iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

It’s a leadership tool I built by blending what I learned making documentaries at FRONTLINE with what it takes to pressure-test a venture strategy. Now, it’s available to you. pointc.co/the-venture-...

A way to turn your strategy into a concrete, comprehensive, & compelling narrative with 3 Acts, 9 Scenes, and 54 Beats

The Venture Story

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That’s what The Venture Story does. → 3 Acts → 9 Scenes → 54 Beats A full arc that brings together the bottom-up user journey, the top-down market landscape, and the story of your team's momentum — in the same amount of time it takes to stumble through a dense, top-down slide deck.

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If you actually want to see your strategy — and help others believe in it — you need a narrative that forces you to connect every part.

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A 7-slide pitch deck is the wrong way to communicate your strategy. It lets abstraction mask misalignment. It hides the gaps between your user, your model, your momentum. It creates the illusion of clarity — without the hard work of cohesion.

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If you want a culture where people get sharper, faster, and more self-correcting with every iteration — this might be the most powerful ritual you can build.

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In this week’s Idea Bucket, I break down exactly how it works: — the purpose — the agenda — the cadence — the norms And here’s the key: you go last.

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That’s what The Design Review is for. It’s a ritual I’ve used in accelerators, leadership programs, and exec teams — to help teams share work before it’s ready, surface risks early, and build real strategic muscle.

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Because real innovation requires both. You need high standards to push the work forward. You need psychological safety to surface the gaps. And you need a rhythm that turns feedback into a habit — not a threat.

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Corey Ford @coreyford.bsky.social · 12/06/2025

One of the hardest questions in leadership is this: How do you raise standards and create safety — at the same time?

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In this week's Idea Bucket post, I break down the full Venture Design Rubric I use with founders and leadership teams — and share a downloadable worksheet to help you build your own version. If you're trying to get your team aligned on strategy, start here: pointc.co/therubric/

A way to uphold high standards without killing creativity

The Rubric

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Corey Ford @coreyford.bsky.social · 12/06/2025

Without a rubric, teams drift. The loudest voice sets the standard. Tradeoffs don’t get surfaced. Feedback feels personal. And strategy falls apart quietly over time. A well-built rubric prevents all of that.

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Corey Ford @coreyford.bsky.social · 12/06/2025

What if you had a simple document that helped your team guide itself? A way to build leadership muscle, surface tradeoffs early, and keep everyone aligned on what "great" looks like — without you having to constantly step in. That's exactly what The Rubric is designed to do.

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You’ll be supported every step of the way with 1:1 executive coaching and a tight-knit cohort of peers. This is not an academic exercise. We don’t do white papers. You do the work that matters — and get the structure and support to do it better.

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Then we go virtual. Over 18 weeks, you’ll accelerate a strategic project and build a personal leadership playbook — designed to create a subculture of innovation inside your organization.

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It kicks off in January with two weeks in NYC: • A 5-day immersive Training Camp • MBA-style deep dives in strategy, marketing, negotiations, and user research • Your first Design Review — built to help you fail fast and succeed sooner

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Corey Ford @coreyford.bsky.social · 05/06/2025

The Sulzberger Program is a 20-week executive leadership accelerator at @columbiajournalism.bsky.social Columbia — built for senior media leaders ready to take on real strategic and cultural challenges inside their organizations.

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This week’s post from The Idea Bucket introduces The Selection Stack — a 6-step ritual to align your team and stakeholders before you get too far down the road. pointc.co/the-selectio...

A ritual to align stakeholders on success criteria early

The Selection Stack

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Corey Ford @coreyford.bsky.social · 05/06/2025

That project you’re working on? There might be a ticking time bomb inside it. Not the idea. Not the execution. The misalignment hiding under the surface. Most teams never align on what “success” actually means — until it’s too late.

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Corey Ford @coreyford.bsky.social · 29/05/2025

Last week, I introduced The Half Sheet — a fast, visual way to turn abstract ideas into concrete prototypes. This week, I’m sharing the framework that gives those Half Sheets lasting power: The Idea Bucket — a shared container where ideas can evolve over time. pointc.co/the-idea-buc...

