Howard's Riffs
A Quiet Way to Know Someone
On receiving a book someone's already read
Portfolio Career
Creating, building and maintaining a modern career mix
A.I.
Why is no one talking about the job thing...?
Err, can we talk about the job thing? Y’know, the thing no one’s talking about? Brushing under the
Future Of Work
Two Pilates studios - and the great capability divide
One teaches craft, one delivers product. In an AI-driven world, the gap between human expertise and scalable systems is widening fast.
Howard's Riffs
How on earth are people cranking out so much content?
Between client work, parenting, and trying not to lose the plot - when does all this 'content' actually happen?
Portfolio Career
Er... how are people keeping up with the content machine? No. Really.
Seriously—how do you stay creative, keep it flowing, and not lose your mind (or soul) to the algorithm?
Portfolio Career
What's your dream project? (No, your real one).
Simple question. Often difficult to answer. But well worth it.
I was at dinner recently when someone posed this. As
Best of...
7 ways to improve a conference speaking proposal
I’ve just finished evaluating proposals for SXSW 2025. Here are 7 things that separate the standouts from the rest.
Reflections & Stories
My one piece of advice for new parents
If I could give my pre-parent self one piece of advice it would be this: deal with loss.
Let’s
Future Of Work
The Creds Doctor
An emerging role that has plenty of unserved demand.
Future Of Work
Future Jobs: The Fractional Company Historian
Disney has it. So does Levi’s. IBM definitely do. Stripe probably will soon. Even Theranos has one (albeit an
Portfolio Career
Full Stackers
I've long believed in the value of cultivating "Lowercase Skills" - being a an uppercase Strategist
Future Of Work
Multiplayer games for career design
Could your career and skill set be accelerated through multiplayer games?
I reckon so.
The future of learning won’t
My single go-to question for an intro chat
I do a lot of intro calls and chats. Despite being an introvert, I really do like meeting people. I’
Now
Now - Oct 26, 2023
What I’m working on right now
1. Building Wavetable - a creative studio and media company blending education and
Independent Paths
The new Mom-and-pop store
“Mom-and-pop” businesses are typically small, family-owned, independent. They’ve gone in and out of fashion (mainly out). But I reckon
Storytelling
I want to believe your pitch. But I can’t.
The story of the SXSW shuffle
I’m in the middle of evaluating 200 proposals for SXSW. One theme is
Independent Paths
Overcoming Inertia
A lot of people are struggling in their work right now. Most don’t want to talk about it. But
Portfolio Career
The keynote speaking grapevine
Notes on format innovation, how to get an agent, and experience design
A lot of people want to do more