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creativity

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The Messy Middle: What Startups and Stories Have in Common

A good startup, like a good story, often begins quickly. Then comes the middle — the part no one can skip, no pitch deck can summarise, and no one warned you about. A reflection on what the messy middle really asks of the people inside it.

A photo of london skyline over the Thames River.

The Ministry of Detail

Rory Sutherland has a rare gift for saying uncomfortable truths with warmth and humour. One observation landed hard: creativity is scarce in organisations not because people lack imagination, but because systems quietly discourage it.

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How Ideas Become Knowledge, and Knowledge Becomes Value

Idea to Value is often mistaken for a delivery model. It is not. It does not prescribe agile, waterfall, or portfolio mechanics. It is a way of seeing.

A piece of scrap paper on a wall

My analogue thinking system

I use a lot of paper. Not out of nostalgia. Not out of rebellion against digital tools. I use paper because it changes how I think.

A picture of a megaphone dangling in front of a red background

Tone of Voice as a Leadership System

Most organisational problems are not technical. They are interpretive. People misunderstand intent, fill gaps with assumptions, and react to tone as much as content.

A digital rendition of a void - lines all disappearing into a hole

Jump into the void

After a keynote last week, someone approached me with feedback that was, shall we say, unvarnished. This happens. There is always someone compelled to offer what I now think of as inflicted help.

Rob Lambert speaking from the stage at a conference

From Idea to Keynote: Designing for Attention and Value

I had planned to record this reflection in Budapest, in the hum of the conference hall — that strange mixture of anticipation, nerves, and collective attention. Instead, I found myself doing what I often do: waiting for the perfect moment. There rarely is one.