Phil Kirschner

Professional but conversational, clearly aimed at a business / LinkedIn audience.

Informative and analytical with a strong storytelling component.

Warm, human, and relational: often name-checks people, thanks collaborators, and highlights others’ work.

Tone is confident and authoritative but not boastful; the writer positions themselves as a thoughtful practitioner and curator rather than a hype-driven guru.

There is light wit and playfulness (e.g., “Try saying that three times fast!”, “How cool is that!?!”) but it never overshadows the core informational goal.

Mid-level formality: polished grammar and vocabulary, but phrased like a smart colleague speaking, not a dense academic article.

Uses contractions freely (“I’ve”, “I’m”, “don’t”, “it’s”) to maintain a natural spoken feel.

Jargon is used selectively and purposefully (“EX,” “org chart,” “cross-functional,” “change program”) but is always grounded in specific examples to stay accessible.

Generally upbeat, optimistic, and curious.

Energy is moderate-to-high but controlled: not breathless or salesy, more like an excited expert sharing something genuinely interesting.

Enthusiasm spikes when highlighting serendipity or clever ideas (“crazy serendipity part”, “How cool is that!?!”).

Excitement about innovative roles or ideas (Chief Work Officer, work as a product, AI transformation).

Respect and admiration for specific people and organizations.

Mild frustration or critique framed positively (e.g., banning notetaker bots framed as sane, practical advice, not a rant).

Rhetorical questions, often to transition the reader into reflection or CTA.

Short, standalone sentences for emphasis (“It worked. Then she left. And the org chart reverted.”).

Parenthetical asides for humor, color, or clarification (“(A converted shopping mall!)”, “(Try saying that three times fast!)”).

Direct quotes from interviewees or article titles to add credibility and texture.

Occasional playful phrasing or loops (“the work of designing work is work worth doing”).

Highlight bullets (🧠, 💪, 🏎️).

Convey tone (👏👏👏, 🤯 ‼️, ⚽️🇺🇸, 👉).

Often brings in very specific, concrete details (numbers of employees, dates, exact phrases like “[TBR]”) to ground the narrative.

Mix of first person singular (“I”, “I’ve been tracking…”, “I opened my virtual office doors…”) and occasional “we” when referencing shared experiences or broader truths.

Questions: “Do you agree…?”, “Do you like the ‘mark as TBR’ approach…?”, “Does your HR org have to pull extra weight…?”

Invitations: “If you’re interested…drop your email here:”

Often gentle but clear imperatives: “Read the whole story…”, “I encourage you to check out the report…”, “You can read more about what happened last time here:”

Tone is invitational rather than pushy: “Curious to hear what the hive mind thinks.”, “Do you agree…?”