I've been there and will be there again.
Thoughts racing as I approach the podium, enter a well-appointed boardroom or meet a thought leader I deeply admire.
The soundtrack is on heavy rotation.
His palms are sweaty, knees weak, arms are heavy
There's vomit on his sweater already, mom's spaghetti
He's nervous, but on the surface he looks calm and ready
Do I really know what I am talking about?
Why should this CEO listen to me?
Am I giving this candidate for office the best counsel?
The dreaded imposter syndrome.
It creeps in from time to time.
Even with a passport full of stamps, multiple degrees, a library that would make Thomas Jefferson jealous, and a global network of doers and makers, it lingers in my thoughts.
One way I have found to suppress this, spend time with a cross-section of subject matter experts.
I have found having conversations with smart people about emerging issues shaping commerce and culture to be essential.
Generating knowledge from others who have unique perspectives not frequently seen in my daily life has been a fantastic tool.
It’s what you know beyond your unique skills, specialization, education, and experiences that allow you to come up with the ideas necessary to dampen the imposter syndrome and do your job.
Solid advice, good counsel, and leadership skills are most potent when applied with another discipline or two, or even better, three.
I found engaging and speaking with subject experts in some other area - be it cardiology, cooking, sales, comedy or urban planning - helps immensely.
Pattern matching, connecting data points, and harvesting knowledge from others has helped me to be a better specialist and not an imposter.
-Marc A. Ross
Marc A. Ross is the founder of Caracal Global and specializes in thought leader communications and events for senior executives working at the intersection of globalization, disruption, and politics.
CIIE, Brexit, Iran, Oprah, Tourism, Luxury Goods
CIIE, Brexit, Iran, Oprah, Tourism, Luxury Goods
Marc Ross Daily
November 1, 2018
Curation and commentary from Marc A. Ross
Reporting from Alexandria, Virginia
Marc Ross Daily = Business News at the Intersection of Globalization, Disruption, and Politics
What's a Caracal?https://goo.gl/wDfPU6
Subscribe here: https://goo.gl/bSQKwA
TOP FIVE
✔️ China International Import Expo takes place in Shanghai
✔️ Britain's manufacturing growth slumps
✔️ Denmark accuses Iran of planning attack near Copenhagen
✔️ Oprah on the campaign trail
✔️ 1.3 billion tourists hit the road 2017
GEOECONOMICS
CIIE: Next week's inaugural China International Import Expo takes place in Shanghai. The fair will see overseas businesses set up stalls in the hope of courting the lucrative Chinese market. The US is refusing to send any senior officials and buy-in from Washington is expected to take time. Meanwhile, the twice-yearly Canton Fair, an export-driven extravaganza, has been selling “Made in China” to the world since 1957. Changing culture and behavior takes loads of time and money.
Global leaders will gather in Singapore for the inaugural New Economy Forum Nov. 6 - 7. The event is set up by Michael Bloomberg, founder and majority owner of Bloomberg LP.
Denmark accuses Iran of planning attack near Copenhagen: Assassination targets were allegedly members of a separatist group regarded as terrorists by Tehran.
OTD: In 1952 the United States detonated the first hydrogen bomb at Eniwetak atoll in the Pacific Ocean.
UK slowdown: Britain's manufacturing growth slumps to the lowest since the aftermath of the Brexit vote.
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AMERICAN POLITICS
South of the border: Trump is now saying he's prepared to deploy up to 15,000 troops to the Mexican border.
Oprah on the campaign trail: Oprah will door-knock voters and hold two town halls this week with Stacey Abrams, Dem candidate for GA govenor.
GOTV: Early vote totals in at least 17 states already surpass 2014 turnout at this point.
Acela Corridor blue: If the 538 House forecast comes good, there won't be a single Republican in the House representing a district east of the Hudson River.
ENTERPRISE
Facebook is in the midst of a big transition: It's shifting its focus to Stories. Facebook sees Stories as its social networks' future.
CVS is piloting a program in Boston called CarePass that includes free delivery on most prescriptions and online purchases, access to a pharmacist helpline, a 20% discount on all CVS-branded products and a monthly $10 coupon.
Albertsons is looking to computerize the packing of its online grocery orders via a trial partnership with Takeoff Technologies.
FedEx is ending a program that offers discounts for business members of the National Rifle Association just days after a gunman killed 11 people in a Pittsburgh synagogue.
