This site is turning ten this year.
Much has changed in how we find, consume, and share information in this time frame. What used to be engaging conversations in the comments and between dozens of blogs —through memes and topics we were finding better ways to talk about what we were doing, making connections in the process— has since become activity that social networks and messaging apps have absorbed.
I've always been a believer in creating experiences worth having, and building for the long term to keep promises to the community of readers and practitioners who find value in learning with me —which is why I continue to publish on this site rather than dispersing thoughts in dozens directions.
Over the years, there has also been an evolution of the type of information and format of Conversation Agent. The themes by and large have remained the same —we've been making sense of our work at the intersection of business, technology, and digital media through the lens of human behavior since 2006.
The focus remains to connect ideas and people —talk can change our lives, and I have expanded on this part of the vision by offering WorkLabs to organizations and teams in need of a tune up. In a time of great transition between the way things were and the new reality, making sense of our work has taken on a new urgency.
My professional journey has followed a similar itinerary —doing this as a passion project on the side has delivered tremendous value to the organizations, teams, customers, partners, and clients with whom I had the good fortune of working. In turn, my work has benefited greatly from the volume of feedback and interaction experienced with you —readers of today and readers over the years.
Together with the enormous amount of reading I still do, these two movements of input and my direct observation have contributed greatly to forming insights on the modern condition.
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Which leads to on strategizing and the simple idea that we can’t explain the organizations of the future with the language of the past. I have two young nieces —a millennial and a Gen Z— and my work spans all generations. What drives my continued desire to learn about better ways to improve both our thinking and our doing is based on asking better questions to build the bridges that allow us to connect with each other and our work.
Learning Habit embodies my philosophy about understanding our context and making an investment in our future selves —becoming whole thinkers so we can be better doers. Like Conversation Agent, Learning Habit's readership is expanding quickly.
Although both are two-ways vehicles to read and internalize information, connect, and interact both Conversation Agent and Learning Habit appeal only to people who wish to connect with ideas and be among like-minded learners. Over time we accrue network effects with both —information and connections.
If this sounds like you, there is still time to subscribe.
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This is still the product of one author, researcher, writer, editor, and publisher —me. The rest of my work is still focused on marketing strategy and client development. My corporate (in house), agency (in house), and most recently consulting work have been subsidizing this site for ten years.
Most people don’t realize that Conversation Agent takes hundreds of hours and thousands of dollars a year to sustain. Most people also don't realize that this has been a project of pure love from the start —it's always been about helping make sense of things, providing useful resources, and delivering value to readers.
Late last year, I shifted to consulting because I needed to have greater flexibility to spend some time with my father. It turned out to be an excellent choice, as my father passed away in Modena two days after Christmas. I miss him every single day, and wish I had had more conversations with him to learn from his vast knowledge (we had a library counting more than 5,000 books at home growing up).
The experience of watching him and letting him go taught me a lot about value and values.
This is my why. I don't ever “check the box” in my work and in my life —even less so now. I will have some developments to report in the coming months based on conversations and feedback from you on what is valuable and desperately needed to make sense of our work, become more effective, and generate and store our personal energy.
In the meantime, I am open to consulting projects and open to opportunities to share from my experience.
Thank you, as always, for reading and for connecting.