(And why I’d probably do it again…)
In June 2024, I released what might be my most important book to date: PIVOTAL: Creating Stability in an Uncertain World.
It tackles some of today’s most pressing challenges—chaos, unpredictability, and the rise of AI—with frameworks that help individuals and organizations find clarity, focus, and strength.
And yet, shortly after it launched, I came to a startling conclusion:
I probably never should have written it.
Don’t get me wrong—the ideas are solid. The frameworks are powerful. The feedback has been fantastic. This isn’t false modesty.
The problem wasn’t the content. The problem was me.
You see, the core premise of PIVOTAL is that instead of obsessing over what’s next, we should double down on what we do best—what no one else can do in quite the same way—and what creates the greatest value: our differentiator. In other words, stop chasing the next big thing and start investing in the thing only you can deliver.
And as I reflected on this concept, I had to laugh.
Why?
Because writing PIVOTAL was me chasing what’s next. A new book. A new idea. A new way to frame innovation.
But the truly pivotal thing—the thing I uniquely bring to the world—is something I created two decades ago: Personality Poker.
It’s fun. It’s physical. It’s unforgettable. Hundreds of thousands of people have played it, and I still get stories from people who carry their cards in their wallets ten years later.
Although others can deliver great speeches with great content, no one else has an experience like Personality Poker, and no one else can do it the way I do.
And yet, for years, I treated it like a side dish while constantly cooking up new entrees.
So, I’m taking my own medicine. I’m doubling down on my differentiator. I’m putting more time, energy, and resources into Personality Poker than ever before—not because it’s new, but because it’s uniquely valuable.
The lesson here isn’t about books. It’s about focus.
Take a look at your business. What is the one thing you do that no one else does in quite the same way—and that your customers deeply value?
Now ask: Are you putting your best time, money, and energy there? Or are you (like I was) spreading yourself thin on things that are “important” but not differentiating?
As Antoine de Saint-Exupéry once said, “Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.”
So maybe innovation isn’t always about what’s new. Maybe it’s about rediscovering and amplifying what already makes you great.
Sometimes, the most powerful way forward is to go back to what’s truly yours.