Ikigai is a popular purpose framework for leaders. Here’s what it gets right, where it misleads, and how to use it as a strategic starting point.

The Ikigai Framework: Why Leaders Love It and Where It Actually Falls Short

New Zealand boards don't need to understand machine learning — they need to govern it, and three regulatory deadlines in 2026 make the gap between those two things expensive.

Governing AI: Why Governance Literacy Matters More Than Technical Expertise

Ten cups of coffee walk into a room — and suddenly you've got a masterclass in descriptive statistics.

What 10 Cups of Coffee Can Teach You About Data

Senior leadership experience meets practical, no-overhead consulting — here's what working with me actually looks like.

How I work — and who I work best with

A behind-the-scenes look at how stephendmann.com is powered entirely by a Notion database — and how a single status change publishes an article in under 60 seconds.

How I Publish Articles in Under 5 Minutes Using Notion

A reflection on how mathematical ideas have reshaped society — and what the shift to AI reveals about speed, legibility, and who's really in control.

Equations Gave Us the Laws. AI May Be Writing New Ones — And We May Not Be Able to Read Them.

A review of Everydata — although pre-AI this book shows how everyday data can mislead us, and what to do about it (still very useful).

“Everydata: The Misinformation Hidden in the Little Data You Consume Every Day”

The AI era has given us tools that summarise books in seconds and surface answers on demand. But speed of consumption has quietly decoupled from the slow work of actually making sense of experience. Most AI productivity advice is about efficiency — Drucker's "doing things right." Almost none of it addresses effectiveness — doing the right things. This piece argues that without deliberate knowledge management, we're just drinking faster from the hydrant.

Drinking from the Hydrant?

Most business owners already know AI is the future. The harder question is what it means for your business, right now. I built a free tool that gives you a straight answer in three minutes — no jargon, no sales pitch.

The AI Scenario Checkup: Nine Questions, No Jargon

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