Idea Surplus Disorder

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Latest — Sep 15, 2025

Idea Surplus Disorder #114

In this edition: the upside of squeaky wheels, the discipline of intentional amateurism, and the surprising benefits of stress in hiring. You’ll also find fresh thinking on subtraction as a leadership act, AI as a recruiting coach, and why questioning your expertise might unlock your next big idea.

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Idea Surplus Disorder #113

In this edition: the art of delegating the right work, why leadership makes teams stronger, and how change resembles climbing cracks in a mountain. Plus: treating AI like resistance training, the paradox of pleasure reading, and why our attention may already be compromised.

Idea Surplus Disorder #112

In this edition: A perfectionism audit, a reminder that friction and obligation add meaning, and the decline of reading for pleasure. Plus: Seth Godin on talking dogs, bold AI prompts, the gap between leaders’ words and actions, and why the future belongs to AI drivers, not passengers.

Idea Surplus Disorder #111

In this edition: why culture is really just your company’s last 50 days, how to test your strategy with sharper questions, project trading to force hard choices, spotting “snow leopard” trends, and a devil’s advocate prompt worth stealing.

Idea Surplus Disorder #110

This week: AI as “bags of words,” why process excellence won't matter, and the rise of short-lived careers. Plus: hoard-scrolling, better employee questions, when CEOs should skip 1:1s, pricing bad habits, taste as the new intelligence, and the joy of house parties.

Idea Surplus Disorder #109

This week: attention vs. patience, leaders who talk too soon, encore anxiety, and workplace dysfunction by the numbers. Plus: purpose that matters, better rituals, and why one-in-a-million events happen more often than you’d think.

Idea Surplus Disorder #108

This week in Idea Surplus Disorder: why your time estimates are off, when to choose the harder path, and how to make strategy reviews more conversational. Plus: facilitation tools, partly cloudy science, Seth Godin’s reminders, writing better with AI, and the slow death of the American party.

Idea Surplus Disorder #107

In this week's Idea Surplus Disorder, I'll share two great podcasts with the Filament team. We'll also discuss the death of daydreaming, explore the imaginary pressure of “what people will think,” identify the cause of meeting hangovers, and wonder if missing out is actually the point.

Idea Surplus Disorder #105-106

In this double issue: the infinite workday, the trap of goal-setting, and how AI boosts individuals but hinders teams. Plus: strategy questions, ad hoc meetings, fast-reading tips, typo demons, and why every job is for the right kind of crazy.

Idea Surplus Disorder #105

This week: make unseasonable requests, embrace the moat of low status, and rethink goals as limits. Plus: AI as legal coach, smarter CEO transitions, and how Hampton Inn won by being “good enough.”