Breakout Briefs
and Breakdowns 

One of the iconic SNL skits, More Cowbell, aired over 25 years ago. The skit imagines Blue Oyster Cult recording its famous song, Don't Fear The Reaper, which uses a cowbell in the background. In the skit, the producer incessantly interrupts each recording with: "You gotta have more cowbell." It was a great spoof on one of the most famous percussion parts in rock and roll. And it worked because we've all seen cowbell moments in life. Especially in business. Sometimes the e

The 2026 Indianapolis 500 delivered the closest finish in its 110-year history. Felix Rosenqvist didn’t just win the race. He was living the high line, a strategy that helped him beat David Malukas by 0.0233 seconds. For context, the average human blink takes between 150 and 400 milliseconds. The margin of Rosenqvist's victory was 23 milliseconds. Malukas was understandably emotional afterward because, by nearly every visible performance metric, he had the fastest car all r

More than 50 years ago Bobby Fischer defeated Boris Spassky to become the first American to win the World Chess Championship. The match in Reykjavik is now known as the “Match of the Century.” It was bigger than chess in part because it was symbolic of the Cold War. The Soviets had a system that had dominated world chess for decades. In some ways, it was an interesting precursor to Miracle on Ice in 1980. But this wasn't just chess. In fact, the "match" was actually 21 chess

Most companies enter a new year with ambitious growth goals but a sense of apprehension about whether, or how, they’ll reach them. That apprehension rarely comes from doubts about employee effort. It comes from uncertainty…and guesswork. Where are leadership’s blind spots? Are the key growth drivers (sales, marketing, brand, and culture) actually aligned? How much of the forecast is based on clarity versus guesswork? These questions open the door to friction, misalignment, an

Most business leaders understand the importance of sales and marketing. But fewer understand that strength alone in these areas isn't enough, and there are actually two other areas, brand and culture, critical to growth. Collectively, these four areas are the primary levers to increase business growth. If these areas are strong, but not aligned, a company will struggle to maximize revenue. It's akin to 1+1+1+1 = 3. What is Alignment? Alignment means your sales, marketing, bra