For some time, I’ve suggested that law schools provide a cautionary tale for the rest of us. With many graduates loaded down with big debt and with few prospects for taking jobs that actually require… Read more »
Thought Sparks
Fun interview in the Australian
While I was in Australia earlier this month, I had the opportunity to join The Australian for a neat video interview. We talked about the end of competitive advantage, the role of power in organizations, and… Read more »
Sounds Like the Return of Ron Johnson
Interesting to read that Land’s End – the middle of the market retailer – is now being led by CEO with upscale fashion aspirations. She prefers New York to the Dodgeville, Wisconsin headquarters, wants to… Read more »
The Time is Ripe to Revisit Women in Leadership
These days, I’m spending a lot of time on matters pertaining to women in leadership. If you’d like to get an overview of some of the research and the remedies that can be offered, check… Read more »
Staring down a disengagement decision at Yahoo!
Yahoo and its CEO of three years, Marissa Mayer, have been in the news a lot lately. While Yahoo’s checkered history and frequent changes in leadership have not done the company’s reputation any favors, it still… Read more »
The perils of an incomplete change process
Some people really do change the world. But all around us, we see evidence of change efforts that began with great promise but ended badly. In a recent New York Times column, Tom Friedman speculated… Read more »
What a startup can learn about customer needs from a medieval practice
In a recent article over at Fortune, I explore what Transferwise, a fast-growing new startup has rediscovered: an enduring customer need that is currently featuring in the migrant crisis, Hawala. The practice of Hawala originated centuries… Read more »
Hacking your budget
I was recently asked by a reporter from U. S. News and World Report to offer some advice for people who are trying to start the New Year on a good note by getting their… Read more »
Secrets of the Superbosses – catch up on Syd Finkelstein’s latest book
Lorne Michaels. Ralph Lauren. Alice Waters. George Lucas. Larry Ellison. Miles Davis. And a dozen others. Business leaders and creative icons with tremendous track records who all have something else in common: they helped develop… Read more »
More on the “tightrope” effect
In a previous post, I’ve mentioned the “tightrope” that professional women are often forced to deal with. Too friendly and approachable? You’re “nice” but not taken seriously. Too aggressive and insistent? You’re … well, we… Read more »
Learning to navigate the teaching tightrope as a women
An interesting column by Adam Grant and Sheryl Sandberg made me think of some of the ups and downs of learning to teach in an environment where most of the people around you are men…. Read more »
Networking parasites – this one struck a chord
Margaret Morford published an excellent piece in the New York Times about how people can avoid becoming what she calls “networking parasites“. She picks up on a number of things that would-be networkers should be… Read more »