Beyond the Deck
The Blog
Practical ideas on communication, leadership, and the moments that make or break a room.
Beyond the Deck #44
How Do You Explain Semiconductor to a Five-Year-Old?
Being correct is not enough. Your audience has to digest your message, remember it, and repeat it accurately to someone who was not in the room.
Perspective
The Best Way to Celebrate Women Is to Raise Better Young Men
Forget about the flowers, the thank you cards, the discount codes to makeup stores. The best gift men can give to women on International Women's Day is being a good role model for young men everywhere.
Beyond the Deck #22
Don't Be Invisible: Why Silence and 'False Humility' Are Sabotaging Taiwan's Local Talent
A 12-point explanation meant to show diligence in Taiwan can strike Western leaders as an inefficient use of their time.
Beyond the Deck #19
What Effective Leaders Never Do: 5 Communication Fails
At any given moment, millions of meetings are taking place.
Beyond the Deck #16
Not All Thought Leaders Are CEOs — But Every CEO Must Be a Thought Leader
The sooner a CEO realizes that him or herself is the biggest PR tool that the company has, the easier it will be to solidify the brand’s voice and control the narrative.
Beyond the Deck #2
Why the Best C-Suite Leaders Feel Like Frauds
From Silicon Valley to Wall Street, high achievers quietly wrestle with feelings of fraudulence. Psychologists argue that self-doubt, harnessed well, is less a weakness than a leadership edge.
Beyond the Deck #4
Charisma in Fundraising Isn't About Polish — It's About Curiosity
True charisma is warmth, competence — and the courage to ask the right questions
Beyond the Deck #6
You Might Be a Violent Leader & Here is How to Fix It
True leadership emerges when you can articulate your observations, feelings, needs, and requests.
Beyond the Deck #7
Trouble With Your Team? Try Inconsistency
Leadership isn't about sameness — it's about seeing people as they are and helping them become who they could be.
Beyond the Deck #9
Leaders Motivate the Team to Battle, Managers Ensure the Win
Harvard research shows that companies endure not through vision and stories alone, but through managers who build and enforce clear, well-structured systems for alignment.
Beyond the Deck #11
Speed Up! Indecisive Founders Are Bound to Lose
Most decisions should probably be made with somewhere around 70% of the information you wish you had. If you wait for 90%, you're probably being slow.
Beyond the Deck #13
Is Your Team Going to CES 2026?
If you wait behind your booth for people to approach you, you are depending on chance — and chance is not a strategy.
Beyond the Deck #42
Sometimes Your Highest Performer Should Be Fired
Ask yourself: if this person resigned tomorrow, would your reaction be panic — or a secret, profound sense of relief?
Beyond the Deck #39
How To Be the Most Interesting Person in the Room? Talk Less
Talking less and listening more is the fastest way to become the most magnetic person in any room.
Beyond the Deck #35
Four Ways to Get the Buy-In You Want
Buy-in is rarely won with a single killer slide. Here are four paths to getting people on your side.
Beyond the Deck #32
Simplify Is to Smartify: Clarity is the Ultimate Superpower
Complexity feels safe. Clarity takes courage — and it is the real superpower in the room.
Beyond the Deck #29
Stop Monologuing, Start Persuading
The best communicators do not talk more — they listen better. Here is how to turn a pitch into a dialogue.
Beyond the Deck #25
The Secret Weapon of Persuasive Communication: Data Storytelling
Numbers alone do not move people. Here is the storytelling technique that makes data impossible to ignore.
Perspective
Why a 2,000-Year-Old Greek Philosopher Is the Best Pitch Coach of All Time
The danger comes when founders lean too heavily on one pillar. Ethos without data feels like bravado. Pathos without credibility feels manipulative. Logos without stories feels sterile.