Conversation Agent - Valeria Maltoni

I'm not for Everyone. Neither Are You.

777 Third Avenue. David Leddick was Revlon's Worldwide Creative Director in 1966. Steven Pressfield's boss at Grey Advertising. David helped the author of The Legend of Bagger Vance get a junior copywriter job. “I can't hire you here. If I did, you would always be remembered as the young man who used to carry copy from one office to another. Go elsewhere, make a name, then come back, if you dare.” Pressfield never did, but he remembered the kindness, and something else. To a young aspiring writer, Leddick's artist code came from his center. Years later, when he and partner... Read more →

The 12 Qualities of Extremely Valuable, Highly Paid Strategists

What's the difference between a strategist who charges $50 per hour and one who charges $350? An extremely valuable strategist is the ideal partner for technical experts, scientists, and operational leaders. She helps you accomplish what you set out to do. And she also unlocks the value of your business plan by helping you understand who and what creates value. To be a strategist like that, you need to have an appetite for ingesting a lot of highly complex data and the ability to hold contradictory information in your head while you make sense of what contributes to positive impact... Read more →

The Right Kind of Books are Honest

“The Conscious Leader flows effortlessly between the masculine to the feminine,” says Rúna Bouius. Jonathan Cook adds: “... and in flowing between masculine and feminine, trades in the territory between, discovering dimensions of identity that are neither and both. The flow is the thing. This is commerce.” This exchange is an inspiring example of what online dialogue could be—building on ideas. You can still find this structure in some books. Those become classics. In Italo Calvino's definition of “classics”: “those books that are treasured by those who have read and loved them.” “Books are not meant to be believed, but... Read more →

Good Framing is Central to Change

Good framing is a design choice that affects behavior. Every time you see FREE online, you could interpret it in one of two ways: “I'm paying for it with my attention,” “I'm paying for it with my data.” Time is part of it in both cases. And time is a good way to reframe a scenario. Do you remember when something like this happened two years ago? If not, then you probably won't remember what's happening now in two years. This helps dial down the chatter, zooming in a problem and getting stuck so you can move into problem-solving mode.... Read more →

Open Innovation: What if Work Were Everyone's Business

How much value do you put in one breath? Consider that we can go three days without water, and up to twenty days without food. For breath, we're talking minutes. The greatest freediver can teach you techniques to breathe better. Relaxing helps: “Calmness. Stillness. Barely-there-ness. There are dreamlike contours to the plunge.” The limit of breath holding is dictated by your metabolic rate. It regulates how little oxygen and how much carbon dioxide you can tolerate in your body. Similarly, the limit of creating a safe space for holding innovation depends on the company where you're operating. Your culture regulates... Read more →