The Science Of Storytelling With Will Storr - TWMJ #1027
Thinking With Mitch Joel
Welcome to episode #1027 of Thinking With Mitch Joel (formerly Six Pixels of Separation). is an award-winning author, journalist and storytelling researcher whose work explores one of the most powerful forces shaping human behavior… the stories we tell ourselves about the world. Over the course of a career that blends psychology, neuroscience, investigative journalism and narrative craft, Will has become one of the most compelling voices examining how stories shape identity, belief and culture. His bestselling books include , , and , each offering a deeper look at the hidden forces driving...
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Getting Your Strategy Right With Kevin Ertell
Thinking With Mitch Joel
Welcome to episode #1026 of Thinking With Mitch Joel (formerly Six Pixels of Separation). At a time when strategy has become a kind of corporate theater… carefully crafted presentations, ambitious roadmaps and bold declarations that rarely survive first contact with reality… has spent a career focused on the harder question: why execution so often fails. Kevin is the Founder and CEO of and a veteran operator whose three decades of experience include leading large-scale retail and e-commerce operations at global brands like , , , and . Over the years he has developed a reputation as a...
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What Is Happening With AI With Ann Handley - TWMJ #1025
Thinking With Mitch Joel
Welcome to episode #1025 of Thinking With Mitch Joel (formerly Six Pixels of Separation). At a moment when panic travels faster than proof, few marketers are as clear-eyed… and as human… as . A pioneering digital marketing strategist (), bestselling author ( and ), longtime champion of writing that actually means something and dear friend (also, if you’re not susbscribed to her newsletter, , you really should be), Ann has built a career reminding businesses that the point of content isn’t velocity… it’s connection. In her recent essay, , she pushes back against the apocalyptic...
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Making The Internet Suck Less With Cory Doctorow - TWMJ #1024
Thinking With Mitch Joel
Welcome to episode #1024 of Thinking With Mitch Joel (formerly Six Pixels of Separation). At a time when the digital infrastructure that underpins modern life feels increasingly hostile, few voices have been as prescient... or as relentless... as . A science fiction novelist, journalist and technology activist, Cory serves as Special Advisor to the and has long stood at the intersection of storytelling, policy and power. Over the course of a prolific career (one that includes bestselling fiction, influential tech policy books like and , and his widely read blog) Cory has chronicled how...
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Distrust, Polarization And Hypocrisy With Michael Hallsworth - TWMJ #1023
Thinking With Mitch Joel
Welcome to episode #1023 of Thinking With Mitch Joel (formerly Six Pixels of Separation). In an era where outrage travels faster than reflection, few accusations carry as much moral force as the charge of hypocrisy… and yet few concepts are as misunderstood. is Chief Behavioral Scientist at the and a leading voice in behavioral economics, with academic appointments at the and a career devoted to understanding how real people actually think and act in complex systems. His research spans public policy, organizational behavior and social judgment, examining how incentives, norms, and...
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Real Transformations With Phil Gilbert - TWMJ #1022
Thinking With Mitch Joel
Welcome to episode #1022 of Thinking With Mitch Joel (formerly Six Pixels of Separation). At a moment when organizational change is too often treated as a mandate rather than an experience people choose to embrace, has spent his career proving that transformation only sticks when it earns genuine buy-in. Phil is a design executive, transformation leader and former General Manager of Design at , where he architected one of the largest cultural and operational shifts in corporate history, helping nearly 400,000 employees across 180 countries become more entrepreneurial, agile and...
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Navigating Strategy In The Age Of AI With Roger Martin - TWMJ #1021
Thinking With Mitch Joel
Welcome to episode #1021 of Thinking With Mitch Joel (formerly Six Pixels of Separation). At a time when strategy is often confused with forecasting and certainty is mistaken for rigor, the work of insists on a more demanding discipline: making clear, integrated choices under uncertainty. Named the world’s #1 management thinker by in 2017, Roger is a , strategy advisor, and the former Dean at the at the , where he served for fifteen years and reshaped how management education engages with real-world complexity. Over decades, he has advised CEOs at companies including , , , , , and ,...
