It’s the Fourth of July this week in the US, so I’m celebrating America’s birthday with my family. Meanwhile, I wanted to find a great episode from our vaults to help you grow your brand. This one features Ray Mendez from Masa&Boz, my old friend and branding genius. In this episode, Ray shares his expertise in strategic decision-making and transformative branding and discusses how understanding core values, leveraging AI, and focusing on sustainable growth helps in building a successful brand.
About Ray Mendez
Ray Mendez is a partner at Masa&Boz, where he crafts strategies to help businesses connect with their customers. He’s an expert in brand prototyping, strategy, and workshop leadership. Ray’s impressive resume includes roles as a Creative Director at top firms like TBWA and Saatchi & Saatchi, and he has worked with global brands such as Apple and Greenpeace. He also teaches at Pratt Institute, sharing his knowledge from a Master of Fine Arts at Syracuse University. Known for his creative solutions and high standards, Ray believes in bringing brands to life with passion and innovation.
How to Spot and Avoid Strategic Decision-Making Traps
Strategic decision-making is crucial for business success, but it’s easy to fall into common traps. One big one is overconfidence, where you rely too much on your gut instead of data. To avoid this, always back your decisions with solid information and get advice from trusted people. Another trap is confirmation bias, where you only pay attention to information supporting your beliefs. Try to get different perspectives and challenge your own assumptions to avoid this. Lastly, there’s the sunk cost fallacy, where you stick with a project just because you’ve already put a lot into it, even if it’s not working out. Make decisions based on future benefits, not past investments. Being aware of these traps and actively working to avoid them can help you make smarter, more effective strategic decisions that will really pay off for your business.
