Evan Nierman

Founder & CEO, Red Banyan PR | Author of Top-Rated Newsletter on Communications Best Practices

I'm the Founder and CEO of Red Banyan, an international public relations and crisis management firm that exists to press the truth and deliver results. My team and I specialize in high-stakes PR, cancel culture response, litigation communications, and complex reputational challenges that require creative thinking, strategic clarity, and unshakable judgment.

For more than two decades, I’ve helped CEOs, public figures, law firms, and global brands navigate their most difficult moments. Whether it’s a viral controversy, a legal dispute, or a reputational crisis, I bring deep media experience and a relentless commitment to exceeding expectations.

I’m also the author of The Cancel Culture Curse and Crisis Averted, and I frequently appear on major news outlets like Fox News, CNN, BBC, and Newsmax to share insights on cancel culture, media strategy, and crisis communications.

🔹 Founder & CEO of Red Banyan
🔹 Author of The Cancel Culture Curse and Crisis Averted
🔹 Regular media commentator on PR and reputation issues
🔹 Trusted advisor to executives, attorneys, and public figures
🔹 Featured in Newsweek, PRWeek, The Washington Post, and Forbes

My mission is simple: help people and organizations tell their stories truthfully, strategically, and powerfully—especially when the stakes are highest.

📩 Learn more at www.redbanyan.com

Founder and CEO

Red Banyan Group is a strategic communications firm specializing in public relations, crisis management and marketing.  Red Banyan Group combines creative thinking, steady judgment shaped by experience and a relentless commitment to achieving results for its clients.  Red Banyan offers a wide array of services, including: media relations, crisis management, marketing, corporate communications, litigation support, social and digital media, copywriting and editing and media training.

Reputations don’t fall apart during press conferences. They fall apart in private conversations with your team.

Before the statement. 

Before the lawyers finalize language. 

Before the media calls.

Crisis exposure starts internally.

When pressure rises, executives often shift into control mode. 

Tighter messaging. Fewer voices. More distance.

It feels strategic.

But inside the organization, people are listening for something else.

Ownership. Clarity. Steadiness.

The leaders who protect reputation long term don’t default to defensiveness.

They say:

“I was wrong.” “What’s your take?” 

“I trust you.” “We’ll figure this out.”

Those words do more than motivate.

They lower internal panic. 

They align legal and communications before tension escalates. 

They prevent small issues from turning into cultural fractures.

External reputation is a reflection of internal leadership.

If your language fractures trust behind closed doors, no press strategy will repair it.

Leadership under pressure is measured in tone, not talking points.

Every leader faces a defining moment. Preparation starts here.

Follow for weekly insights on crisis PR and reputation management.

Kindness isn’t soft leadership.
It’s reputation management.

Many leaders assume reputation is built through visibility.

Press coverage. Big announcements. Strong quarterly results.

But reputation inside an organization forms somewhere much quieter.

In daily interactions.

How a leader speaks to people when things go wrong. 

Who gets credit when things go right. 

Who gets defended when they’re not in the room.

Employees remember these moments.

And when pressure arrives, those memories matter.

Because in a crisis, reputation is rarely protected by messaging alone.

It’s protected by people.

People who trust your leadership. 

People who believe you treated them fairly. 

People who are willing to stand behind you when scrutiny begins.

That loyalty isn’t built during the crisis.

It’s built long before it.

Follow for weekly insights on crisis PR & reputation management.

Jeffrey Epstein is dead. The reputational risk tied to his name isn’t. In most crises, I advise clients to engage and push back. This is one of the rare exceptions. 

Watch for my take on why. #cisisPR #reputationmanagement #mediastrategy #epstein

The Prince Andrew arrest, tied to the Epstein scandal, is another blow to the already fragile reputation of the British monarchy. 

This ongoing controversy is a prime example of how reputations can unravel with each new revelation. 

Watch my take on why this situation requires a strategic shift in crisis communication.

#PrinceAndrew #Epstein #BritishMonarchy #CrisisPR #ReputationManagement #CrisisCommunication

Sydney Sweeney shared a makeup-free photo and faced immediate online criticism. It’s a sad reminder of how far some people will go to bring others down for showing authenticity.

The real strength lies in staying true to yourself, regardless of the noise.

