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Rewind to 2025. The National Football League is fresh off an unbelievable, yet controversial, Super Bowl halftime performance by the superstar hip hop artist Kendrick Lamar. The country has just been introduced to a diversity-hostile administration, which has practically squashed any zeal toward diversity, equity, or inclusion that corporate America once seemingly held. As the NFLs leadership team explores talent considerations for next years performance in the midst of this cultural backdrop, someone recommends Bad Bunny, the Puerto Rican-born megastar whose songs are performed almost entirely in Spanish, and, surprisingly, the league acquiesces. The public blowback is immediate, yet the NFL stands strong on its decision. On the outside, this may have seemed like a difficult decision for the league to make. But according to Javier Farfan, the global brand and consumer marketing consultant for the NFL, the decision was much easier than one would think. Farfan, a career marketer executive and media professor at Syracuse Universitys New School of Communications, has worked with the NFL for the past six years to help the organization broaden its audience and achieve its ambition for global expansion. He has sat in the small rooms where big decisions were made with regard to the league’s cultural engagement with talent and growth audiences. With the Super Bowl happening this week, we thought that hed be the perfect guest to join us for this weeks episode of the From The Culture podcast to explore how organizations make difficult decisions. {"blockType":"mv-promo-block","data":{"imageDesktopUrl":"https:\/\/images.fastcompany.com\/image\/upload\/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit\/wp-cms-2\/2026\/01\/studio_16-9.jpg","imageMobileUrl":"https:\/\/images.fastcompany.com\/image\/upload\/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit\/wp-cms-2\/2026\/01\/studio_square_thumbnail.jpg","eyebrow":"","headline":"FROM THE CULTURE","dek":"FROM THE CULTURE is a podcast that explores the inner workings of organizational culture that enable companies to thrive, teams to win, and brands to succeed. If culture eats strategy for breakfast, then this is the most important conversation in business that you arent having.","subhed":"","description":"","ctaText":"Listen","ctaUrl":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/playlist?list=PLvojPSJ6Iy0T4VojdtGsZ8Q4eAJ6mzr2h","theme":{"bg":"#2b2d30","text":"#ffffff","eyebrow":"#9aa2aa","subhed":"#ffffff","buttonBg":"#3b3f46","buttonHoverBg":"#3b3f46","buttonText":"#ffffff"},"imageDesktopId":91470870,"imageMobileId":91470866,"shareable":false,"slug":""}} Clarity of Conviction The NFL has an ambition to become the biggest sports platform in the world, a vision set by league commissioner Roger Goodell. With a conviction to make American football a worldwide game under Goodells leadership, the NFL began playing regular season matches in international markets to broaden its reach. It even petitioned the Olympics to successfully institute flag football as an official event to help further its global adoption. But the universality of music as cultural production is unparallelled, making the Super Bowl halftime show a unique front door into the football universe, one that transforms a sporting competition into a pop-culture event. And its the clarity of the organizations commitment to expansion that makes Bad Bunny an obvious decision for the NFL. His tours sell millions of tickets around the world and his music is streamed billions of times on Spotifycrowning him the most globally-streamed artist for four of the last five years. Even with the local resistance from conservatives and the Trump administration, Bad Bunnys global reach is undeniable. As Farfan asserts, it was easy for the organization and all its many stakeholders to get on board because they all subscribed to a shared ambition. The league, its teams, its partners, and Bad Bunny himself are all aligned, each bringing their talents and resources to help the collective realize its potential. The same can be said within our own organizations. Our companies convictions not only help orient their direction but also guide their decision-making such that hard decisions arent so difficult. When the conviction is clear, decisions are made easy. Take the outdoor brand Patagonia. The company has long been committed to mitigating human evasiveness on the planet. This is the ambition that unites all its stakeholders. Along with its retail business, Patagonia outfitted high-end corporate clients with company apparel. Company vests and fleece jackets with the Patagonia logo etched on the chest became a sort of unofficial uniform for Wall Street bankers and Silicon Valley techies. This was a significant revenue driver for the company. However, when Patagonia realized that some of its corporate clients dealt in ventures that did