Ben Brabyn

Are you constantly pitching, and frustrated that growth is slow or zero?  What you do is complicatedWhy you do it is simple, memorable and shareableWhich you tell people decides your success Even the most motivated and expert audience will forget most details and look for simple patterns (witness the research of Professor Laura Huang on investor behaviour). […]

As we go about our work and our social lives, we tend to share our time – and our points of view – with the same group of people. This makes for familiarity, friendship and fluency. We can finish each other’s sentences, and quite often we can finish each other’s projects. It’s good for our

How do groups bond, earn trust and create shared identities? How can leaders build environments adaptable enough to respond to shocks and still enable people to thrive together? In The Social Brain, authors Tracey Camillieri, Samantha Rockey and Robin Dunbar (of Dunbar number fame) explore “the psychology of successful groups” (which is also the subtitle

Traditionally, we view businesses, teams, and organisations as separate, distinct and centralised. We build them and then determine how they will relate to their surroundings, how they will form relationships with customers, suppliers and investors, and how they will recruit new employees or members. Our model resembles our own sense of ourselves, with a leadership

This week I’ve been introduced to two new razors. They’re the metaphorical rather than the literal kind (I’m a wet-shave habitué). These are Hanlon’s Razor and Auden’s Razor. They state, respectively: “Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity.” and “If equal affection cannot be,Let the more loving one be me.” These

Selling your products or services – or ideas – can feel like a lonely experience. Many people feel like a lone candle in the darkness, trying to shine their light into a world which reflects nothing. No matter how much energy they put into their activities, there is little or no reaction. Meanwhile, others use

How should we balance the interests of incumbents with newcomers? Should the state interfere in the norms of subcultures to assert the rights of individuals? What kind of patriotism builds stronger societies? Yascha Mounk’s “The Great Experiment” tackles all of these questions and more as he sets out to explain… How to Make Diverse Democracies

Jacques Sauvagnargues is building Link My Ride – connecting cyclists across the world. Yesterday we sat down together (seats not saddles) to discuss how he is using mobile tech to build a high performing community. But like most cyclists, we weren’t alone – we were in a Peloton with a elite group of community builders

The chances are that what you are doing is boring, complex or taboo. Not boring to you of course, or even to your colleagues. But really boring to 95% of the population. That’s a shame because 95% of the population is a lot of people who aren’t helping your business. The good news is you

Loneliness is worse for your health than smoking 15 cigarettes every day. Men’s social networks shrink faster than women’s. Just two of the revelations from the Max Dickins’ excellent Billy No-Mates – How I Realised Men Have a Friendship Problem. But Max has good news too. Anyone can repair and rebuild their friendship networks by