#SydneySweeney #OnlineTrolling #Authenticity #SocialMedia

It was an honor to speak at the Chief Outsiders National Meeting yesterday on “The PR Imperative in an AI World.”

As AI reshapes industries, PR plays a critical role in driving growth and powering reputation. 

We explored how AI-driven communications can align sales, marketing, and leadership teams for sustained success.

Thanks to everyone who joined the session! 

Excited to see how AI continues to reshape PR and leadership strategies.

#PR #AI #Leadership #BrandReputation #StrategicCommunications

A live broadcast is never truly “live.” 
There are safeguards for a reason.

The BAFTA controversy raises a bigger question about responsibility, judgment, and where education ends and avoidable harm begins. 

Watch the video for my take.

#BAFTAAwards #CrisisPR #MediaStrategy #ReputationManagement #PublicPerception

Building a company is hard. Doing it alongside someone you trust completely is a gift.

Grateful today for Robbin Lubbehusen, MBA and the steady hand she’s been in building Red Banyan from the early days to where we are now. 

Trust is earned and she’s earned it every step of the way.

#Leadership #Teamwork #Gratitude #RedBanyan

A leader’s reputation is defined in the moments
when everyone else is losing control.

In a crisis, people rarely remember the smartest analysis.

They remember composure.

Panic spreads quickly inside organizations. So does calm.

The leaders who protect their reputations during difficult moments usually do three things well:

-They slow the room down. 
-They focus attention on facts instead of emotion. 
-They communicate clearly while everyone else reacts.

This isn’t about personality.

It’s about discipline.

Because when pressure rises, people look for signals.

If the leader appears controlled, the organization stabilizes.

If the leader appears uncertain, the chaos multiplies.

Crisis leadership isn’t about having all the answers.

It’s about becoming the calm others can follow.

Every leader faces a defining moment.

Preparation starts long before the chaos begins.

Follow for weekly insights on crisis PR & reputation management.

Crisis doesn't just test your strategy.
It tests your character.

And the leaders who rise aren't the ones with all the answers.

They're the ones who show up with clarity, courage, and composure when everything's falling apart.

Here's what the best leaders do differently under pressure:

1. They act quickly, even without all the answers.

Waiting for perfect information leads to paralysis.

The best leaders move fast, acknowledge what they don't know, and take decisive action anyway.

They adjust as they learn more. But they don't freeze.

Speed builds trust. Hesitation breeds doubt.

2. They stay visible.

Disappearing isn't an option.

The best leaders stay front and center—offering updates, answering questions, showing they're engaged.

Visibility signals commitment. Silence signals abandonment.

3. They lead with empathy, not just authority.

Decisions still need to be made. But people need to know you care.

The best leaders acknowledge the impact, show humanity, and connect before they command.

Empathy doesn't weaken authority. It strengthens trust.

4. They keep the message clear and consistent.

Mixed messages fuel confusion and distrust.

The best leaders repeat the same core message—simply, clearly, relentlessly.
Consistency creates clarity. And clarity calms chaos.

5. They take responsibility.

When things go wrong, they don't deflect. They don't blame. They don't hide.

They own it. They fix it. They lead through it.

Accountability isn't weakness. It's the foundation of trust.

Crisis leadership isn't about having all the answers.

It's about how you carry yourself when no one does.

The best leaders rise by staying composed, staying present, and staying human.

Because when everything's uncertain, people aren't looking for perfection.

They're looking for someone steady enough to follow.

Great content doesn’t just build authority.
It drives growth.

Many brands focus heavily on expert, authority-driven content. 

It’s smart. 

It builds credibility and signals depth.

But authority alone doesn’t expand reach.

Growth-oriented content plays a different role. 

It connects expertise to broader conversations and pulls new audiences in—without watering down the message.

The strongest brands balance both. 

Here’s how the most effective brands approach it:

1. Lead with insight, not jargon. Expertise lands better when it’s accessible.

2. Tie experience to real-world moments. Growth happens when people recognize themselves in the message.

3. Vary the packaging, not the principle. The message stays the same. The delivery adapts.

4. Meet people where they are. Authority earns trust. Reach earns attention. You need both.

Authority-driven content proves you know what you’re doing.

