A Leader’s Team

May 4, 2026

Good morning! And down the stretch they came! It’s not unlike every other gold rush in history… can you get there first?  And, once you’re there, do you know how to capitalize and to systematize? And, sometimes you’re wrong — like with tulips — do you know how to pivot and to not self-destruct? Among the more important jobs of a leader is to inspire optimism about the future.  (Agree?  Disagree?)

• “That’s all your house is, a place to keep your stuff, while you go out and get more stuff.  Sometimes you’ve gotta move, gotta get a bigger house… Why?  Too much stuff.”  (Carlin)
  • I remember purchasing one of those, build-it-yourself, 8′ x 8′ metal sheds from Sears 50 years ago; I was so happy.
  • It was probably $100 or $200; I don’t recall.
  • Since then, storing stuff in sheds not dissimilar to the one in my backyard has exploded into a $60 billion industry in the United States.  (Bernstein)
  • Demand for these sheds — often hundreds of them grouped together like villages on prime real estate — is not waning.
  • What was once called temporary or short-term storage has become a tsunami of stuff morphing into a deferred landfill problem.
• “No leader outperforms the talent on his/ her team.”  (Eades)
• It has always been cutting edge.
  • White Castle, the buy-your-burgers-by-the-dozen fast food pioneer, is now selling its bite-size morsels by way of artificial intelligence and robotics.
  • We haven’t looked inside one of those vending machines to know exactly what happens in there as your burgers are prepared and delivered, but do we really WANT to know?!
• Those who cook (and/or eat) have known it for a lonnnng time, but we’ve lacked the data to press our point… until now.
  • We’ve been cheated.
    • It’s true, the beloved and ubiquitous jalapeno* pepper has been purposefully downsized to near-extinction by none other than… Texans!  (Ralat – Texas A & M)
    • “Almost 100% of what you see in the grocery stores are hybrid… and they are not (nearly) as hot as traditional jalapenos.”  (Crosby)
    • This bait-and-switch ploy has been happening right under our noses — and on our tongues — for decades until now we have bushels of jalapenos not worthy of much more than glossy-green skinned photog exploitations.
    • The traditional >4,000 SHU product of our childhood (Be careful!  That’s a jalapeno!) exists no more except in remote Mexican villages as of yet unscathed by agricultural gene-mutating subterfuge.
    • Solution?  There is none… except to switch to Serranos.
    • And, to mourn.
      • (Note to self:  This tragedy was apparently brought about by people not wanting a jalapeno to be hot and spicy…
      • … did they ever think about eating something different… such as a bell pepper — or white bread?!)
• According to data from the United States Census Bureau, approximately 25% of all unmarried men and women between the ages of 25 and 55 in the United States live under the same roof with their significant other.
  • This is a greater percent than fifteen years ago when it was approximately 22%.
  • These data don’t tell the whole story, or not much of the story.
  • For example, from among the other 75%, how many of those even HAVE a significant other; e.g., unrequited love?
    • I think I should perhaps delete this entire section as unworthy of this column.
• How often do your thoughts turn to John Quincy Adams, the sixth President of the United States — and son of the second?
  • Not often, I’m guessing?
  • Courtesy of a good friend and faithful reader I’ve been introduced to America’s Founding Son…
  • … John Quincy Adams, From President to Political Maverick.  (Crawford, 2025).
• Low bar:  “School was good; they want me back tomorrow.”  (Ketcham)
• “A house is only as strong as its foundation; that’s what organizations are quickly coming to understand about artificial intelligence as well.”  (Panas, Etc., et al.)
  • Artificial intelligence may eventually power some 60% or more of tasks across the marketing process.
  • Creation and execution of the strategy, once developed, could range as high as 70% by artificial intelligence. (Ibid.)
  • Ultimately, an artificial intelligence work force has the potential to transform marketing operations in three key ways:
    1. Hyperpersonalized marketing = >30% revenue growth from always-on, cross-functional collaboration across teams…
    2. Enabling speed = 10x to 15x acceleration of the creation and execution of campaigns; e.g., brainstorming, vetting, testing, optimization…
    3. Fueling spend and growth = humans focusing on the more important tasks and higher return-on-investment functions.
  • Of course, of course, NONE of this works or comes true without restructuring, reprioritizing, reimagining, reassigning, reassuring, and redirecting… (Ibid.)
• “Silence in an organization is rarely neutral; it’s often the result of people deciding it’s safer to stay quiet than to tell the truth.”  (Lockhart)

Last week’s Ridlee o’ the Week caused a bit of confusion.We were attempting to shine a light upon the supposed sudden worldwide fame of local Minneapolis, MN Mayor, Jacob Frey.He was partnered with people like the Pope and the President as being among the Most Influential in the world.Let’s just say, it’s a curious Liszt (Franz, that is) and one which we think would befuddle many.  Liszt, Franz (TIME)