Commentary · 5 min read
Putting the Band Together, Not the Algo
In an age when AI can polish every CV, leadership is still about knowing who can actually play in the band.
Domain
Life
Perspective on work, family, learning and the long project of becoming better at thinking.
The Opportunity Cost of Not Answering the Question
Brett S. ChappellLearningsBusiness,Communication,Customer Experience,Leadership,Life Perspectives,Sales
“When a potential client asks a direct question, answer it directly. Even if the response is not known, answering I do not know is acceptable…. It is also acceptable to say no.”
When a Tip Is Not a Tip: How Service Charges Lost Their Meaning
Brett S. ChappellLearningsLife Perspectives
A tip is a message of thanks. A charge is a matter of accounting. When the two become indistinguishable, the meaning collapses.
From Sovereign Bonds to Monte Cristo: A Tale of Two Waterloos 📚
Marc O. DinesInvestment,LearningsEmerging Markets,History,Life Perspectives,Litterature
What connects a research paper on emerging market bonds to Alexandre Dumas’ masterpiece? Both emerged from the post-Napoleonic era—but only one explores what truly counts.
🎭 I just quoted a dead guy who never said what I quoted.
Marc O. DinesLearningsLife Perspectives
Turns out “what gets measured gets managed” isn’t Drucker either—and the real version warns against exactly what we’re doing with it.
Against the Lane – A letter to the next generation
Marc O. DinesAI,Investment,LearningsLife Perspectives,Stewardship
“Jack of all trades, master of none” was once a compliment. Why breadth beats specialisation, and why AI has just made the generalist more valuable than ever.
Podcast: Are Family Offices the Answer to Unmet Sustainability?
In March, 2026 Brett S. Chappell sat down with Aline Reichenberg Gustafsson, CFA, and Filipe Albuquerque from Stockholm-based Nordsip to talk about family offices and sustainability investments. If you have 35 minutes and want to learn more, then please tune in to this episode of ESGpresso. The spoken language is English. Links:Spotify / Apple Podcasts
Teach Your Kids About Investing (Without Telling Them)
Marc O. DinesInvestment,LearningsFinancial Education,Life Perspectives,Long-Term Investing
I spent over 20 years learning how markets work. Then I tried to teach my kids. Charts glazed their eyes. Monopoly taught them the wrong lessons entirely. It took a Renaissance gem-trading board game to make compound growth, concentration risk, and strategic patience click. Sometimes the best financial education doesn’t look like education at all.
Why Most Family Offices Should Fail (And How to Build the Rare Exception)
Marc O. DinesFamily Offices,Investment,Learnings,SustainabilityLife Perspectives,Stewardship
Why Most Family Offices Should Fail (And How to Build the Rare Exception) “Adversity is sometimes hard upon a man, but for one man who can stand prosperity, there are a hundred that will stand adversity“ Thomas Carlyle, Scottish historian and philosopher (1795-1881) Unfinished portrait of Thomas Carlyle by John Everett Millais (1877). Source: National […]