Growth-driven content ensures people actually see it.

When those two work together, credibility scales.

Visibility increases.

Reputation strengthens.

This isn’t about changing your message.

It’s about making sure it travels far enough to matter.

Had a great time connecting with Adriana Lynch from Chief Outsiders at their National Meeting in Dallas. Always valuable to share insights with leaders who are focused on helping CEOs scale quickly and strategically. Looking forward to what’s ahead with Chief Outsiders and CEO Coaching International!
#Leadership #CEO #GrowthStrategy

Great to see strong partners together in Dallas last week.

Evan Nierman of Red Banyan and Adriana Lynch of Chief Outsiders connected at our National Meeting while leaders across our network gathered to share ideas and sharpen strategies for the CEOs we serve.

Appreciate the partnership with CEO Coaching International and the shared focus on helping leadership teams move faster and grow with clarity.

The brands people love? They're not the loudest. They're the most consistent.


In my latest article for Entrepreneurs'​ Organization, I break down why brand consistency isn't just a marketing tactic, but the foundation of long-term trust and recognition.

Read the full piece here: https://lnkd.in/eJ3eTj9c
#BrandBuilding #Consistency #ReputationManagement

Open article: The Role of Consistency in Building a Recognizable Brand by eonetwork.org

A woman listens to a speaker at a learning event.

The Role of Consistency in Building a Recognizable Brand

Success brings attention—and scrutiny. One dismissive comment can create controversy that distracts from everything you’re doing right.

Here’s a take on Timothée Chalamet’s remarks about opera and ballet and the reputation lesson behind them.

#TimothéeChalamet #ReputationManagement #CrisisPR #MediaStrategy

Honored to appear as a speaker at this event!  Thank you to Jeffrey Bast, Brett M. Amron and the outstanding team at BAST AMRON LLP.

📣 BAST AMRON LLP‘s 8th Annual Business Advantage Forum is coming up on April 22, 2026!

Our SPEAKER SPOTLIGHT today is on Evan Nierman, Founder & CEO of Red Banyan. Evan is a crisis PR expert and best-selling author who leads Red Banyan, an award-winning strategic communications firm. With 25 years of experience in crisis and reputation management, Evan has guided top executives, public figures, global brands, and political leaders through complex, high-stakes challenges.

His expertise spans reputational risk, public scrutiny, and crisis response, and his insights are regularly sought by major media outlets covering today’s most pressing communications issues. Evan’s work focuses on helping leaders navigate difficult moments with clarity, strategy, and confidence.

For more information and to register and get your tickets, please visit https://lnkd.in/eUEFQRDe

FLORIDA BAR CLE CREDITS PENDING APPROVAL

You do not want to miss out on this great event!

#BastAmron
#BAForum2026
#BAInTheCommunity

ICE-related issues don’t just impact operations, they can shift public perception quickly. Leaders need to stay composed and act swiftly to control the narrative. Read our latest blog to learn how to prepare before the situation intensifies. #CrisisPR #ReputationManagement #ImmigrationEnforcement #RedBanyan

Immigration enforcement can put businesses in a tough spot fast.

If ICE-related activity touches a workplace, a deal, or sparks employee concern, leaders need to stay calm and coordinated: align with legal, communicate clearly internally, and stick to what is verified.

Our latest blog lays out a practical way to prepare ahead of time and respond responsibly if things escalate:
https://lnkd.in/e4B-nGk4

Open article: How Businesses Should Handle ICE-Related PR Risk by redbanyan.com

How Businesses Should Handle ICE-Related PR Risk

Jerry Macnamara

Helping CEOs Scale without Stress | Franchise 500 (2x), Inc500 (2x) & Biz Journal Fast 50 (3x) + Trend Best Places to Work | Ultimate CEO | Proving Good Guys Finish 1st since 1974 | Host "Best Places to Lead"

Your business is working, but can it do more?
 
Like most business leaders, you've likely spent sleepless nights obsessing over your company's future. You’ve closed your office door, scratched your head, and wondered what to do next.

You're anxious about losing your best employees while regretting not letting go of underperformers sooner.

Does this sound at all familiar?
Feel Trapped: You lack a clear execution plan and are overwhelmed by daily crises, running from fire to fire.

