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  • Christine Nieves in Leadership, Entrepreneurship, Start-ups, Community, Health

    In reading Tony Hsieh's "Delivering Happiness" (Zappos.com) I have seen a clear path to solving a lot of costly challenges to employers (e.g. health) while also investing in assets that keep on giving back to the company (e.g. local community). I am struck by the fact that I have not seem other big companies do the same. Which start-up is going to move to Detroit and model what Appos did to Las Vegas? http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2011/mar/17/zappos-ceo-envisions-new-community-downtown/
    • Zappos CEO envisions a new community downtown
      Zappos CEO envisions a new community downtown

      Courtesy photo On First Friday a few weeks ago, Eric Ryan, one of the executives behind Method biodegradable soap products sold at Target, was bar hopping on Fremont East with Tony Hsieh, CEO of Zappos.com. The two walked past Palms owner George Maloof, Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman and others.

    • Kaelig Deloumeau-Prigent in Gender Equality, Career, Human Resources, Leadership

      Digging up a Forbes classic… Do you think men make better bosses than women? Could the author's view be influenced by an observation bias?
      • Why I'd Rather Work For A Man Than A Woman
        Why I'd Rather Work For A Man Than A Woman

        Photo credit: Wikipedia Having worked as an independent contractor for over 15 years, I've worked for men and for women, and I've found I'd rather work for a man than a woman. Sure, it's not PC, it's not what you're supposed to say, and it's supposed to be about the rah-rah sisterhood.

      Show previous 9 comments
      • Serena Rizzo
        Serena Rizzo
        Mmm I am not sure.

        First of all, she is a woman, so her point of view could be different from a man coworker. She might prefer men bosses due to women jealousy at work, but a male worker won't experience this so this wouldn't be a reason that can be considered valid for all.

        To be honest I think it can be very subjective. What do you think?
      • Rikk Carey
        Rikk Carey
        Well her tagline is "I cover the business of sin" and she covers the porn industry. IOW she's making a living off the enslavement and objectification of women.
      • Serena Rizzo
        Serena Rizzo
        Wow Rikk I hadn't noticed that. Well, her article makes a lot more sense now...
      • Kaelig Deloumeau-Prigent
        Kaelig Deloumeau-Prigent
        @Serena, if it seems to "make more sense" that adult publications are better ruled by men, would it mean fashion magazines are better ruled by women?

        @rikk: I'm not sure you can sum pornography up as "enslavement and objectification of women". It is also an art, an alternative culture and a means of expression. Of course there are bad things happening in this business, but there also are amazingly talented and passionate people (yes, real "people") doing a fantastic job in the adult industry.… Read more Maybe this is another debate…
      • Serena Rizzo
        Serena Rizzo
        What I meant is that it makes way more sense that the article is so black and white because she probably mostly has to work for men. If she worked in offices where managers roles vary, I don't think her point of view would be so black and white.

        As for fashion magazines, I have never read - not saying they are not existing - fashion magazines ruled by men, and by ruled by men I mean magazines whose editor is a man. So - unless by "ruled" you mean something different- I wouldn't be able to te… Read morell.
        However, given that the best fashion magazines are not unisex, I believe that, as far as fashion magazines for women are concerned, women know better about what women want to read, know and buy about fashion and the other way around for fashion magazines dedicated to men.
      • Rikk Carey
        Rikk Carey
        The article is offensive and outrageous (but I'm sure that's exactly what the author intended). While she obviously has a right to prefer working for men, she is implying that her experiences represent a pattern or norm in society. But, these despicable stereotypes have been dispelled many times in the past and the debate is over (and the long normalization has begun). The fact that she makes her living off of the porn industry is salt in the wound.

