Pamela Fiehn

When I talked with their people it became clear to me: Those values in the corporate handbook aren’t their real values. Because their stories revealed what they truly care about.

I spoke with Communication Arts about why brands shouldn't ignore Amazon.

She’s smart, accomplished, and leading a mission-critical agenda at one of the most admired companies in the world. But this is what she says when we meet to talk about her upcoming executive presentation: “I’m young and I’m a woman. I always feel like I have to compensate for that.”

Purpose is becoming another marketing buzzword. I wrote this article to bring it back to the basics. Turns out purpose-based marketing is about fulfilling a basic human need

As a leader, a lot of what we do starts with a theory. We’re leading our team, or our company through uncharted territory much of the time. We don’t know if what we’re planning is going to work. So we need to put our theories to the test, as much as we can, before sending everyone into battle.

Creativity isn’t a skill. It’s an attitude. It’s a willingness to give up control and let the process take over. A willingness to get lost in the interest of new discoveries. This article reveals five things I practice in the service of cultivating a creative mindset.

We often get punched, metaphorically, in life. We get criticized at work. Someone makes an offhand comment that carries a sting. But making a habit of asking for feedback frequently, is a little like getting punched on purpose. You ask about your blind spots, your development opportunities, etc. when you’ve had a chance to prepare yourself. You do it often enough, that it doesn’t hurt as much. It makes you stronger. And when you do get some feedback that bruises, you know you’ll recover—because you’ve done it before.

Show it you have other options. You don’t need it. You have other things to work on. You can keep the funnel full without it.

I found swimming rivers to be completely different from the pool swimming I’d done growing up. Swimming laps in pools was monotonous. But rivers? Much more challenging. More interesting. And kind of addictive. Kind of like creative work. Difficult. Immersive. Never the same twice. And despite the challenges, something I can’t help but come back to again and again.