For the past five years, I have practiced tai chi with the disciple of a great master in Beijing. My teacher is very wise.
Of the many lessons I have learned, there are several that I apply to my life in business. So much so, that I've considered writing a book about them. For now, however, I'll begin with a series of blog posts I'm calling Tai Chi for Business.
Lesson 1. Focus on what you can do.
On Saturday, I participated in a four hour tai chi intensive. Yes, it was intense. My teacher broke down the most basic movements we have learned, layer by layer, inch by inch bringing us a small step closer to understanding the underlying meaning of the movement.
His master back in China is a 95-year old man who has uncommon mastery of this martial art (think of Master Oogway, the turtle in Kung Fu Panda) and uncommon wisdom, He tells my teacher frequently, "Don't waste time."
Time is precious. We don't have much of it. Yet too many of us waste it by focusing on what we can't do.
What happens when we focus on what we can't do? We fret. We feel bad. We create stories in our... Read more
Archive for Adam Kleinberg 
Tai Chi for Business, Lesson 1
A Tale of Two Mobile Strategies
Two newspaper publications have recently evolved their mobile strategies. One is an example of what not to do. The other represents an evolution in the thinking around mobile and a case study model for a thoughtful and effective mobile strategy for a content publication.
Let's take a look at the San Francisco Chronicle and the Financial Times.
Agile Design
I was first introduced to the concept of Agile Development when Paul Giese, Traction's Director of Technology, had me read an eBook that was put out by 37 Signals.
The basic premise of the book is that there's a smarter way to develop applications. By taking a rapid, iterative approach where a team updates features early and often you wind up with simpler, better applications — in less time. Simpler is key. The argument made by 37 Signals is that most applications (think Microsoft Word or Excel) are bloated with thousands of features that 99% of us never use. Why would a company create a ton of features you wouldn't use? To justify the cost of selling you an upgrade every year.
10 thoughts on our 10th birthday
A decade ago, amidst the smoldering ruins of Dot Bomb industry carnage, I started a little agency called Traction with some friends in the spare bedroom of my apartment.
Ten years later, we've accomplished more than I ever expected to. We've worked with some of the world's greatest brands. We've been on the Inc. 5000 twice. BtoB Magazine named us either the #1 or #2 interactive agency in the country three times in a row. I'm proud of all that, but I won't lie. It's been a rocky road with some serious challenges.
