Do you think it's rude to text/email during a meeting? Some say it's multitasking. An article I read celebrated "the skill of following along in person while simultaneously [doing other stuff]" Alas, that skill simply doesn't exist. Our brains are not wired to...
Business
Here are articles on Business
Engaged employees perform best.
Gallup Organization has been looking at employee engagement for many years. They've famously found that only a small percentage of our workforce is actively engaged at their jobs. Often, company discussions about people policies center around employee well-being as an...
Internet: mass manipulation tool?
I'm downloading Trust Me, I'm Lying by Ryan Holiday, about media manipulation on the internet, at the recommendation of a professional journalist friend. As I read a few of Ryan's blog articles and PR interviews from the book, I'm struck by how much his experience...
An apology: 8 Secrets of Success
In my post about Richard St. John's TED talk, I critiqued his research methodology and spent the entire post pointing out flaws. I was wrong. He has since contacted me and pointed out that my assumptions about his research were incorrect. Indeed, he did his research...
Customer acquisition via poor service
I'm curious. I've noticed some web sites, stores, etc. try to gain or retain customers by providing bad service. They hide their prices so you have to start the purchase process to discover pricing (just try finding out how much it costs to make 10 color copies at...
Growing companies: Moments of Truth
High-growth entrepreneurial companies reach points where they must fundamentally change what they do. Here are several of the events that quietly herald a need for major change in a rapidly growing company.
Venture Moments of Truth
As ventures grow and develop, the challenges they present change. Often change is sudden rather than gradual. These sudden changes require a shift in the way the company and/or the top managers do business. These are times when coaching can be most valuable. The...
Use your Smartphone to be More Productive
How to use your web-enabled smartphone to be productive. Or not. I'm quoted today in this
How do you find real community in a wired world?
I really enjoyed Marina Keegan's article "The Opposite of Loneliness." The word I'd use as the opposite of loneliness is "community." Community has been shown to be an important part of a happy, fulfilling life. Of course, there's no economic model attached to...
Perfectionism. Sucks.
How much of your life is controlled by perfectionism? Every time I think I have finally reached a balance, I manage to put myself in a situation where nothing less than perfect will satisfy me. Last week and this I have been holding myself to impossibly high standards...