Starbucks just announced it will provide a free online college education to thousands of its workers, without requiring that they remain with the company, through an unusual arrangement with Arizona State University. The offer is being extended to the 135,000 U.S. employees. That's a lot...
Read MoreThe public school system in America is undergoing an overhaul. That overhaul is called Common Core -- the new curriculum structure based on "consistent academic guidelines created to help all students succeed." Those words aren't mine; they greet you when you go to the Common...
Read MoreWelcome to the believing season, otherwise, known as "the Holidays." It's a time of year when we give ourselves permission to believe in, and be grateful for many things in our lives -- a close family, dear friends, snow-driven evenings; whatever aspects of our lives...
Read More"We must also pay attention to the issue of identity as a key driver of tension in, and beyond, the Middle East. At their core, the vicious battles in Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria are over the nature of those countries’ identities and their consequent roles in...
Read MoreThe U.S. is doing it. Microsoft is doing it. Lots of people - not just nations and companies - are doing it: Falling into Descartes' trap, and it's taking a hell of a toll on everyone. If you don't remember, Rene Descartes famously said, I...
Read MoreReading about Rutgers University's ongoing athletic department scandal, leads me to conclude that we're into a protracted crisis season, a time when crises are showing up all over the place. The list is long. Here (along with Rutgers) are a few of my recent favorites. The...
Read MoreSometimes, it's easier to not be who you are in this world. Your boss wants you to be whatever you need to be to get the job done on time and on budget. Your friends want you to be what they need you to be...
Read MoreThis time of year it's hard not to think about peace. We're in the season of "peace on earth, good will toward men." We sing about it, ponder it, imagine it, pray for it. But we don't have it. I believe that before we can have...
Read MoreSo, I'm sitting on the train this morning, from Westport CT to New York City, reading the paper. Today's New York Times had three articles addressing the tug-of-war going on over the fiscal cliff (no pun intended), between the Democrats and the Republicans. The capstone...
Read MoreI just heard a commentator - it is now 7:30 pm EST, Tuesday, election day - say that it's important to assess the "Asian-American" vote as a harbinger of the election. What the heck is that and how do you calculate it? If Suzie Chow,...
Read MoreLike you, I watched the debate last night. And, perhaps, like you, I think Romney beat Obama. Hands down. "No debate!" I'm not necessarily a Romney fan. But here's what I think is going on: Romney has the great, good fortune of not having to defend...
Read MoreI hate politics. It is fundamentally based on being comfortable losing touch with your integrity. Votes are religion. Everything else is expendable.
We must protect our image!
How often have you heard well-intended executives and other high-ranking leaders (priests, coaches) say these words — their goal: to ‘protect’ their institutions from embarrassing publicity, which might muck up their brands.
One of my favorite quotes is from Albert Einstein, who said (something like) “problems can’t be solved at the same level of awareness that created them.” That means that you can’t churn the same data and gain insight into solutions. Cause those data are born of the problem!
Everyone has a view on the pluses and minuses of social media. So do I!
Most people love social media for its power to connect them anytime, anywhere and with anyone. On the other hand, many folks are suspect of social media because of what some call the Connection Paradox: We’re able to reach out to whomever, whenever, but, as many pundits point out, we’ve never been more isolated or, in fact, lonelier.
So many companies tout themselves as innovative, learning organizations in the spirit of Peter Senge, who first crafted the idea of a ‘learning organization’ as the way to attract, hold, and develop superior talent in the name of performance.
Figuring out who you are isn’t some cosmic, unanswerable guru-directed challenge. It is job one if you plan to live a happy, fulfilling life.
Disclosure: This is a promotion, sort of.
I am an unabashed fan of human productivity and the need to marshal it at any and all costs. So, here goes…
When Peter Senge wrote about the learning organization years ago, he put his finger on an idea that would have profound influence on the well-being of employees and their ultimate productivity. People needed to learn not just do. They needed to learn about more than...
Read MoreIt's the clarion call of all investors...
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