May 18, 2012
Over the 23 years since we met, my wife Eleanor and I have spent considerable time, money, and energy on our development. Individually and together, we've taken workshops, studied meditation, practiced yoga, written in journals, talked about our dreams, participated in training programs, and gone to therapy.
A few weeks ago, we were taking a walk along a rural road, questioning why we do it. Is all this inner work simply navel gazing? Or does it impact our lives in a real way?...
While Facebook's rise took many by surprise, its success was little surprise to the hundreds of researchers who study social interactions in neuroscience labs across the country. Over the last decade, these neuroscientists have uncovered some unexpected quirks of the brain, that all link to one big idea: we are far more socially oriented, at the level of brain structure and systems, than we account for in daily life.
Why does this matter? It certainly matters to Google, or to any...
May 17, 2012
In my last blog post, I encouraged thoroughly investigating the culture you're thinking of joining. In the comments, some people agreed they needed to learn about culture but were unsure how to approach it. A few were skeptical. I believe you can learn about culture, even in the early stages. Here are suggestions about how to structure your inquiry.
To get started, be clear what culture to learn about...
May 16, 2012
Ever been shut down by someone who supposedly knows more than you? It happens to me daily. I get denied by people that are more senior, more polished, and more knowledgeable than me. I'd be lying if I said I enjoyed professional rejection, but I try my best to dust myself off and move forward, reminding myself that that a series of controlled failures are necessary for eventual success.
Not...
Technology is meant to serve us. Instead it increasingly runs us — and runs us down.
Where we put our focus shapes our agenda and defines our experience in every moment. More and more, we're turning over this precious resource to our digital technology, allowing it to define the depth and span of our attention, and to seduce us into operating at such high speeds that we don't notice the insidious toll that's taking.
I see it in myself, as I fight to stay focused on...
May 15, 2012
The other day, I finally tackled a long-overdue task: reviewing a stack of VHS tapes to see what was on them and whether it was worth digitizing. Amidst the usual detritus (Patriots games and Saturday Night Live episodes of yore), I found an unexpected discovery: a tape of the 1993 lesbian and gay march on Washington. Replaying...
This week marks the release of Clayton Christensen's highly-anticipated book, How Will You Measure Your Life (with co-authors James Allworth and Karen Dillon). The book expands on Christensen's McKinsey-award-winning HBR article, drawing life lessons from the models that form the basis of his business-oriented writing.
I first heard the germs of those...
The higher up in the organization you get, the less likely you'll receive constructive feedback on your ideas, performance, or strategy. No one wants to offend the boss, right? But without input, your development will suffer, you may become isolated, and you're likely to miss out on hearing some great ideas. So, what can you do to get people to tell you what you may not want to hear?
What the Experts Say
Most people have good reasons for keeping their opinions...
May 14, 2012
I confess — I have a somewhat clunky phone manner. I tend to dispense with small talk, go straight to the business at hand, and when the business is done I'm ready to hang up. I'm so abrupt, once my business partner asked me, "What is UP with you and the phone?" And it's not just business calls: my husband and children lodge similar complaints. I'm not much for small talk on social media either — perhaps that's why I like Twitter. There's a staccato effect to the interaction...
May 11, 2012
We aren't being critical with that headline.
But the problem really is you. More specifically, it's the way you were taught to think. However, don't feel bad. First, of all you are not alone. All of us have the same problem. Second, and much more important, there is a solution.
But first let's explain how the problem was created in the first place.
From even before kindergarten, we all were taught to reason in a way that works fantastically well in a predictable...