Employee Frustrations: Miscommunication and unclear directions leave you shouldering the burden alone.

Unmanageable Growth: Scaling your business feels impossible without the right systems and processes.

Fear Over Joy: Constant fear paralyzes and frustrates you, stealing the joy from your work.

It doesn't have to be this way. With a proven track record leading award-winning companies across multiple industries, I’ve developed a system that drives success. 

Here are some of the results I’ve produced:

Franchise Growth: I helped grow a franchise company from $5MM to $15MM in just 18 months, earning a spot in the Franchise 500 (2x).

Manufacturing Excellence: I transformed a forty-year-old manufacturing company to achieve a 98% on-time delivery rate.

Successful Exit: I started, scaled, and successfully sold an internet business.

Construction Leadership: I led a construction company from $7MM to $30MM in three years, making it to the Inc 500 (2x) and Best Places to Work.

Here’s the truth…
Your product doesn’t matter. 
Your service doesn’t matter. 
Your industry doesn’t matter. 
Your channel doesn’t matter. 

Your business is widgets, plain and simple…  and the only thing that matters is your leadership approach.

However, on-the-job training is stressful and costly, eating away at your opportunities and profits.
If you want to scale without stress, join our exclusive mastermind of high-growth B2B CEOs. Learn from my experience and avoid the pitfalls that can derail your progress.

Book a call: https://calendly.com/jerrymacnamara/25-minute-zoom

Business is not only the economic engine of the world, but it is also the engine of cultural change. Our mission is to positively impact a healthier, happier world where people live life on their terms, with intention, because of better business. By equipping our CEOs with frameworks to lead and a support system to help, businesses will fulfill the promise to their customers, vendors, and employees.

ProvenChaos. Weird company name, right? 

Let me explain because you’ve probably experienced it yourself.

You’ve Proven there is a pain point you can solve in the market, but you feel in Chaos because your systems, people or processes haven’t kept up. Or, maybe you feel in chaos personally because the business is stealing all your energy and time away from your family, so there is a lack of fulfillment despite your success.

That’s ProvenChaos.

Have you ever had that ProvenChaos feeling? I bet you have.

Learn how we can help at ProvenChaos.com

“I’m basically doing half their job. And, I’m rewriting the other half.”

I recently spoke with a CEO who was at their breaking point. They weren't dealing with a "bad" person, but they were dealing with a misplaced leader. This leader, let’s call them a VP of Operations, was checking the boxes, but the output was mediocre at best. The "strategic plans" were clearly just copy-pasted prompts from a chatbot. The judgment calls were consistently off. The team had stopped looking to them for guidance.

The CEO was exhausted. Every evening was spent "fixing" things that should have been handled in the first place.

This is the High Cost of Mediocrity.

As leaders, we often fall into a classic trap: we mistake conflict avoidance for employee development. We tell ourselves:

"Maybe if I just give them one more framework..."
"I haven't coached them enough on this specific task..."
"I don't know how the rest of the team will react if I let them go..."

But while you’re "developing" someone who isn't a fit, you are paying a massive "Tax" on your entire system.

1. The Trust Tax
When a key leader loses the organization's trust, the CEO loses it too. If the team sees you tolerating low-effort, AI-generated slop or poor judgment, they don't blame the underperformer. They question your standards.

2. The Velocity Tax
If you have to micromanage a senior leader, you aren't a CEO anymore; you’re a high-priced editor. Every hour you spend fixing their work is an hour you aren't spending on the company's future. You unwittingly become the bottleneck.

3. The Peter Principle Trap
Sometimes, you’ve promoted someone to their level of incompetence. It’s not a moral failing on their part, but it is a leadership failing on yours to keep them there. You cannot "coach" someone into having the fundamental judgment required for a high-level role.

👉 The Hard Truth: Coaching is for people with the right DNA who need new skills. It is NOT a rescue mission for a lack of discipline or poor instincts.

If you find yourself dreading a Senior Leader’s updates or "double-checking" every single thing they touch, the decision has already been made. You’re just waiting for the "courage" to catch up to the "reality."

Stop being an expensive safety net. Give yourself permission to act. The rest of your high-performers are waiting for you to do it.

In fact, you owe it to them to act quickly and decisively now that you see it.

You teach your kids to be kind. 

