Socrates would have been a great mentor. (No, I haven’t pivoted this blog from business to philosophy, so bear with me.) Want to propel your business forward? Then you can’t beat the Socratic method. Wikipedia defines it as “a form of inquiry and discussion between...
In an era where algorithms largely guide our news consumption choices, how can we break out of our filter bubbles?
Doug Sundheim has written a business book about risk. The book (which I have not read) has a number of stories--but only 18 percent feature women. To his credit, Sundheim was a little appalled when he realized this. More important, he was curious as to what happened....
We all know about bandwidth--the bytes, space, and time needed to get something done. If bandwidth is about physical capacity, brainwidth is about mental space. You need to have both bandwidth and brainwidth. I recently had some family stuff going on that sucked up...
We've all seen it: the person who's talking at you while scanning the room looking for someone more important. But who's "more important" anyway? The intern in the cubicle might be president someday. Or work at your dream-job company. Or have a tie to your best...
Sometimes you have to know when to let go: The best small business owners are constantly innovating—rethinking a product, redesigning our Web sites, tweaking our marketing approaches, testing productivity tools and technologies. It’s what we do. But we’re...
When I was in graduate school, there was this guy who had a habit of putting his hands where they didn't belong. Many of my female classmates would make excuses for him, saying he was from [anywhere but here], and he just didn't understand personal space. Fast forward...
Zappos has nothing on the Corner Parking Lot in Charlottesville, Virginia. Just watch The Parking Lot Movie, a funny, fascinating documentary that debuted at SXSW 2010. It has everything: class-ism, culture, hiring people you trust, empowering your employees,...
We talk a lot about "reading the fine print." The disclosures that scroll across the bottom of TV ads. Multi-page bank privacy statements. Multi-screen end-user agreements. All those documents you sign when you buy a house or refinance a mortgage--or start a new job....
A colleague complimented me on my tact, saying I "have a wonderful way with words... poise and grace." Another likes my bluntness, saying that "real friends tell it straight, compliments AND criticisms." Tact and bluntness. My mom once said she was glad that I had...