Today's singular American Tale goes something like this: be bold, step out and be you, and your reward is glory and success. It may be the last awesome, inspiring story that our culture knows how to tell. Tragically, this story is rarely true, and it even neglects what it means to be human.
When I look at the richest stories of the people I know best, and the grand stories of people who I wish I knew, there is an undeniable pattern--their life stories are defined by bold decisions. Although we love to read books and watch movies about bold people making bold decisions, rarely do people [...]
I am afraid that in most meetings, even in high-level meetings, people spend too much time posturing themselves to look cool. It’s different than “looking cool” that we all practiced in high school, but the motivation is the same. We want people to like us and think we matter.
We are all familiar with ecosystems. We learned about them when we were young, and most of us remain curious about ecosystems wherever we go. It’s a fascinating way to observe the world around you. It turns out that an ecosystem is a powerful way to see your company, and your long-term competitive strategy.
We all know that “mind reading” doesn’t work. Life is hard enough as it is, so it’s silly to take on the additional burden of having to decipher one another’s emotions and actions to pick up clues on an unspoken tension.
I’m really embarrassed when I stumble into the dysfunctional parts of adulthood. Particularly, dysfunctional teams at companies. I wish there were a better word than “embarrassed,” but it’s the best word I have. It’s a blend of surprise, shame, and disappointment. I mean, we are all adults here, yet somehow we are messing this [...]
It’s easy to blame others for your problems. This is true in your personal life, and in your professional life too. However convenient it is to blame others for you problems in the short term, there are long-term effects that are toxic.
Discussion about the "Millennials at Work" has become an obsession within our culture. This could be casual talk at the coffee shop, at your water cooler, or in elaborate articles from well respected news outlets. Where ever you go, there is so much chatter, but so little clarity. So my goal is to end [...]
There was an irresistible TV mini-series on VH1 called “I love the 1980s" that debuted late in 2002. Over the course of ten episodes, VH1 showcased each year of the 80s and all the stuff that defined that year: popular music, fashion, trends, TV shows, movies, and occasionally something about politics. The show was [...]
Ok so I'm writing this blog series about models for predicting the future. Now that I'm here in Part III, I'm fully aware that the series theme of predicting the future is a bit sensational. But it's hard to dial down my excitement on this subject. I've always been attentive to talk of trends and technology, [...]