Then you walk into work and reward the loudest voice in the room.

🪞 We all know the speech. "Be kind. Be sweet. Add joy to the world." We rehearse it at dinner tables. We repeat it at drop-off. We deeply believe it when we say it.

Then Monday morning hits. Someone sends a passive-aggressive email to the whole team. Someone throws a colleague under the bus on a call. Someone gets promoted because they "drive results," even though half the department dreads working with them. 

And nobody says a word.

We've built a world where you can call someone an ahole without ever looking them in the eye. Hide behind a screen. Hide behind a Slack message. Hide behind "just being direct." From my seat, the distance between what we say matters and what we actually tolerate has never been wider. 

🙋‍♂️ Guilty. Working on it.

This isn't a society problem. This is a leadership problem. Every company has values on the wall. Most don't enforce those values when it COSTS something. When the top performer is also the most toxic person on the team, you find out what a company actually believes. Not what it says it believes. What it funds. What it promotes. What it lets slide.

I've watched CEOs agonize over teaching their ten-year-old about accountability while simultaneously avoiding a hard conversation with their VP of Sales. Same person. Same week. The gap isn't ignorance. It's exhaustion. It feels naive to hold the line when the world around you seems to reward people who don't.

That weariness is real. I get it. But it's also the trap.

🔥 The moment you stop living your values because "that's not how the game works," you become the thing you're complaining about. Your kids don't learn values from your words. They learn them from watching what you do when it's inconvenient. Your team works the same way.

Civility isn't soft. It's a standard. And standards only exist if someone is willing to hold them when it's expensive.

This week, find the one place where your behavior doesn't match what you'd teach a twelve-year-old. Fix that one thing. Not because the world deserves it. Because your team is watching the same way your kids are.

PS - I'm talking to my kids this week about one of my favorite words, "contribute." There are a million ways to contribute if you pay attention and stay aware - and don't expect more from others than you expect from yourself. 

PPS - Same for my team.

I spent most of my 20s trying to be the smartest person in the room. 

It almost killed me.

This flawed approach is one of the major reasons I ended up on a hospital gurney at 26. High growth. Raising capital. Enormous stress. I realized my thinking was ego-driven, not sustainable, and unhealthy for the business.

🤯 Yet, it felt good. #weird

I didn’t have to know it all. But that was my view as a leader. I had to have a point of view, stay curious as all get out, and move from feigned “knowing” to “voracious” learning. Curiosity is a superpower.

The change I adopted?

Stop presenting. Start proposing.

Instead of always handing down a "finished" document, I’d stay humble and say:

"Here is what I’m thinking. I know it’s about 60% there. Where am I wrong?"

When you treat your people as smart thought collaborators, you elevate engagement, reduce stress, and devise better approaches. The people closest to the problem almost always have better ideas.

But you have to go first to create gravity for the topic… as the leader, you have to keep your head above the business landscape.

My earliest mentor drove the second part of this strategy into me:

✍️ It doesn't exist if it's not in writing.

If a strategy, decision or process is not written, it cannot be examined, challenged, aligned to, or executed consistently. Clarity requires explicit articulation. Otherwise, it's an elusive illusion.

Tribal knowledge is the enemy of scale. It’s okay to publish Work in Process. It’s not okay to leave a meeting with lots of tribal knowledge and ideas that weren’t captured.

Clarity demands a pen. It accelerates the iteration process. 

Favor clear(er) trajectory over theoretical completeness. Give direction so teams can act decisively…and learn. Waiting for perfect information to write the strategy creates paralysis and erodes momentum.

Learn from my mistakes. I made them for you.

#15Forward Don't sleep on this one.

Time is the atomic unit of productivity.

Your whole life comes down to how you spend your time. 

Most people float like a leaf in the wind

Then wonder why success is always out of reach.

Here's what you need to do differently to align your week and drive productivity with #15Forward: 

1️⃣ Dedicate 15 Minutes on Sunday: Set aside just a quarter of an hour every Sunday. This small investment of time can revolutionize your week.

2️⃣ Look 15 Days Ahead: Scan your calendar for the next two weeks. This foresight allows you to anticipate and prepare, rather than react.

