As Claude recently reminded me, starting in late 2011, my writing shifted. I explored business strategy more frequently. The Age of the Platform had just dropped. Before long, my keynotes and consulting work started following a similar trajectory. I felt more comfortable offering advice beyond the largely tactical tips in my first book.

I read the requisite classics from Clayton Christensen, Renée Mauborgne, W. Chan Kim, Michael Porter, and others. In short, I was hungry for knowledge—and not just in book format.