How to Sabotage Meetings Like a Pro

A fascinating article appeared in Fortune Magazine online this week. It describes a document issued during WWII and declassified in the 1970s. It had been published in 1944 by the U.S. Office of Strategic Services, the agency that preceded the CIA. It remained buried in obscurity until a few years ago when a consultant named … Continue reading How to Sabotage Meetings Like a Pro

Be Late for Something Day is September 5 – oops.

The world is divided into two kinds of people: those who are on time, and those who are always late.  Sociologists have actually studied lateness  as it relates to cultures all over the world.  Whole countries can be classified according to their perception of time and lateness.  Traditionally, cultures are divided into monochronic (where time … Continue reading Be Late for Something Day is September 5 – oops.

Race Against the Machine

Technology is changing at such a rapid pace that some economists have predicted the “end of employment.” Computers are able to do many of the functions that humans used to perform, from security and crime fighting to journalism. (Many of the routine game summaries you read in the sports section are actually written by software … Continue reading Race Against the Machine

Are You a Team Player?

One of the most common phrases you’ll hear in a job interview is the ubiquitous “I’m a team player.” Like any personal quality, “team player” falls on a spectrum, but almost no one talks about it that way. This is one of those characteristics where one end of the spectrum is good and the other … Continue reading Are You a Team Player?

Resistance is Futile – But So is Persuasion

Pink’s premise for To Sell is Human is that “Yes, one in nine Americans works in sales. But so do the other eight. Whether we’re employees pitching colleagues on a new idea, entrepreneurs enticing funders to invest, or parents and teachers cajoling children to study, we spend our days trying to move others. Like it or not, we’re all in sales now.”

You Can’t Lean In Unless You Can Lean On: How Your Spouse Affects Your Success

Most of us leave home every day to go to work. Physically, that is. Metaphorically, we carry our home with us all day. If your home life is in shambles, it’s hard to remain calm and focused on the job. Your