        @Kaelig I'm stunned and speechless by your… Read more comment: "there also are amazingly talented and passionate people (yes, real "people") doing a fantastic job in the adult industry." Can you please provide some examples of this?
      • Kaelig Deloumeau-Prigent
        Kaelig Deloumeau-Prigent
        @rikk: I hope I did not offend you. I am not an expert on the subject, but like with all controversial subjects (politics, religion, money, art…), everything is not black or white. Those topics cannot be reduced to what is wrong about them.
      • Rikk Carey
        Rikk Carey
        @Kaelig The article was offensive, not your comments! I am still waiting for those examples. :-)
      • Kaelig Deloumeau-Prigent
        Kaelig Deloumeau-Prigent
        Thank you for insisting but I am not going to post anything related to pornography here :) As I said, I am not an expert on the subject. It is quite easy to find online documentation about the people behind the adult industry.
      • Kass Yassin
        Kass Yassin
        Thanks for posting this Kaelig. It's such a sensitive topic that I think many people are afraid to question and debate it enough.

        I work for a woman (and she's excellent at her job) - my personal feeling is that their are intrinsic traits in men and women that help them excel in different environments, but the "environment variables" are so great between company to company that I don't think it's possible to generalise in terms of what "kind of job/industry" men and women are better suited t… Read moreo.

        In short, it depends...
      • Susan Embry-Busch
        Susan Embry-Busch
        I am not going to touch the pornography portion of this topic :-). However, the article is an interesting one and a perception that I have gone back and forth on over the years. At this point in my career, I can say that I have run across greatness and pettiness...emotional and robotic personality types across both sexes. I now focus on the unique individual. I choose the person I am working for, just as they are looking at me to be a good fit for them. The comfortable fit could be a man or a wo… Read moreman. I haven't found any industry in particular that makes a better fit as a man or a woman...and I have been in IT, across five industries over the span of my career. Some companys are unique though and I have seen the perception that to be a strong leader, a woman has to be a...well, a certain word that begins with a "b". I generally view the leadership in this type of company as poor, and generally not respected by the staff...ironically, where I have seen the "b" female leadership type revered, the pettiness in the men has been support or even rewarded as well. It is just a sad fact in business that people are stereotyped. A great leader is identified by how well they lead, not intimidate...man or woman. I want to work with a strong leader, regardless of gender. That's my two cents on the topic...

      • Lucian Tarnowski in Education, Social Learning, Leadership, Mckinsey, Youth Employment

        I just had a fascinating call with Dominic Barton, Global CEO of McKinsey, about what BraveNewTalent is working on in the Education to Employment space. He told me about some of the amazing work McKinsey is doing in this space around the world. As an example, they are working with universities in the Middle East to research where future employment demand is going to be and then tailoring university courses and curriculum around this. I wish more countries had this approach as so much of what people learn in formal education is out of touch with what is in demand in education.

        I did quite a bit of research on what McKinsey is doing before I spoke with Dominic. I found this interesting video of a lecture Dominic did at Stanford recently talking about the five trends he sees reshaping the global economy which are:
        1. The Great Reba… Read morelancing
        2. The Productivity Imperative
        3. The Global Grid
        4. Pricing the Planet
        5. and the Market State
        See: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E4-MyLj-LdE

        This is a very useful resource from McKinsey on the Education to Employment challenges: http://www.mckinsey.com/features/education_to_employment. Do watch the video as they have some great case studies of success stories in India and the US.

        There are also some other very useful resources listed below on McKinsey's work in this space:

        Education transformation: http://www.mckinsey.com/client_service/social_sector/expertise/education

        Education for employment report, Middle East:
        http://mckinseyonsociety.com/education-for-employment-realizing-arab-youth-potential/

        McKinsey on Society articles and reports on education:
        http://mckinseyonsociety.com/topics/education/

        New McKinsey Global Institute study on work, skills gaps, etc:
        http://www.mckinsey.com/insights/mgi/research/labor_markets/the_world_at_work

        Changing nature of work:
        http://www.mckinsey.com/insights/mgi/research/labor_markets/future_of_work_in_advanced_economies

        Blueprint on employment in the US:
        http://www.mckinsey.com/insights/mgi/research/labor_markets/an_economy_that_works_for_us_job_creation
        • Dominic Barton: Five Trends Reshaping the Global Economy

          Dominic Barton, Global Managing Director, McKinsey & Company, highlights the five trends he sees reshaping the global economy: 1. The Great Rebalancing 2. The Productivity Imperative 3. The Global Grid 4. Pricing the Planet 5. and the Market State He concludes his presentation with a discussion about the implications of being a leader in the face of these ongoing changes.