3️⃣ Align with Your Goals: Scrutinize each appointment and task. Does it align with your North Star and your ultimate goals and vision? If not, eliminate it. Period.

4️⃣ Confirm, Cancel, Create: Confirm essential meetings, cancel what’s no longer relevant, and create white space for strategic thinking. This is where the magic happens. Make space for the innovation and problem-solving you create.

By implementing #15Forward, you're not just planning your week; you're strategically aligning your time with your most significant objectives. It's about making every hour count towards your success. 

Try it this Sunday and feel the difference. Friday's success will thank you!

Leaders should always look for unfair advantages.

Becoming successful doesn't just happen. It is a design choice.

An unfair advantage in my work is brain.fm. It's a science-backed app that uses AI-generated, functional music to alter brain states for enhanced focus, relaxation, meditation, or sleep.

Here are the 3 ways I create leverage in my work:

1️⃣ During the morning, I use the meditation function. Off to a gold medal start.

2️⃣ During the day, I flip on the focus mode to slip into deep work where time evaporates and ideas come spilling out of my fingertips.

3️⃣ At night, I turn on Deep Sleep. If you know me, I don't require much sleep. And, I can pretty much fall asleep anywhere. Yes, anywhere. (✅ NFL Stadiums. ✅ House parties. ✅ Bars. ✅ Movie theaters. ✅ Middle of a conversation) But there is something about the neural beats from brain.fm that gives me deep, restful sleep.

I've been using Brain.fm for years now. It's part of my secret-weapon arsenal that gives me an unfair advantage. 

You should check it out.

A slow "maybe" does far more damage than a fast "no" ever will.

Most leaders think they're being thoughtful. Careful. Measured. They sit on decisions for weeks. They ask for one more data point. They table it for the next meeting. Then the next one. They think delay is diligence.

It's not. It's cowardice wearing a suit.

🔥 The real cost nobody measures

I was coaching a CEO last year. Her VP of Sales had proposed a new comp structure. Good proposal. Clear thinking. The CEO said, "Let me think about it." That was in March. By June, nothing. No "yes." No "no." Just silence. That VP stopped bringing ideas. Stopped pushing. Started updating his resume. He was gone by August.

The CEO didn't reject his idea. She did something worse. She made him wait in a room with no door.

That's what a long maybe does. It doesn't just stall a decision. It stalls a person. It tells your best people that their energy doesn't matter enough to warrant a response.

⚡ Fast "Nos" are a gift

When you say "no" quickly, your team grieves for about 15 minutes. Then they redirect. They find another path. They move. A fast no is clean. It respects the person enough to tell them the truth. It frees up their brain to solve the next problem.

A long maybe? That keeps them checking their email. Rethinking their pitch. Wondering if they did something wrong. You haven't saved their feelings. You've trapped them in limbo and called it kindness.

I've watched this pattern at dozens of companies. The leaders who move fast, even when the answer is no, have teams that bring more ideas, not fewer. The leaders who sit on decisions have teams that stop asking.

🎯 Pick a lane today

Pull up your open list right now. Find every open request that has been sitting for more than 2 weeks. Every proposal you haven't responded to. Every "let me get back to you" that you never got back to.

Say "yes" or say "no." Today. Not next week.

Your team doesn't need you to be right every time. They need you to be clear. Speed of decision reflects trust. 

And a long maybe is just a no that hasn't found its spine yet.

Your team went home last night and told their families they had a good day at work.

They have no idea if that's true.

🎯 Here's what "good day" actually means to most employees.

It means nobody yelled at them. It means their boss seemed in a decent mood. It means they got through eight hours without conflict. That's the bar. That's what they're measuring against.

Not outcomes. Not targets. Not contribution. Just the absence of bad feelings.

I call this “The Good Day Fallacy.” And it's running your company right now.

Someone goes home tonight and looks out back up the waterway. Their spouse asks the question we all get asked. "How was your day?" They say great. What they actually mean is: I was treated with respect today. Nobody made me uncomfortable. The meeting wasn't awkward.

What they are NOT saying is: I needed to produce four widgets today and I put out six. I crushed it for the company.

They can't say that. Because you never gave them a number of what good looks like.

🔍 This is the blind spot most leaders miss completely.
Your culture feels pleasant. People seem happy. Turnover looks manageable. So you assume things are working.

