We might like to think that “the work should speak for itself” or “the best idea wins,” but trust and collaboration on challenging projects and unmeasurable creative decisions comes from relationships. Asking about a coworker’s kids or hobbies is “work-related” because it enables better work.

We saw this when doing nonprofit work in the Philippines, where the backdrop was 400 years of imperialism, but it’s an important reminder for how I try to approach new contexts: respect those who got there before me. Don’t presume I have the answers. And show I’m happy to be there!

At my first agency job (Goodby Silverstein) one of my tasks was cutting fomecore to mount printouts for client presentations. My manager told me to be sure to swap out a new Xacto blade every two boards, to make sure we never got a jagged edge from a dull blade.

At Apple some time later, we had twelve people in a conference room one time discussing whether it should be a hyphen or an en dash in a field in a checkout screen.

In a time when AI can generate fast, superficially-polished outputs, keen human editorial judgment remains critical.

In auto insurance, the math is painfully straightforward: if you have too many of the wrong customers, you pay out more in claims than you take in, and you go out of business. This is why we created a lighthouse identity for the HiRoad brand: to attract the “mindful mobilites” who wanted to be recognized for their values.

But while “right fit” is do-or-die in car insurance, it also applies to any other non-commoditized product — including hiring.

I got my job at Freshworks thanks to a referral from someone I’d worked with 15 years earlier. That’s an extreme example, but it’s why I try to stay on good terms with everyone I work with.

When I did my initial competitive audit for Branagh Development, I saw that all the high-end home builders talked about history and quality — but they didn’t talk about the why. For the right customers (those willing to spend several years, several million dollars, and countless decisions on a custom home), the motivation wasn’t solid-core hardwood doors or perfectly-aligned flooring transitions: it was a vision of a better future.

How has Pixar made consistently good movies for 30 years straight? Hint: it’s not just world-beating talent. As Amy Wallace and Ed Catmull explain in Creativity, Inc., a carefully-designed feedback process is at the heart of their ongoing success. For key principles from that book and elsewhere, see this list from First Person Story, another of my side projects.