        • Jean McCormick
          Jean McCormick
          What resonated with me: each McKinsey consultant must meet a Chinese executive, an Indian executive, an African executive etc. in his first two years. Also his points on Nigeria were fascinating-a young, vibrant workforce.

        • Lucian Tarnowski in Entrepreneurship, Leadership, Elon Musk

          I met one of my entrepreneurial inspirations last night - Elon Musk - the Founder of SpaceX and Tesla. Elon was one of the co-founders of X.com which then merged to become Paypal. He is one of the key members of Silicon Valley's so called 'Paypal Mafia'. He is a phenomenal entrepreneur with such a great vision for the future - both in space travel and car travel.

          When chatting with him I asked him a question I don't imagine he had been asked before - 'If SpaceX and Tesla were to have a baby would you create an electric aeroplane company?' He laughed and said that electric aeroplanes would be possible in the future. Perhaps this will be his next company... Thinking about this more I think the aeroplane industry needs to be more disrupted. There has not been a major innovation and it is unlikely to be led by Airbus or Boeing. The challe… Read morenge here is the cost of entering this market space as R&D is prohibitively expensive. Perhaps the innovation coming out of both Tesla and SpaceX could be combined to be applied to air travel.

          I also spoke to Elon about the challenges of running 2 companies. He said over the last year he spent most of his time with Tesla however, recently he has gone back to 50/50 between them. I struggle to have nearly enough time to run one company let alone two. This is one of the many reasons I have such respect for Elon.
          • Elon Musk - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
            Elon Musk - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

            In 1992, after spending two years at Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Elon left Canada, pursuing business and physics at the University of Pennsylvania. Choosing to major at the The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, he received an undergraduate degree in Business, and from University of Pennsylvania, School of Arts and Sciences, he received a second bachelor's degree in Physics.

          • WebEx in Collaboration, Culture, Leadership, Research

            This is the first blog in a multi-part series. In upcoming posts, I delve deeper into the study and how [...]
            • Studying Collaboration to Improve Collaboration
              Studying Collaboration to Improve Collaboration

              This is the first blog in a multi-part series. In upcoming posts, I delve deeper into the study and how technology is changing the way we work together. Collaboration. It's defined as "the act of people working together to reach a common goal." Simple, right?

            • Petrina de Gouttes in Leadership, Technology, Entrepreneurship, Apps

              A great article from Fast Company highlighting 10 small apps that entrepreneurs love. I'm particularly keen on Buffer (http://bufferapp.com/) - like an on-the-go alternative to Tweetdeck for mobiles perhaps?
              • 10 Little-Known Apps That Entrepreneurs Can't Live Without
                10 Little-Known Apps That Entrepreneurs Can't Live Without

                Recently something terribly obvious--yet powerful--occurred to me: If you want to achieve things that no one else has done, you need to do things no one else does. So, I thought, who achieves things that very few do? I made a list of the top 10 entrepreneurs that I learn from daily.

              • Lea Bajc in Female Leaders, Leadership, Careers

                Warren Buffet on women. Its about maximizing human potential, human capacity and staying competitive.

                http://money.cnn.com/2013/05/02/leadership/warren-buffett-women.pr.fortune/?goback=%2Egde_3684979_member_238191925
                • Warren Buffett is bullish ... on women
                  Warren Buffett is bullish ... on women

                  Warren Buffett with the late Katharine Graham of the Washington Post at his 50th-birthday party in 1980 In an exclusive essay the chairman and CEO explains why women are key to America's prosperity. In the flood of words written recently about women and work, one related and hugely significant point seems to me to have been neglected.

                • Lucian Tarnowski in Leadership, Gen Y, Management, Youth Effect

                  The Youth Effect - this is a book I co-authored and co-curated with a few YGL friends a few years ago. We curated the thoughts from 21 YGL's on how decision makers can better engage young people in what they are doing. We launched the book in Davos a 2 years ago. See http://www.youtheffect.org
                  • Lucian Tarnowski
                    Lucian Tarnowski
                    These are the authors:

                    1. David Jones

                    Recognizes that today’s youth or millennials are born in a world of unprecedented access to other people and information. They educate themselves through informal learning on the Internet and are capable of reaching more people and swaying more opinions using social media. Older generations need to understand how today youth has the unprecedented power to effect change; leaders must find ways to work together with the millennials and take full advantag… Read moree of all they have to offer.

