Many of you reading these pages have heard my refrain that "Incentives are the cornerstone of life", a mantra preached by Steven Levitt & Co. in their landmark book, Freakonomics. Their blog calls it "the hidden side of everything." Welcome to SuperFreakonomics, the newest contribution to their study of incentives…
Business Week summarized a book entitled Difficult Conversations by Douglas Stone, Bruce Patton, and Sheila Heen. It's a practical guide to challenging conversations in which you're required to deliver bad news, major screw-ups and other sensitive matters.
CBS Sunday Morning is a show I've watched since its beginning, almost 30 years now. (Man, am I getting old!). It is a welcome respite from the usual tumult of the business week as it concentrates on music, the arts, theater, books and other cultural landmarks. This week in its…
Business Week reports its Top 50 performers based on ROE and growth. Reminiscent of Good to Great by Jim Collins, I bet you won't recognize many of the company names, many of which shine as a result of relentless innovation. BW highlights several trends among these Top 50 that are…
This is a title of a new book previewed by Business Week. It's reportedly as simple to understand as McDonald's menu and recounts some familiar adages. In particular, though, it emphasizes the value of employee recognition. This is an invaluable tool at all times, but particularly now when employees are…
Business Week recently summarized a concept called a "bonus bank". In short, it is an incentive plan in which a significant portion of annual bonuses, perhaps 1/3, is set aside to be paid out over time, 3 years in the BW example, based on the continuing achievement of established benchmarks…
Business Week just published their "Best Books of 2008", an annual ritual followed throughout the publishing industry. I have Snowball on my shelf, awaiting an opportunity to learn more about the life and times of Warren Buffett. I can recommend the Game-Changer, which I've written about previously, which heralds the…
Some of you may be aware of the Wisdom Project, an effort produced in cooperation with Bishop Desmond Tutu. I had lost track of it and thanks to a colleague, was recently re-introduced to it.
The Wisdom Project has assembled an extraordinary international cast of voices from all walks of life to explore the concept of wisdom. Do yourself a favor and take a few moments to reflect upon this wondrous work by visiting The Wisdom Project.
In the words of renowned photographer, Andrews Zuckerman, here is the concept of the Wisdom Project. (more…)
Recently, an erudite friend of mine referred me to the provocative article by Nicholas Carr in the Atlantic Monthly, Is Google Making Us Stupid?Since both of us are avid readers, it was probative of our ability to continue to read thoughtfully despite the increasing intrusion of cryptic data bytes in…