The Pilot
Better Decisions in Anxious Times
By Jin Kang, Lydie Neill, and Steve Weber The Problem Making good decisions is hard. Doing so day after day, in an increasingly fast-paced environment with too much information, too many stakeholders, too much constant scrutiny from inside and outside, and too much volatility is hard. But good decision-making is at the root of good strategy, communications, […]
6 Comms Lessons from Kid Lit
6 Comms Lessons from Kid Lit
BLOC BY BLOC WORLD IS COMING INTO FOCUS
By Steven Weber, Partner What does it mean in 2022 to be a global firm, and what will it mean as we approach the middle of the decade? In this essay, Steve Weber takes a look back at his most recent book Bloc by Bloc: How to Build a Global Enterprise for the New Regional Order, […]
Excelling at Telling Stories with Data: Learn and Get Inspired
By Shahan Shahid Nawaz, Data Fellow Data visualization as a practice is gaining the repute “data science” commanded a few years ago: an ever-rising amount of data requires an ever-rising investment in sensemaking too. In drawing signals from the noise, approaches like machine learning and data visualization hold great power. In machine learning’s case, the […]
Our ‘Unprecedented’ Twenties: A Conversation with Gen Z
By Haley Prince, Intern Gen Z has felt like a “buzzword” for some time. We are the generation of unprecedented events. Beyond that, what else defines us? For one, we are a massive emerging consumer group with an estimated buying power of $360 billion. But keep in mind, as a consumer group we are unwaveringly […]
U.S. Political Economy Scenarios: 2022-2024
The long hot summer of 2022 feels like one of the most pessimistic moments in modern history. With reason — we’ve living through a multi-faceted crisis that combines inflation and low economic growth, gun violence at home and a brutal land war in Europe, acute signals of climate change and spiking energy costs, and a […]
QOTW: What brands do you admire most?
The Breakwater team closes each Monday all-staff meeting with a “Question of the Week” to get the creative juices flowing. QOTWs are posed by team members on a rotating basis and range from prompts on current global issues to the most underrated Halloween candy to imaginary scenarios that call for outside-the-box thinking. Our answers help […]
Words Matter: How use of “Weaponization” can Damage Interdependent Relationships and Strategic Decision Making
By Steve Weber, Partner “Weaponization” has become a favorite expression of commentators, politicians, and corporate actors in the past few years. Search it on Google and you’ll find it used in conversations about trade, finance, technology, regulatory and technical standards, even ESG criteria. What was once called propaganda is now “weaponization of information.” Economic sanctions […]
QOTW Series: If the possibilities were endless, what would you – or your VR avatar – do for a living?
The Breakwater team closes each Monday all-staff meeting with a “Question of the Week” to get the creative juices flowing. QOTWs are posed by team members on a rotating basis and range from prompts on current global issues to the most underrated Halloween candy to imaginary scenarios that call for outside-the-box thinking. Our answers help […]