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Boundless Creativity And Design Mastery With David "Shingy" Shing - TWMJ #1020
Thinking With Mitch Joel
Welcome to episode #1020 of Thinking With Mitch Joel (formerly Six Pixels of Separation). At a time when technology listens more closely than people realize and advertising feels less predictive than presumptive, understanding how culture, data and human behavior collide has become essential. has spent his career at that intersection, shaping how global brands think about creativity, relevance and the emotional consequences of digital systems. Know as the Digital Prophet at (and then ) and a very influential voice in modern branding and innovation, Shingy has advised companies, leaders and...
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Leadership Unblocked With Muriel Wilkins - TWMJ #1019
Thinking With Mitch Joel
Welcome to episode #1019 of Thinking With Mitch Joel (formerly Six Pixels of Separation). At a time when leadership is being tested less by strategy and more by inner capacity, clarity of judgment and emotional steadiness, the work of stands out for its insistence that progress begins from the inside out. Muriel is an executive coach, CEO of , and a trusted advisor to senior leaders navigating complexity at the highest levels of organizations, drawing on more than two decades of experience working with C-suite executives and high-potential leaders. A graduate with a background in consulting...
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More Humane Work With Joe O'Connor - TWMJ #1018
Thinking With Mitch Joel
Welcome to episode #1018 of Thinking With Mitch Joel (formerly Six Pixels of Separation). At a moment when burnout is normalized and productivity is still measured by hours rather than impact, the five-day workweek is starting to look less like a foundation of modern life and more like an outdated design choice. is the CEO of and one of the world’s leading architects of the four-day workweek, having designed and led large-scale pilots across multiple countries, industries and organizational types. His work sits at the intersection of labor economics, organizational culture and performance...
info_outlineWelcome to episode #1026 of Thinking With Mitch Joel (formerly Six Pixels of Separation).
At a time when strategy has become a kind of corporate theater… carefully crafted presentations, ambitious roadmaps and bold declarations that rarely survive first contact with reality… Kevin Ertell has spent a career focused on the harder question: why execution so often fails. Kevin is the Founder and CEO of Mistere Advisory and a veteran operator whose three decades of experience include leading large-scale retail and e-commerce operations at global brands like Nike, Sur La Table, Borders, and Tower Records. Over the years he has developed a reputation as a straight-talking advisor who helps leaders turn complexity into clarity and ambition into measurable results. His work spans industries including technology, healthcare, retail, consumer goods and manufacturing, where he focuses on helping organizations align teams, simplify priorities and build the operating rhythms required to deliver on their plans. In his new book, The Strategy Trap - Why Companies Fail at Execution and How to Get It Right, Kevin draws on decades of frontline experience to tackle a frustrating reality of modern business: most strategies don’t fail on paper… they fail in the real world. Through practical frameworks like his Six Cs of Execution (Co-creation, Clarity, Capacity, Communication, Coordination and Coaching) he argues that strategy and execution must begin in the same room, with teams co-creating the plan and committing to disciplined follow-through. Kevin explores how incentives shape behavior, why organizations must slow down to create clarity before accelerating, and how leadership cultures built around coaching and collaboration can unlock real momentum. Grounded in operational experience rather than theory, his work reframes strategy not as a planning exercise but as a team sport that requires alignment, accountability and relentless focus on execution. Enjoy the conversation…
- Running time: 58:44.
- Hello from beautiful Montreal.
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- Here is my conversation with Kevin Ertell.
- The Strategy Trap - Why Companies Fail at Execution and How to Get It Right.
- Mistere Advisory.
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- Follow Kevin on LinkedIn.
Chapters:
(00:00) - Introduction to Kevin Ertell and his Expertise.
(02:51) - The Evolution of E-commerce and Digital Strategy.
(06:03) - Understanding the Strategy Trap.
(08:57) - The Importance of Execution in Strategy.
(12:02) - Communication and Team Dynamics in Strategy.
(14:47) - Co-Creation and Employee Engagement.
(17:55) - The Role of Customers in Strategy.
(21:04) - Defining the Strategy Trap and Its Implications.
(30:01) - Navigating Change: The Role of Detractors in Strategy.
(32:47) - The Rise and Fall of Retail Giants: Lessons from JCPenney.
(40:58) - Harnessing AI: Transforming Strategy and Productivity.
(49:01) - Coaching Mindset: The Key to Effective Leadership.
(53:06) - Anticipating the Future: Understanding Change and Context.