Straight Talk Blog
Ted Rubin
Silence…
Too often we rush to fill the silence. We treat quiet as something to fix... an awkward pause to patch over with words, noise, or distraction. Not because there’s something wrong, but because we’ve grown uncomfortable with moments that don’t require us to speak. The...
The Real Challenge Isn’t Bold Ideas… It’s Bold Environments
The real challenge isn’t coming up with bold ideas... it’s creating environments where bold ideas are allowed to live. Most organizations don’t suffer from a lack of creativity. They suffer from a lack of permission. Permission to think out loud, to be unfinished, to...
The Gift of Stepping Away
Every year, without fail, I give myself a gift. Not something wrapped, not something delivered, and not something that comes with notifications. I disconnect. Starting the day after my birthday, I step away from social media for a full week. No scrolling. No posting....
Permission Is the Return on Relationship
People must still come first... especially now. In growth strategies, in marketing plans, in the systems we automate. And in every single interaction we create or allow to scale. Yet many brands are actively eroding their own equity through relentless digital...
The Only Moat That Matters… Loyalty Built on Relationships
It’s funny how business language evolves. Every few years, a new word takes over the conversation, the latest shorthand for “how to win.” For a while it was synergy. Then scale. Then LTV. Now, it’s all about the moat. Everyone’s talking about building one... a...
Attitude, Perspective… Mindset. #NoLetUp!👊🏻
How you show up, how you see the world, and how you choose to move forward shape everything, especially when life pushes hardest. When life pushes, most people push back. But the difference between those who bend and those who break often comes down to three simple,...
Your Actions Tell the Story Your Branding Can’t
I’ve been saying for years that authenticity isn’t a look, a tactic, or an aesthetic. It’s a life. And somewhere along the way, “being real” got hijacked by the content machine. What was once about truth, consistency, and character turned into a strategy... something...
Rethinking What’s Possible… Why Mamdani’s Critics Are Missing the Point
When people say Mamdani’s goals are “impossible,” what they’re really saying is that they’ve accepted the limits of the system exactly as it is, not as it could be. Nearly every major policy we now take for granted started out as something critics dismissed as...
Redefining What It Means to Be “Accomplished”
We live in a world where “success” is too often measured by numbers... the size of your bank account, the square footage of your home, the title on your business card, or the number of followers attached to your name. But to me, being accomplished has nothing to do...
Stop Playing Games with Introductions
Why do people play games with introductions??? We’ve all seen it… someone asks for an intro, you take the time to make it, and then, silence. When one person finally replies, the other suddenly waits the same amount of time (or longer) to respond, like there’s some...
Humanity Is Your Edge
Every day, I’m reminded of something simple, powerful, and easy to forget in a world moving at the speed of AI... Your humanity is not a limitation, it’s your advantage. I’ve spent years talking about RETURN ON RELATIONSHIP, and the more technology advances, the more...
The Small Business Advantage… Showing Up Where It Counts
Too many small businesses treat social media like a bulletin board. Post, walk away, and hope someone notices. But social, when used to best effect, especially by small businesses who can dramatically change the course of their potential success, isn’t static... it’s...
Want ROI from AI? Start with Accountability
LET'S TALK ABOUT "WORKSLOP" (This post inspired by John Andrews LinkedIn Post and the start-up LARRIDIN) Yep, you heard that right. It’s the perfect word to describe what’s happening when AI gets used without intention. Instead of helping workflows flow, it clogs...
Attention-Seeking Isn’t Influence
There’s a growing breed of attention merchants online... confusing visibility with value, and missing the real meaning of the “attention economy.” Not creators. Not thought leaders. Not builders. Just seekers... circling controversy, recycling or attempting to create,...
Growth, Trust, and the Real Return on Relationship
Growth rarely happens in the comfort zone. It shows up in the shaky, uncertain moments when we feel stretched, vulnerable, and even a little afraid. Those are the crucibles where resilience is forged, where vulnerability becomes strength, AND where 'genuine...
