy: A History where he addresses Blue and Red Ocean strategies. Just thought it might be interesting to dive …
Continue reading "RED vs BLUE Ocean Strategies: DeMarco Banter"
For some reason, as of late, I've been hearing a lot of the theories and principles established by the influential Italian economist and sociologist, Vilfredo Pareto. I knew about the 80/20 principle, but it might need to be explored a bit deeper on how it applies in various aspects of life. In that reading I …
ORGIN STORY I've always loved Dr. Martens ever since I was in High School--I have 3 pairs of various styles now--but what's up with the boot, how and why did it become a "thing?" I had to check it out... Dr. Martens, also known as Docs or DMs, is a British footwear and clothing brand, …
Continue reading "Innovation and Doc Martens: Culture in a Boot? DeMarco Banter"
Systems Thinking My head is on straightMy heart is in peaceMy soul is incrediblyReady to change history It's a good dayTo fight the system, to fight the systemIt's a good, good, good dayYes, a good, good, good day. - Shungudzo, 2021 Systems thinking is an approach to problem-solving that views "systems" - whether they're parts …
Continue reading "War of the Worlds in a System of Systems Strategy: Neo-DeMarcoian Thought"
Gimme a ticket for an aeroplaneAin't got time to take a fast trainLonely days are gone, I'm a-goin' homeMy baby, just a wrote me a letter. --The Boxtops, 1967 Who is the next George Kennan? George Kennan was a prominent American diplomat and historian, best known for his successful advocacy of a "policy of containment" …
Continue reading "The Next George Kennan: Does the World Need One? DeMarco Banter"
Welcome my sonWelcome to the machineWhere have you been?It's alright we know where you've been You've been in the pipelineFilling in timeProvided with toys and scouting for boysYou brought a guitar to punish your ma And you didn't like schoolAnd you know you're nobody's foolSo welcome to the machine -Pink Floyd, Welcome To The Machine, …
Mastermind Century Group 