The Blog · True North

Better conversations for a better world.

Posts by Howard H. Thaw on the conversations that matter, from the boardroom to the kitchen table. Every issue of his weekly newsletter, True North, is collected here and free to read. Also read them on Substack.

Family members discuss the future of their business around an office table.

Latest · Issue #23

Castles in the Air

In a family business, everyone at the table has already built a future. Most of them have never said it out loud.

There is a word in Swedish and Norwegian that I first heard from my wife, and came to know well in my years in Sweden. Luftslott. A castle in the air. Magnificent from a distance... towers, windows, light... but with nothing underneath to hold it up. Most European languages have a version of it…

5 min read
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  1. Two senior colleagues have a candid, personal conversation after a work meeting.
    Issue #22

    Putting the Mask Away

    What happens when you realize you have already been wearing a mask?

    4 min read
  2. A consultant arrives at an office as a client opens the meeting-room door.
    Issue #21

    Trick or Treat

    You never know what is on the other side of the door. But you can decide who you are when it opens.

    3 min read
  3. A manager listens as a colleague relaxes and explains his thinking.
    Issue #20

    "What" Changed the Conversation

    Replace "why" with "what"... and watch a wall become a window.

    3 min read
  4. Two colleagues explore a challenging idea in a bright office overlooking a rocky coast.
    Issue #19

    Fire and Ice

    Standing at the rift between two continents, I thought: that is what a difficult conversation looks like.

    3 min read
  5. Two business partners have a reflective conversation while walking in a city park.
    Special Edition

    A Reason to Step Away

    We have become very good at talking. We have not always been as good at having conversations.

    5 min read
  6. Two colleagues work side by side on a project after a disagreement.
    Issue #17

    When the Problem Becomes the Person

    "I don't agree." Then "You never listen." Then "This is who you are."

    3 min read
  7. An account manager asks a client about the concern behind a business proposal.
    Issue #16

    If We'd Only Known

    The argument was never about the dishes. The pushback was never about the curfew.

    2 min read
  8. A project director pauses calmly before answering a frustrated colleague.
    Issue #15

    Managing Yourself

    "That felt personal. Is that what you intended?"

    2 min read
  9. A manager speaks honestly to his team while colleagues listen thoughtfully.
    Issue #14

    Courage

    "I have been waiting for you to say something. I stopped believing you would."

    4 min read
  10. A founder gives a direct answer to an investor during a funding meeting.
    Issue #13

    Honest vs. True

    My father used to say: half the truth is a whole lie.

    3 min read
  11. A family discusses succession in the working office of their manufacturing business.
    Issue #12

    Fair vs. Equal

    "We split it equally. That's what's fair." Then the mother asked: "Is it?"

    3 min read
  12. A procurement director explains a concern to a consultant who listens without interrupting.
    Issue #11

    Shut Up and Listen

    Ten seconds. Twenty. Thirty. Then she said: "You know what I'm really worried about?"

    1 min read
  13. An executive sits with two employees for a practical conversation after a presentation.
    Issue #10

    Negotiation Is Not a Performance You Bring to the Moment

    Someone asked me what the book is about. So I turned it over.

    1 min read
  14. A business leader listens steadily during a team strategy meeting.
    Issue #9

    The Person in the Room

    You don't rise to the level of your principles. You fall to the level of your orientation.

    3 min read
  15. A founder speaks candidly with an adviser in a small business office.
    Issue #8

    Every Negotiation Has Two Conversations

    Positions are doors. Interests are the rooms behind them. Three questions to find out what's inside.

    3 min read
  16. A consultant listens closely to a client with his presentation set aside.
    Issue #7

    What If You Prepared For The Wrong Conversation?

    Most people walk in knowing what they want to say. Very few know what they actually want.

    4 min read
  17. Two professionals discuss an idea from a tablet in a bright coworking lounge.
    Issue #6

    What Happened When I Hit Publish

    The moment you hit the button, the work stops being yours.

    5 min read
  18. A business author reviews a printed manuscript beside his laptop in a home office.
    Special Edition

    Ten Years of Silence. Today I Speak.

    My first book. Ten years in the making. And why it took that long.

    4 min read
  19. A consultant pauses outside a meeting room while clients prepare inside.
    Issue #4

    The Hallway Before the Door

    You prepared for their half of the conversation. You weren't preparing for yours.

    3 min read
  20. A client leans back slightly as a manager speaks during a business meeting.
    Issue #3

    What They Heard Before You Said a Word

    The words said: let's work through this together. The tone said: I've already decided.

    3 min read
  21. An operations director pauses with her notes before entering a team meeting.
    Issue #2

    You Don't Find Your Bearings Inside the Storm

    They prepared for what to say. They didn't prepare for how to stay.

    4 min read
  22. Two business owners discuss a concern across a table in a naturally lit office.
    Issue #1

    The Person Across the Table Is Not Your Enemy

    They might be the reason you didn't sleep last night. They're still not your enemy.

    3 min read