                    2. Penny Low

                    Begins with details of an encounter with a Syrian teenager risking her life to carry a petition letter signed by many youths. Low asks elders to enlarge physical and mental spaces to let youth into the leadership sphere. She elaborates on the ICT revolution and the notion of people as changemakers.

                    3. Hon. Scott Brison

                    Asks leaders to address issues that matter to the youth as a way of involving them. He encourages not only understanding what is important to the youth but also implementing it. He acknowledges the fundamental changes in the labour market and discusses specific initiatives to involve youth such as internships, scholarships for public service, youth service programs, and outreach.

                    4. Juan Mario Laserna and Christine Balling

                    Agree that one of the greatest challenges in successfully engaging youth is motivating them into action. They stress the approach of “show don’t tell” in educating the youth about the rewards of getting involved. They further discuss the importance of engaging the youth in the democratic process.

                    5. HRH Crown Prince Haakon

                    Urges leaders to believe in today’s youth and to give them opportunities. He supports Aristotle’s notion of commending the youth for trusting “feeling over reasoning”. His Royal Highness discusses how youth are not only quick at grasping the idea of dignity but also quick to act on it. They need to be encouraged as Champions of Global Dignity.

                    6. Wilmot Allen

                    Believes that youth have social competitive advantages. He emphasizes that engaging youth in public discourse about public issues is critical as they are able to transcend the pressures which drive social divisions. He suggests ways to exploit the social competitive advantages of youth by presenting two different programs for diversity and provides principles for engaging youth on difficult social topics.

                    7. Josh Spear

                    Establishes the distinction between finding young people and reaching them. He says that finding young people is easier now but the focus should be on “reaching them”. His message is simple: “integrate don’t infiltrate”. Josh discusses the value of transparency, clarity, authenticity and collaboration.

                    8. Lucian Tarnowski

                    Stresses on understanding Gen Y as they defined by change and are “digital natives” of social media. Employers need to find new management approach to recruit, train and develop youth to bring out the best talents.

                    9. Adrian Cheok

                    Focuses on understanding today’s children who are born in a world of unlimited communication due to the proliferation of new media and digital technologies. These tools provide children with new opportunities to be creative, connect with an audience and have outlets for their expressions. The Internet has provided children with spaces for creative innovation and group interactions that can be further enhanced through specific initiatives that
                    Cheok discusses.

                    10. Bhavneet Singh

                    Stresses that integrated media campaigns are successful in reaching youth. He talks about the Shuga campaign in Kenya which included an original three-part TV drama series with compelling HIV prevention and education messages. Over 90% of Kenyan participants believed the show had an impact on their thinking.

                    11. Jennifer Corriero

                    Focuses on challenge based learning and embracing children’s creativity and curiosity. Jennifer encourages using technology in classrooms and reinventing current educational systems to bridge the gap between real world context and what is taught. Jennifer discusses ways to unleash the creative potential of youth.

                    12. Yair Goldfinger

                    Talks about the importance of having a physical meeting and discusses ways to structure and conduct these meetings. He encourages raising issues and coming up with solutions as a way of involving the youth and guiding them.

                    13. Teresa Kennedy

                    Emphasizes youth empowerment through respecting them as present leaders, providing relevant opportunities for engagement and growth and offering sustainable support. This would help young people develop the personal and social assets they need to be resilient and productive in the world. She stresses that “rather than fitting youth into our agenda, they [should] become a part of setting the agenda.”

                    14. Lorna Solis

                    Secondary school-aged youth in third world countries are the most powerful untapped resources. We need to engage youth, especially female youth, through workshops, empower them through ownership of projects and elevate them through tools for success.