not prioritize the planet, it decided to end its business dealings with them. Despite the loss of revenue, this was an easy decision for Patagonia because its convictions were clear. Hard decisions are only truly hard when conviction is ill-defined. In the case of the NFL, if the ambition is to be a global sport, then you choose the options that get you closer to that ambitioneven if it means facing some headwinds. Easy. If youre Patagonia and your conviction is to protect the planet, then you take the path that preserves the Earth, although you may lose some revenue in the short run. Again, easy. Difficulty lies where your conviction is questioned and your commitment to it is uncertain. For organizations that know what theyre after and know who they are, the only real loss is loss of self when they deviate from it. Check out our full interview with Javier Farfan that breaks down the dynamics of the NFLs decision to partner with Bad Bunny for the Super Bowl halftime show and what takeaways leaders can glean about their own organizations. {"blockType":"mv-promo-block","data":{"imageDesktopUrl":"https:\/\/images.fastcompany.com\/image\/upload\/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit\/wp-cms-2\/2026\/01\/studio_16-9.jpg","imageMobileUrl":"https:\/\/images.fastcompany.com\/image\/upload\/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit\/wp-cms-2\/2026\/01\/studio_square_thumbnail.jpg","eyebrow":"","headline":"FROM THE CULTURE","dek":"FROM THE CULTURE is a podcast that explores the inner workings of organizational culture that enable companies to thrive, teams to win, and brands to succeed. If culture eats strategy for breakfast, then this is the most important conversation in business that you arent having.","subhed":"","description":"","ctaText":"Listen","ctaUrl":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/playlist?list=PLvojPSJ6Iy0T4VojdtGsZ8Q4eAJ6mzr2h","theme":{"bg":"#2b2d30","text":"#ffffff","eyebrow":"#9aa2aa","subhed":"#ffffff","buttonBg":"#3b3f46","buttonHoverBg":"#3b3f46","buttonText":"#ffffff"},"imageDesktopId":9147087,"imageMobileId":91470866,"shareable":false,"slug":""}}
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Weve been sold a myth about entrepreneurial success: sharpen your skills, tighten your systems, hustle harder. But after years of working with independent professionals across industries, Ive noticed that the highest performers share something that rarely makes the productivity lists: theyve intentionally built communities of colleagues, clients, and partners who expand how they think, create, and deliver impact. Community isnt a nice to have for the self-employed. Its strategic infrastructure. And this is especially important for solopreneurs, entrepreneurs who work primarily solo. The stakes are higher than most solopreneurs realize. According to research from Leapers, a UK-based organization studying self-employment and mental health, 70% of freelancers have experienced loneliness, disconnection, or isolation while working independently. Thats not just an emotional burden, its a creativity killer. When we work in isolation, our assumptions calcify, our thinking narrows, and our best ideas never get the friction they need to become great. {"blockType":"mv-promo-block","data":{"imageDesktopUrl":"https:\/\/images.fastcompany.com\/image\/upload\/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit\/wp-cms-2\/2026\/01\/i-16x9-figure-thinking.jpg","imageMobileUrl":"https:\/\/images.fastcompany.com\/image\/upload\/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit\/wp-cms-2\/2026\/01\/i-16x9-figure-thinking_0b545c.jpg","eyebrow":"","headline":"\u003Cem\u003EWonderRigor Newsletter\u003C\/em\u003E","dek":"Want more insights, tools, and invitations from Dr. Natalie Nixon about applying creativity for meaningful business results and the future of work? Subscribe \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/urldefense.proofpoint.com\/v2\/url?u=https-3A__figure-2D8-2Dthinking-2Dllc.kit.com_sign-2Dup\u0026amp;d=DwMFaQ\u0026amp;c=euGZstcaTDllvimEN8b7jXrwqOf-v5A_CdpgnVfiiMM\u0026amp;r=xHenyQfyc6YcuCNMBsOvfYGQILM1d1ruredVZikn4HE\u0026amp;m=F383gnrChFhYKPhcpNHI1hY3o58IHIn_LkB5QJDrs3G5Wfft-DcucUO4UEmGO7GZ\u0026amp;s=JlJm7GyKCJvPW0jyrsfTFtinteKDitN13vfPZiuJnP8\u0026amp;e=\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022\u003Ehere\u003C\/a\u003E for the free WonderRigor newsletter at Figure8Thinking.com","subhed":"","description":"","ctaText":"Learn More","ctaUrl":"http:\/\/Figure8Thinking.com","theme":{"bg":"#3b3f46","text":"#ffffff","eyebrow":"#9aa2aa","subhed":"#ffffff","buttonBg":"#6e8ba6","buttonHoverBg":"#3b3f46","buttonText":"#ffffff"},"imageDesktopId":91470060,"imageMobileId":91470061,"shareable":false,"slug":""}} Community oxygenates your thinking When you work solo, you start mistaking your perspective for the perspective. But a strong community acts as a foil for your ideas, exposing your ideas to new