Return on Relationship Begins with Your Employees
From employees first to a community of employees... in business, we often hear the phrase “employees first.” It’s a good start, it recognizes that people are more than just a cost center or a line item. But if you really want to take your company to the next level,...
Return on Relationship Lives in Community
A network is a wonderful thing. It connects us. It gives us reach. It helps us discover opportunities and extend our visibility. But let’s be clear... a network, by itself, isn’t enough. Reach is only the beginning. What truly creates impact, what sustains trust,...
Beyond the Algorithm… Building Connections That Last
Relationships aren’t built on algorithms, they’re built on connection. And connection takes more than a “like” or a quick scroll. It means showing up, supporting others, and engaging with intention. Too often, we underestimate the ripple effect of a thoughtful...
Relationships… The True Currency of Life and Business
In business, and in life, we often celebrate skill, strategy, and ambition as the keys to success. They matter, of course. Skill sharpens your craft. Strategy helps you see the board and plan your moves. Ambition pushes you to take the first step. These open doors....
The Absurdity and Opportunity of Modern Marketing
I posted about this to LinkedIn yesterday and it got a fair amount if attention (*see the post embedded below). Sometimes the best critique of marketing doesn’t come from analysts or consultants, but from parody. Case in point... the meme floating around showing...
From Digital Reach to Human Connection… The Ripple Effect of Return on Relationship
A friend and colleague recently shared a story that truly resonated with me... He was in an airport, chaos all around, boarding calls echoing, people balancing bags and laptops, when someone approached him. Not because they had ever met before, but because this person...
The Weight of My Own Expectations
As I approach 68 (this summer has somewhat become a "summer of introspection")... I’ve realized something that feels like a turning point. For years, I’ve carried the weight of expectations, most of them my own. The hope to achieve, to excel, to measure up. Hope has...
Between My Heart and My Heritage… I Choose to Honor Them Both
There’s a label, used more often lately in debates about Israel and Jewish identity, for when a Jewish person questions power, challenges injustice, or calls out actions done in the name of Judaism that betray its deepest ethical values... THAT LABEL IS “SELF-HATING...
Don’t Go So Fast You Leave Yourself Behind
“If you want to go far and not lose yourself on the way, you need a pace that lets you stay connected: to the work, to others, and to yourself.” ~Carla Birnberg When I recently read Carla’s quote, it deeply resonated with me because, I’VE BEEN THERE (a few times in...
The Power of Relationships in a Rapidly Changing World
Why Relationships Trump Metrics... in today’s fast-moving, tech-saturated world, business leaders are bombarded with data. Dashboards, KPIs, conversions, cost-per-clicks... if it’s measurable, it’s being tracked. And don’t get me wrong, metrics matter. ROI (return on...
Return on Action Starts Today
Stop Waiting. Start Doing. In marketing, and in business more broadly, there’s a common tendency to delay action. We tell ourselves we’ll move forward once the next strategy is clear, once the tech settles, or once the perfect plan emerges. But the truth is, most...
For Fun, For Comfort, For Life… The Many Faces of Friendship
A great mentor drilled into me at an early age something that’s stayed with me for decades... Some friends will be for when you just need someone to listen and offer comfort; some will be for when you need advice and support. Some will be there for just fun. And a...
Where Freedom Begins… Showing Up, Even When It’s Hard
This Independence Day, I’m taking a moment to reflect on what freedom really means... what it asks of us, and what it offers. In a time when so many feel less free, when hate is louder, when immigrants and asylum seekers face hostility, antisemitism is once again...
We Can’t Fight Antisemitism With Blind Loyalty
Antisemitism is rising, violently, visibly, and it's frightening. But what makes it even more difficult is knowing that, for many, the moment I speak out against Netanyahu and the current Israeli government, I’m seen as feeding that antisemitism. That somehow, calling...
The Algorithms Are Rigged: When Platforms Prioritize Profits Over Truth
Let’s get real about the platforms we all rely on, whether for content, connection, or commerce. The algorithms aren’t neutral. They’re not just “feeding the content people want.” They are engineered to suppress anything that disrupts the plans, or profits, of those...