                    15. Kingsley Bangwell

                    Looks at the intrinsic entrepreneurial streak in all of us but stresses that the real question is: are we obsessed with a new idea yet? Bangwell mentions the need for a systemic program to nurture the entrepreneurial streak in young entrepreneurs to have a global impact. He also strongly believes that a global platform is needed to showcase young entrepreneurs because celebrating them would inspire them to do more.

                    16. Alfredo Capote

                    Stresses the need to understand why the level of employment among youth seems to be decreasing. Entrepreneurship is a viable tool for youth development as it provides them with a better knowledge base to analyze, scrutinize and dissect different professional paths to develop vocational competence. The Pro Empleo example from Mexico provides good ideas for organizations to reach out and foster youth entrepreneurship.

                    17. Carolina Müller-Möhl

                    Encourages involving leaders from education, financial institutions and politics along with media campaigns to increase financial literacy among youth. She provides a background of the “LEARN MONEY” initiative which was initially presented at the World Economic Forum in Dalian in 2009 and talks about initial results and the leaders involved.

                    18. Angel Cabrera

                    Discusses the evolution of the Global Business Oath. He talks about acknowledging management as a true profession and understanding its ultimate purpose is to create sustainable and inclusive prosperity. He emphasizes the need for a universal code of conduct for business leaders as their decisions have to power to destroy or create; through initiatives such as The Oath Project, these managerial decisions can be utilized to serve society and create
                    sustainable value.

                    19. Javier Garcia

                    Provides a toolkit for inspiring young people to become change makers of the present and shapers of the future. His key messages include inspiring for a purpose, using role models to communicate and inspire and utilizing web 2.0 to help young people organize themselves in positive ways. He outlines two case studies: first an On-line global experiment for the International Year of Chemistry and second, Great Scientists as Role models to Inspire the Youth.

                    20. Alberto Vollmer

                    Challenges leaders to focus on bringing out the best in people. They also need to build trust through basic diagnosis, soft leadership, a common vision and an unconstructive attitude and negotiation. In order to engage young people, we must first help them overcome fear. Vollmer emphasizes that “remember to be hard with the problem, while being soft with the solution.”

                    21. Nancy Lublin

                    Provides guidelines for communicating with teenagers and engaging them in a conversation. Some quick tips are asking specific questions that will inspire debates, citing hard facts and numbers to build trust and speaking with them, not at them. Lublin’s guidelines are simple and allow cross generational leaders to understand communication styles of today’s youth and ways to incorporate them in initiating a dialogue.

                  • Lucian Tarnowski in Advice, Leadership, Success

                    14 things successful people do at the weekend. This is an interesting piece. I think this varies a great deal depending on the person and what stage the person is in. People talk about balance in terms of work life balance. But I think it is more apt to talk about work life 'rhythm' - sometimes we are all out of balance but that is fine as long as there is a rhythm to our professional and personal lives.
                    • 14 Things Successful People Do On Weekends
                      14 Things Successful People Do On Weekends

                      Spencer Rascoff is only 37. Yet, the Harvard grad and father of three has already accomplished so much. He co-founded Hotwire.com and served as a VP for Expedia ; he held the roles of CFO, vice president of marketing and COO at Zillow; and in 2008, Rascoff was promoted to chief executive of the popular real estate information site.

                    Show previous comment
                    • Jean McCormick
                      Jean McCormick
                      Very interesting. I may get the books. I'm most interested in "what successful people do before breakfast." I may be wrong: but I don't think that my response (sleeping) is high up on that list!
                    • Master Burnett
                      Master Burnett
                      This is a great article. I often exhaust myself with the kids during the weekend, but it's a different type of exhaustion than work fatigue. I've never thought of it as cross training, but that is a good way to look at it. Saturday is often my unplugged day, but I am guilty of checking e-mail from time to time, and my brain is often contemplating work issues in the background at all times. Some of my most productive work spurts actually happen as I am driving to and fro.
                    • Jean McCormick
                      Jean McCormick
                      I do wonder though if there are as many responses as individuals. I know some who never seem to unplug and are successful and those who don't unplug and are not as well as the reverse. As with so many things, it is understanding who you are and how you work, another way of rephrasing "rhythms."
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