But pleasant is not a performance driven culture. And happy without a scoreboard is just comfortable.

When your people define a good day by social temperature instead of measurable output, you have a performance problem dressed up as a culture win. Nobody is losing. But nobody is winning either. They literally cannot tell the difference.

That's not their fault. That's yours.

🔧 The fix is simple
Every role needs a number, so your people know if they’re winning and contributing. Not a vague responsibility. Not hours in a seat. A number. Something your people can count at 5pm and know, without asking anyone, whether they won the day.

Four widgets. Six calls. Two proposals out the door. Whatever it is for that role in your business.

When the standard is clear, "good day" changes meaning overnight. It stops being "nobody was mean to me" and starts being "I performed. And, it’s meaningful and matters. I'm valuable."

Right now, pick one role on your team. Define what winning looks like for that person. Not a feeling. A count.

If you can't do that in 60 seconds, your whole team is going home tonight, calling it a good day. And you have zero idea if it actually was. 

But, your Profit & Loss statement will…

PS - It's not "one or the other." It's both. There should be a kind culture. And, there should be clear performance standards. Don't confuse the message.

Most people are still planning when they should already be failing.

I have a client who is writing a book. An early reviewer noted that the proposed work schedule from the book isn’t feasible. Says it's unrealistic. Says not everyone can operate like that. Fair enough. But then you dig in, ask a few more questions, and realize he's not rejecting the schedule. He's rejecting the reps. He wants the outcome without the awkward, ugly, inefficient phase where you don't know what you're doing and it shows.

Everything is messy early stage. What did you expect? Lean into it.

Every day you don't know something in your business, you're paying a tax. Call it the ignorance tax. You're paying it in bad hires, slow decisions, missed margin, rework. The only way to stop paying it is to shorten the distance between not knowing and knowing. And that distance is measured in reps, not in thinking.

I watched this play out on a fishing boat. My friend had never fished before. Lost his bait over and over…like 32 times in a row. The captain was making fun of him. Didn't matter. He kept saying the same thing. "Fellas, I just need more reps." No frustration. No existential crisis. No putting the pole down. By the afternoon, he was catching fish like he'd been doing it for years. That's the craftsman's mentality. It’s expecting to get your teeth bashed in because you lack the skill or the context to do better. Not talent. Not strategy. Just a willingness to be bad at something long enough to get good at it.

The objection is always the same. "That pace isn't realistic for me." And the answer is always the same. Fine. You can take longer. But understand what you're choosing. You're choosing to pay the ignorance tax for more months. The reps don't shrink. The timeline just stretches.

All choices have consequences: good or bad.

This isn't about grinding yourself into dust. Keep climbing at the gym. Mow your lawn if you love it. But stop confusing comfort with readiness. You don't think your way to competence. You act your way there. And the people who resist that aren't protecting their well-being.

They're protecting their ego from the early phase, where they look like they don't know what they're doing.

Because they don't…yet.

10% improvement per week. 📈

Jason Calacanis reports that's the current rate of improvement he's seeing in OpenClaw. For context, a high-performing human employee aims for 10% per year.

Pretty mind-blowing.

The Citrini Research report dropped a bombshell this week, predicting that this "Velocity of Capability" could lead to massive white-collar displacement and market instability.

I told Rachel Barnes, "From my seat, I think they're right."

We are seeing AI that: 
✅ Acts without constant direction (OpenClaw). 
✅ Codes its own future (OpenAI Codex). 
✅ Solves real-world tasks autonomously.

The Window of Opportunity: There is still a massive amount of leverage available to the "little guy." But you have to move. Luck favors the bold.

Attack previously "unsolvable" problems.
Pivot away from old patterns and ignore sunk costs.
Break down silos with improved dialogue to improve creativity.

The leverage is there. Grab it before it becomes a constraint.

taplio

The Battle

Evan Nierman

Jerry Macnamara

Followers

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Performance ScoreEvan Nierman's LinkedIn Performance

Performance ScoreJerry Macnamara's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

taplio

The Battle

Evan Nierman

Jerry Macnamara

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Evan Nierman's LinkedIn Performance

Performance ScoreJerry Macnamara's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

Performance ScoreEvan Nierman's LinkedIn Performance