light, context, and critique. This isnt just about generating more ideas, its about generating better ideas. The kind of synthesized, pressure-tested thinking thats stronger than anything youd develop in isolation. Community provides reality checks and emotional ballast Solopreneurship demands extraordinary mental fortitude. Youre simultaneously the product, the strategist, the salesperson, and the back office. A trusted community offers reality checks that keep you from veering off course, and gut checks that help you discern which risks are worth taking. Just as important, community provides emotional ballastpeople who understand the volatility of self-employment and can normalize the inevitable ups and downs without judgment. Community converts intention into momentum Left to our own devices, its easy to confuse motion with progress. Communities help convert intention into actual momentum. When youre regularly sharing what youre working on, asking questions, and reporting back on experiments, youre more likely to follow through. This kind of accountability shifts focus from mere outputlike checking tasks off a listto true impact: work that meaningfully moves clients, audiences, and industries forward. Community accelerates learning A well-designed community is a living archive of experiments, failures, and breakthroughs. Instead of learning only from your own trial and error, youre drawing from a collective body of experience. You can ask for help, offer your own hard-won insights, and benefit from perspectives across sectors and disciplines. That diversity of vantage points is a powerful driver of both creativity and strategic clarity. Community unlocks opportunity Finally, community is how transactional encounters evolve into long-term, mutual relationships. When you consistently show up in spaces with colleagues, clients, and partners- whether in mastermind groups, professional associations, or communities of play- youre building trust over time. That trust leads to collaborations, referrals, and invitations you simply cannot manufacture through cold outreach. And because these relationships are grounded in shared values and curiosity rather than immediate deals, they tend to be more resilient and more creatively fulfilling. For independent professionals, community is not a distraction from real work. Its the infrastructure that makes your best work possible. {"blockType":"mv-promo-block","data":{"imageDesktopUrl":"https:\/\/images.fastcompany.com\/image\/upload\/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit\/wp-cms-2\/2026\/01\/i-16x9-figure-thinking.jpg","imageMobileUrl":"https:\/\/images.fastcompany.com\/image\/upload\/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit\/wp-cms-2\/2026\/01\/i-16x9-figure-thinking_0b545c.jpg","eyebrow":"","headline":"\u003Cem\u003EWonderRigor Newsletter\u003C\/em\u003E","dek":"Want more insights, tools, and invitations from Dr. Natalie Nixon about applying creativity for meaningful business results and the future of work? Subscribe \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/urldefense.proofpoint.com\/v2\/url?u=https-3A__figure-2D8-2Dthinking-2Dllc.kit.com_sign-2Dup\u0026amp;d=DwMFaQ\u0026amp;c=euGZstcaTDllvimEN8b7jXrwqOf-v5A_CdpgnVfiiMM\u0026amp;r=xHenyQfyc6YcuCNMBsOvfYGQILM1d1ruredVZikn4HE\u0026amp;m=F383gnrChFhYKPhcpNHI1hY3o58IHIn_LkB5QJDrs3G5Wfft-DcucUO4UEmGO7GZ\u0026amp;s=JlJm7GyKCJvPW0jyrsfTFtinteKDitN13vfPZiuJnP8\u0026amp;e=\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022\u003Ehere\u003C\/a\u003E for the free WonderRigor newsletter at Figure8Thinking.com","subhed":"","description":"","ctaText":"Learn More","ctaUrl":"http:\/\/Figure8Thinking.com","theme":{"bg":"#3b3f46","text":"#ffffff","eyebrow":"#9aa2aa","subhed":"#ffffff","buttonBg":"#6e8ba6","buttonHoverBg":"#3b3f46","buttonText":"#ffffff"},"imageDesktopId":91470060,"imageMobileId":91470061,"shareable":false,"slug":""}}
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Another round of Epstein filesapproximately three million documentswas released January 30, and this batch included a lot of prominent names. That list included philanthropist and business magnate Bill Gates, entrepreneur Elon Musk, and author, doctor and longevity influencer Peter Attia. They were all allegedly connected to Epstein in different ways, and as a result, their mentions in the documents are varied. But its their responses that offer lessons to others in the business world about how to respond when faced with a crisis. Dealing with one of this magnitude is no easy feat, and it requires absolute trust between a client and a crisis manager, Beverly Hills celebrity PR and crisis expert Eric Schiffer tells Fast Company. Addressing allegations Its true that when it comes to forward-facing events, being included in something like the Epstein files is the type of calamity a lot of leaders in the business world arent likely to be faced with. But bosses can learn from