A way for your teams to get ideas out of their heads

The Idea Bucket

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Please join me in celebrating the 2025 Sulzberger Fellows: (continued) Markus Ikehata (Stein) Monique Jones Gloria Karthan Patrick Kerkstra Felix Langenmayr Alejandra Matos Christopher Norris Maria Reeve Daryna Shevchenko Mazin Sidahmed Mario Stäuble Shawna VanNess Mio Wakasa Shigeyuki Yamashita

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Please join me in celebrating the 2025 Sulzberger Fellows: Michael Anastasi Hayley Arader Kathy Baird Jon Cohn Jin Ding Anna Dubenko Bailey Evans Maritza L. Félix Megan Finnerty Lisa Garcia Grace Ted Goldberg Enrique Anselmo Gomez Anna Griffin Blair Hickman (continued)

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More of the world-class faculty who made this experience unforgettable: Rebecca Norris (Design Research) Ashli B. Carter, Ph.D. (Negotiations) Dean Jelani Cobb, Ph.D. (leadership in journalism) Dalit Shalom (New York Times C-Suite live case study) Kate Kennedy (Our glue and guide at CJS)

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This program is a team effort. Huge thanks to the world-class faculty who made this experience unforgettable: Carole Robin, Ph.D. (building a subculture of feedback and disclosure) Martin G. Reynolds (building a subculture of belonging) Miklos Sarvary (Strategy & Marketing) (continued)

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Their final act? Declaring the top 3 leadership mantras they’ll use to shape the culture around them. If you work with one of them — you’ll feel their impact. One act of leadership at a time.

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But Sulzberger isn’t just about strategy. It’s about leadership. Each fellow created a personal playbook to proactively build their own subculture of innovation.

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Each fellow took on a major strategic challenge inside their organization. They used the Venture Design Framework to fail fast, iterate, and build a strategy that was more feasible, viable, and desirable.

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Corey Ford @coreyford.bsky.social · 22/05/2025

🎓 Congratulations to the Sulzberger Class of 2025! 28 newsroom leaders. 20 weeks. One mission: build a bold strategy and a better culture.

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For the first post, we’re going a little meta. Because before you can understand what an Idea Bucket is, you need to understand its atomic unit: The Half Sheet. The Half Sheet – a way to quickly turn abstract ideas into concrete prototypes: pointc.co/the-half-she...

A way to quickly turn abstract ideas into concrete prototypes

The Half Sheet

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Corey Ford @coreyford.bsky.social · 22/05/2025

The Idea Bucket is a weekly newsletter and visual archive. Each post offers one visual framework, supporting one act of leadership, that brings you one step closer to building a culture of innovation. pointc.co/theideabucket/

Corey Ford @coreyford.bsky.social · 22/05/2025

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Leadership is a craft, honed through continuous acts. Today I’m launching a newsletter to help you hone your innovation leadership—one act at a time.

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Here’s what’s at stake for these 25 strategic projects:

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They will listen, take notes, and will only say two words in response: “Thank you.”

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Each fellow will give a 10 minute pitch, using a 3 act structure that weaves together all the essential elements of Venture Design. They will receive instant feedback on the Design Review Rubric questions and then we’ll open it up to feedback from the rest of their cohort.

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Today the 2025 Sulzberger Fellows are doing their final design review, pitching the strategic projects they have accelerated over the last 20 weeks of the program. We do it in the Pulitzer World Room at Columbia Journalism School from the same spot that the Pulitzer Prizes are announced every year.

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If you, or a leader you know, would like to explore working together, I’d love to hear from you. The first coaching session is on me: pointc.co/connect/

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I’ve had the privilege of working with some incredible leaders over the years. Read what they have to say about partnering with me here: pointc.co/testimonials/

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I’m also launching The Idea Bucket — a weekly newsletter and archive featuring one visual framework, supporting one act of leadership, that brings you one step closer to building a culture of innovation. pointc.co/theideabucket/

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I’ll be working with a select group of 24 clients to provide: 1) One-on-One Coaching: Working directly with leaders to clarify their visions and build cultures of innovation. 2) Deeper Immersive Work: Leading strategic retreats, bootcamps & internal innovation programs. pointc.co/coaching/

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Today, I’m launching Point C. For over a decade, I’ve helped leaders clarify vision, build cultures of innovation, and pitch ideas for buy-in. Now, I’m focusing that work more intentionally — helping leaders move toward their next concrete destination — their Point C. pointc.co/pointc/