Aman is the latest hotel company to launch its own skin-care line. The firm introduced the 30-product line to celebrate Aman's 30th year in business.
Marriott is planning multiple-brand growth across Latin America and the Caribbean.
General Motors’ third-quarter operating profit jumped 25%, as the automaker sold more trucks and sport-utility vehicles.
Lime pulls some electric scooters off the streets saying they could catch fire.
Netflix will three of its upcoming original films in a limited number of theaters before the movies appear on the streaming service.
TRENDS + BUZZ
Vacation: Around 1.3 billion tourists hit the road 2017, according to the World Tourism Organization.
Set-top boxes: Americans spend $20 billion on cable boxes per year.
Australia and luxury goods: Australians spend $2.1 billion a year on luxury goods, and the market has grown by more than 10 percent a year since 2013, according to research house IBISWorld. Almost a third of this spending is by tourists – and also increasingly by a younger demographic, whose desires are fuelled by celebrity endorsements on social media.
Mail is hot media: Emails often get deleted without so much as being opened, regardless of how cheeky the subject line is. “People our age get hundreds of emails a day, but they only get ten pieces of a mail a day, if that many,” says Pete Christman, the head of acquisition marketing at the shaving company Harry’s, which counts on mailers as part of its marketing. “From a numbers perspective, email is a much noisier environment.”
Xi Jinping, NATO, GOTV, Frontline, Hockey Betting, Bitcoin
Xi Jinping, NATO, GOTV, Frontline, Hockey Betting, Bitcoin
Marc Ross Daily
October 31, 2018
Curation and commentary from Marc A. Ross
Reporting from Alexandria, Virginia
Marc Ross Daily = Business News at the Intersection of Globalization, Disruption, and Politics
What's a Caracal? https://goo.gl/wDfPU6
Subscribe here: https://goo.gl/bSQKwA
TOP FIVE
✔️ ‘Prepare for war’
✔️ China hack
✔️ #TridentJuncture
✔️ The American voter breakdown by sex and degree
✔️ Coinbase valued at $8 billion
ROSS RANT
I wrote this a year ago:
Protest votes come in all shape, sizes, and educational levels
http://bit.ly/2ETysKz
GEOECONOMICS
‘Prepare for war’: Xi Jinping has ordered the military region responsible for monitoring the South China Sea and Taiwan to assess the situation it is facing and boost its capabilities so it can handle any emergency.
October PMI showing weakness in China's manufacturing sector - Export orders have been particularly soft.
China hack: The DOJ unsealed charges against 10 Chinese intelligence officers and other individuals Tuesday, accusing them of a persistent campaign to hack into American aviation companies.
China wants to displace the US as leader of the world, but it faces dissent at home and abroad. -- Michael Auslin
CIIE: The China International Import Expo opens next week and will draw 3,000 foreign companies from 130 countries, including Ford, Samsung and Tesla. Beijing insists the event shows its willingness to open the Chinese marketplace.
Pacific trade pact nears takeoff: A landmark 11-country deal that will slash tariffs across much of the Asia-Pacific region will come into force at the end of December, New Zealand said on Wednesday.
NATO warships, aircraft, and marines stormed a beach in Norway to practice repelling an invader, part of the bloc’s largest military exercises since the Cold War.
#TridentJuncture
Transitioning: That crashing sound you heard in world markets last week wasn’t just a correction. It was the sound of the end of an age. During the long era of relatively stable international relations that succeeded the Cold War, markets enjoyed an environment uniquely conducive to economic growth. The US faced no peer competitors, and the most important great powers generally (if sometimes selectively) supported Washington’s emphasis on opening markets and reducing barriers to investment and trade. This hiatus from history was, by most measures of human flourishing, a glorious era. Now it has come to an end, or at least a pause, and the world is beginning to see what that means. -- Walter Russell Mead
Irish passports: The number of British residents applying for Irish passports has nearly doubled since the EU referendum as people secure the right to move and work freely in the bloc after Brexit.
Yemen: Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called on all participants in the Yemen civil war to agree to a ceasefire "in the next 30 days."
#BREAKING: Israeli Mossad gave the intel that helped to foil the Iranian assassination attempt in #Denmark against an Iranian opposition leader
Brazil: Israeli Prime Minister's office says "High probability" that Netanyahu is going to attend Bolsonaro's inauguration.