high-profile, high-stakes examples as some of the nations most powerful men grapple with allegations like these. Gates is dealing with the fallout from an email Epstein sent to himself. In it, Epstein alleges that Gates hid a sexually transmitted disease he allegedly contracted after engaging in presumed sexual activities with Russian girls affiliated with Epstein from his then-wife, initially released a statement via spokesperson. The allegations were decried as absolutely absurd and completely false. The Microsoft founder was forced to directly address the allegations this week, telling Australian television channel 9News the claim is false and speculated that Epstein may had been attempting to blackmail him. Apparently, Jeffrey wrote an email to himself. That email was never sent, Gates added. The email is false. Musk appears to have emailed Epstein trying to coordinate plans to visit Epstein’s private island. In one email apparently exchanged between the pair in 2012, Musk indicated he planned to bring then-wife Talulah Riley and asked, What day/night will be the wildest party on your island? The tech founder turned to X to vehemently deny he participated in any untoward behavior alongside or by way of Epstein: I have never been to any Epstein parties ever and have many times call[ed] for the prosecution of those who have committed crimes with Epstein, he wrote on January 31. The acid test for justice is not the release of the files, but rather the prosecution of those who committed heinous crimes with Epstein. And Attia, a wellness influencer who has courted controversy over the years, appeared to exchange a series of emails with Epstein in which the pair made disparaging comments about female genitalia. A separate set of emails made it seem Attia and Epstein were together while the formers wife was in the hospital with their son. Attia denied he was not involved in any criminal activity in a lengthy statement also shared to X. All three men have, at various points, been considered leaders within their business communities and among the great minds of our collective experience. Though Musk has already experienced a steep tumble from years past when he was revered by many, Gates and Attia are wading into some of the murkiest waters in their professional lives. Staying truthful Crisis PR expert Schiffer says navigating this requires absolute trust between a client and a crisis manager. As a crisis manager, youve got to ensure you get the absolute truth from your client, he says. And then, once you have the truth, then the goal is to begin to repair whatever challenge that the facts may reveal without doing any further damage. Unfortunately, thats the stage when a lot of clients still mess things up. What occurs in these situations is clients that are attempting to manage their crisis can end up creating even bigger problems, because they may not reveal the entire truth, or they may obfuscate the facts, Schiffer adds. And they create all these secondary challenges. At the core of the issue is a strong need to quickly rebuild trust with the public. In order to do that, a crisis manager has to know with complete certainty they can trust their own clientand if they find out someone is lying, the cord has to be cut immediately. This is a place for absolute honesty, and I need to know what you’re dealing with, he says. And then if I find out that in any way that you were not 100% truthful, I’m out. Presuming a client is being completely truthful, though, the next steps depend on the underlying facts: Part of what Gates, Musk, and Attia are dealing with is that its difficult to get all of the details out. What’s kept this Epstein matter alive is that there’s more to reveal, Schiffer says, It’s not over yet. So all of it hasn’t gotten out, and it’s extending the story. This is a story that should have been over a long time ago, had they just released all the records. He continues: You’ve got a lot of powerful people who are in the mix, and so you want to understand where you are in the cycle. And the cycle right now is still . . . I’d say we’re probably two-thirds through the cycle. It’s not complete, that’s for sure. Crisis PR is a two-way street, Schiffer later explained. Its vital that theres an ethical alignment between client and manager. Some [managers] will take the perspective, well, they’re the same as a defense attorney, and a defense attorney would take on a case of charges against someone who might be seen as a pedophile or allegations against that, he said. But it’s not something that interests me. Once honesty and alignment are in place, manager and client should work together to identify the best outcome, and then make that happen. Secondary implications, such as other details that could surface or anticipated legal parameters, will also need to be considered. And then? You build a strategy from that, Schiffer concluded.
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