Technology & Innovation Leader based in Toronto. I build new things inside existing organizations.
For 600 years, we had one word to describe the first thing that needed to be done: priority. Then, during World War II, someone decided we needed a plural version. Seventy years later, we’re drowning in ‘priorities’ while productivity experts beg us to focus on just one thing at a time. The irony would be delicious if it weren’t so costly to modern business. The CEO of a manufacturing company I…
The single most important part of any job interview is when you ask the candidate if they have any questions for you. I’m regularly disappointed by applicants claiming to know all they need to, or asking something inane just to avoid asking nothing. Being asked if you have questions makes it sound optional, but this is the opportunity for a great candidate to stand out from the merely good. I…
I worked on a branding project for a high-profile luxury real estate development where our designers had a beautiful idea for their sales centre experience: give visitors a wooden USB stick containing floor plans of their potential future home. The USB was housed in a debossed leather holster, custom-made by the talented Bill Amberg. But when it came to selecting the electronics inside the…
Question: how many words should a post like this contain? Answer: the fewest possible to elegantly present its ideas. Richard Feynman is famous for taking the time to reply to the many letters he received from both the public and his peers. He started one such reply with the apology “if I had more time, I would have written a shorter letter”. And that’s the reason there is so much shitty…
You’re in an Hermès store standing in front of a Birkin Bag . You know the origin story where Jean-Louis Dumas met Jane Birkin in the seat next to him on a flight from Paris to London, and her complaining she couldn’t find a bag suitable for a young mother like her. You also know these luxury bags regularly sell at auction for significant 5 figure amounts . But you’re revelling in the quality of…
Arthur C. Clarke’s third law states that “any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.” AI, especially the generative stuff, causes me to experience much magic, and Adobe’s upcoming software is enthusiastically waving its magic wand. Here’s what has got me excited and why. 1. Rotate vector artwork. The recent Adobe demo that left my jaw on the ground has the most…
Introduction Some caveats before we begin. The following advice comes from my more than 30 years presenting creative work to potential customers, and as such it is biased towards organizations that sell creative professional services. It’s also important to understand that speculative creative pitching is not what you want to be doing. Your best clients will not ask you to solve their business…
Those of us with an obsession for studying cognitive biases tend to see them as negative influences on our decision making, with our knowledge of them hopefully empowering us to negate them. My favourite study of loss aversion flips the script and demonstrates the power of harnessing this cognitive bias that states we value the things we have more than the things we don’t have. As detailed in the…
One benefit fractional executives bring to an organization is the shared experience acquired working with other clients. Whenever I explain this, the word synergy lands on the tip of my tongue and I just can’t bring myself to say it. Synergy is a word that makes me throw up a little in my mouth, and causes cynics to raise and eyebrow and sigh. It’s not alone — there are many business cliches that…
Now what if you did the same calculation with a 50% reduction in effort, but where the newfound 10 free days a month is spent working for other organizations, all the time picking up new contacts, and valuable knowledge from relevant industries that you can use to elevate your primary role? You’re starting to see the value of hiring a fractional executive. I’m not suggesting all your executive…
You can’t justify the cost of a full time CTO. Smaller companies and early stage startups can find it hard to justify the relatively large increase in their overhead that hiring a full time CTO incurs. Even if you could afford them, would you really get enough of a return on your investment? Saving 50% to 75% by hiring a Fractional CTO can free up funds that would be better spent elsewhere. You’re…
Industry experience. I’ve worked with companies where many staff have tenures exceeding 15 years, which has the advantage of consistency, but can lack an influx of fresh viewpoints to challenge the status quo. This can leave you open to disruption from a newer competitor. One of the most valuable aspects of any new fractional executive is their breadth of experience, so look for a diversity that…
As a kid I remember evenings with our kitchen table covered by architects drawings and a printing calculator spewing long lengths of paper inked with long lists of long numbers. I didn’t understand what was going on, just that dad was “doing estimates” and that I should keep well away. My parents ran a building company that would do everything from replacing a broken window to refitting public…
tl;dr. A short summary of the post A link to the CBC . I used this pack to power 2 Raspberry Pis. A link to h69.net .
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Maybe you’ve got a project to discuss, or maybe you just want to say hi, or perhaps you’ve got some grooming tips for the next time I grow my beard this long. Whatever you’re looking for, send me a message. I generally respond within 24 hours.
While at OneMethod I hosted an event called Speakeasy where I interview creative business leaders, and featured in my own cookery show called Cooking in the Methlab. Cooking in the MethLab with Jared Ficklin. Cooking in the MethLab with Jared Ficklin. Part 1 Product Design. Cooking in the MethLab with Jared Ficklin. Part 2 Robots vs Humans Cooking in the MethLab with Jared Ficklin. Part 3…
When early stage ideation is successful it can become the blueprint for execution, so it’s important to have a plan to get from pitch-winning concept to profitably delivered solution. Otherwise the initial joys of winning that new project can result in execution becoming a burden that disillusions your team, and damages your bottom line. By working with me, you'll have the advantage of knowing…
I tailor my presentations to suit the audience, whether it’s a dozen people in a boardroom, or a thousand people in a conference hall. Recent presentations include *Business Model Design for Creatives*, and *Advanced IoT Development for Technologists*. My latest presentation, *Make More Money* teaches creative organizations providing professional services proven strategies to create more…
## Yann Martel #### [Author][1] Hoss Gifford and (producer) Peter Collingridge combined exceptional creativity and technical skill with a sound understanding of the book. I was not the only one pleased with the result; the tens of thousands of hits speak to the fact that many, many other people were too. I can’t imagine a better team (besides two nicer guys) to translate written words into virtual…