BRIGADOON PROFESSIONAL
Brigadoon Professional is a platform with the tools to help you upgrade your competitive advantage in the fast-changing global business environment.
Brigadoon Professional provides resources, education, and experiences to drive new connections that will help you succeed and reach your full potential.
Learn more @ thebrigadoon.com/professional/
AMERICAN POLITICS
The American voter breakdown: White women with college degrees and white men without—have moved drastically in opposite directions and reshaping American elections.
Republicans with: Dual incomes, hefty tax bills, jumbo mortgages, outstanding student loan debt, passports, multiple college degrees, Economist subscriptions, Class Pass memberships, Whole Foods shopping trips powered by InstaCart, and Patagonia jackets in their closets voted Dem for the first time in their lives.
Of the 46 GOP-held districts considered vulnerable to Democrats, 63 percent are either home to a Whole Foods store or within a 20-minute drive of a Whole Foods store.
Share of Americans who say ___ have too much power and influence in today's economy:
Pharmaceutical companies 83%
Banks & financial institutions 72%
Advertisers 71%
Energy industry 57%
Tech companies 55%
Labor unions 30%
Farming & agriculture industry 19%
HT Pew Research
Consumer confidence: Conference Board's consumer confidence index hit its highest level in 18 years. The survey also shows that US households are still bullish on the stock market.
Kanye West says he's going to focus on his music and fashion after being "used" in the world of politics.
The departed: James (Whitey) Bulger, the South Boston mobster and FBI informer, was found beaten to death on Tuesday in a West Virginia prison. He was 89.
ENTERPRISE
The Athletic, a subscription-based digital sports media company, raised $40 million in a series C funding round and is valued at roughly $200 million. The founders pitch The Athletic as both a direct-to-consumer brand and a digital media company. The company has over 100,000 subscribers -- roughly the same size as The Los Angeles Times' digital subscription audience.
Apple’s new MacBook Air = $1,199
Waymo gets California permit for fully driverless cars.
Ford Motor Co. and Baidu launched a two-year project on Wednesday to test self-driving vehicles on Chinese roads
Coinbase valued at $8 billion.
Bitcoin is 10 years old today. Satoshi Nakamoto published the famous paper that would give birth to Bitcoin on October 31, 2008.
Ben & Jerry’s is launching a new flavor of ice cream with a sprinkling of activism in response to Trump’s policies. Pecan Resist is a new limited-edition flavor from the company with white and dark fudge chunks, pecans, walnuts, and fudge-covered almonds.
Watch: Frontline's The Facebook Dilemma: Facebook wanted to create a more open and connected world, but the company’s failure to protect millions of users’ data coupled with the proliferation of “fake news” and disinformation has unleashed a challenge to democracies and decency.
I thought the web would stop hate, not spread it: This is what the internet has come to: thugs like Mohammed bin Salman funding tech companies to host the vitriol of thugs like Cesar Sayoc and Robert Bowers. -- Kara Swisher
TRENDS + BUZZ
Athleisure: US imports of women’s elastic knit pants last year surpassed those of jeans for the first time ever.
The 40-year old entrepreneur: A study by MIT Sloan School of Management professor Pierre Azoulay and PhD student Daniel Kim found the average age of people who founded a business and went on to hire at least one employee was 42. The team also found that experience counts. Those entrepreneurs who had worked in the same sector as their business start-up were found to be 125% more successful than those without a background in their chosen sector.
Entrepreneurship is ageless - it isn't easier or harder in your 20s, 30s, 40s, or 50s. The best age to start a company is today.
#BAET
CULTURE
OTD: In 1955 it was announced that Princess Margaret had decided not to marry Group Captain Peter Townsend
SPORT
Bet the puck: The National Hockey League has signed a multiyear agreement with MGM Resorts International to share its data for use in sports betting.
FIFA said expanding the 2022 World Cup to 48 teams was "feasible" as hosts Qatar pledged to come to a decision in the early part of next year.
Leicester FC to return to play on Saturday after the death of the owner and four others in a helicopter crash.
College Football Playoff Rankings:
1. Alabama
2. Clemson
3. LSU
4. Notre Dame
5. Michigan
6. Georgia
7. Oklahoma
8. Washington State
9. Kentucky
10. Ohio State