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Corporate Social Responsibility | Business Insights | Lifestyle | Thought Leadership
Anti-DEI will Create New Names for the Same Work
Let’s dive into what is going to be the future of DEI and social impact at the corporate level and see what we can expect moving forward from what seems like at least the next 4 years of anti-woke hell:
DEI is getting rebranded
Companies are stepping up on the social impact front
Consumers are in revolt
What Do You Mean Joy is an Act of Resistance?!
If you’re like me, you feel like you have to either flee the country or fight with all your being. You don’t know which. You don’t even know what to do if you chose either path. You’re just suspended in this inert state stuck between feeling compelled to do something and not having any idea what to do or if any of it even matters.
I’m Not Hopeful for the Future of the Cannabis Industry
The cannabis industry is in really bad shape. This is not news for those of us on the inside, but those on the outside only see more and more states legalizing and total industry growth going up and to the right.
So how can one have no hope?
AI Ethics & How Marketers Should Think About AI
Before we start patting ourselves on the back for being the smartest marketers in the room, we need to have a serious conversation about the ethical side of using AI in marketing. There are some big risks at play, and ignoring them could cost us more than we’re willing to pay.
One Crazy Night In Miami
There’s a special approach to maximizing a 24-hour stay in any given city. Stephanie and I learned that lesson after a crazy night in Miami, a result of an overnight layover at the tail end of a vacation to Mexico.
… Perhaps it was the mojito, or the vibes we got from the waitress, but I look at Steph with some strange determination and say, “I’m gonna buy weed from this waitress.”
Emotional Intelligence Leadership Development
Boost your EQ. Lead with empathy. Retain great talent and attract better talent. I guide leaders to develop their emotional intelligence on a personal level, before showing them how to apply that methodology externally to their team.
I interviewed ChatGPT about whether or not I can trust it
I was curious how ChatGPT would respond to me if I interviewed it about whether or not it is sentient, trustworthy, or regulated by any ethical guidelines and frameworks. I found this conversation fascinating.
Nothing is truly improvised
I’m not one to give away a magician’s secrets; however, as it relates to improv comedy (and public speaking, sales, leadership …) I’m going to do just that in this blog. Ruining the fun and magic of improv comedy is not the point. The point is to illustrate an underlying discipline that will help you in so many ways, whether to increase your life and communications skills, or your professional success.
Getting Reacquainted with Weed on 420
I got high as an adult for the first time on 420. It’s pretty cliché, I know, but I promise the story of how we got to that point is not.
Meeting Weedonardo da Vinci: Or, How I Learned to Roll a Joint With a Crutch
You never want to find yourself rolling a joint in the bathroom. I have found myself there just once, and it was undoubtedly the last time. How did I end up there? Stigma. Let me back up.
How to Get Laid Off in the Cannabis Industry
If you’re feeling betrayed, like you’ve been loyal and passionate about the company you just got laid off from and can’t believe they’d do this to you, I encourage you to reevaluate your relationship to your job. A job is merely a trade, labor for wages.
What is Cannabis Social Responsibility?
Most people don’t truly understand CSR, what it means or how it works. When they do recognize the acronym, they may only think about a company donating money to a charity. That’s not a real CSR plan.
Cannabis Conferences and Sexual Harassment - You are officially on notice
Men, you're on notice. Cannabis industry, you're on notice. Sexual harassment and misconduct is rife in our working culture, and finally, chickens are coming home to roost. From New West to MJ Biz, NCIA to Women Grow, conventions are fostering extreme amounts of sexual harassment and abuse.
Game Theory from RPGs Applied to Businesses Leveling Up
Geek warning: today I'm talking about how to level up your business through game theory and understanding the mechanics of Role Playing Games. RPGs show us a framework that provides a very practical way to make decisions for your startup.
An Entrepreneur in a Corporate Environment ... and Vice Versa
People think you are either an entrepreneur or a career person. While the two are different, they're not quite polar opposites of the business spectrum. I've had the unique experience of being an entrepreneur first, and also working a corporate job with a major media conglomerate.
Stop Worshiping at the Feet of the Goddess of Busy
The whole conversation of busy one-upmanship has a dynamic awfully reminiscent of “my dad can beat up your dad”. We spend the first 5 minutes of our conversations verbally masturbating to our busy-ness.
How Fear Prevents Us From Being Who We Are Supposed to Be
It all begins with an idea.
Impending Bloodbath in California Cannabis Market
There's an impending bloodbath awaiting the California recreational cannabis market. It's a momentous deal that Cali is shifting to a recreational use market; but that impact could be for the positive or the negative. In this video I talk through some of what I've learned while studying the Cali market and some of what to expect.
Cannabis Networking: What's Wrong and How to Fix It
Networking in the cannabis industry is fraught with self-promotion and lack of real connection. This is true of most networking, actually. I have been to a ton of these types of events in so many industries, and here I share some thoughts on how to do better across the board, from organizing these events to how to participate in them.
Stop Separating Your Sales and Marketing Departments. It's Dumb.
In this video, I discuss the problems I see in nearly EVERY company I consult with: sales and marketing are treated as 2 separate things. They meet separately, they brainstorm, congregate, hang out, and think separately. They tell different stories. I discuss some of my thoughts on how to fix this problem, and what the solution can look like when you think about it holistically.