October 2026
How Important Work Drives Truth
A discussion of incentives reveals the Lie Economy in real time. The only thing that short-circuits self-protection is work important enough that people will defer their interests to it.
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The thinking, as it develops.
Essays, frameworks, and observations from the work. Same paradigm as the book. This is where a reader stays in the conversation without having to hire anyone yet.
October 2026
The Struggle Is the Point
Why do some groups accomplish extraordinary things together while most never do? A story from the Adirondacks at 17, and what it revealed about designing organizations where the struggle itself creates trust, community, and truth.
Read PDFOctober 2026
AI and the Struggle
The central question is not whether AI will remove suffering. It will. The question is how much struggle we need to retain so that purpose, pride, and contentment remain possible. Designed productive struggle is one answer.
Read PDFAugust 2026
Trust
Trust is an outcome, not a product. It comes through struggle and consistent action under pressure, not team-building exercises. If you want teamwork, give the team work.
Read PDFJuly 2026
Challenge the Crap Out of Each Other
Challenge is the pillar that demolishes the Lie Economy. Silence in the room is a verdict about the work. Reward the person who says “I don’t agree,” or you will get an organization that never does.
Read PDFJuly 2026
You Must Design the Struggle
Most leaders try to remove obstacles. Struggle is a resource. If you do not design it, it will design you. Important + Difficult is where trust and truth become rational.
Read PDFJune 2026
Important Work Isn’t About What You Make
Windows are important. But when leaders define important work only through their own lens, the people doing the work notice. Importance that excludes them creates a hollow organization.
Read PDFJune 2026
Honoring the Work That Actually Matters
Calling everything important is not leadership. It is noise. Honoring important work means funding it, measuring it, talking about it, and refusing to lie about it.
Read PDFMay 2026
The Meeting After the Meeting
Every organization has a meeting after the meeting. Productive disagreement is the practice that moves the real conversation into the room where decisions are made.
Read PDFMore notes coming. Longer essays also live on Substack.