What to Learn From the Economic Mess

This video of Dan Ariely from TED  has several enlightening and surprising ideas you can use. It’s 18 min long but the last 2 minutes are an ad.
Why people cheat and steal and how this can be encouraged or discouraged. The reasons are not at all what you’d expect.
How these conditions were exacerbated by the […]

Turning Things Around

Most of us aren’t in a position to turn the entire economy around. But don’t think you are powerless. Some people look at this situation and see all the negatives. Some people see opportunity. It’s easier to feel the fear and do the cut back thing and blame the economy.
In fact, it’s both the worst […]

Part Two

Here are two followups to two (unrelated) posts.
Update to What Really Happened To The Economy?
Michale Lewis, who wrote Liar’s Poker has an article on Conde Nast Portfolio.com with an inside story about what went wrong and why. You’ll be shocked, SHOCKED, to know that there was greed, short term thinking and stupidity on Wall Street. […]

What to do when the Excrement Hits the Air Velocity Accelorator

1. Talk to people - Don’t assume
Talk to your customers

Ask how the current situation will impact them.
Ask how you can make it easier to keep their business

Talk to your vendors and suppliers (Look at point #2 before you do this so you can combine discussions as you see fit).

Will they need to change terms?
Tell them […]

How was School today, Dear?

What a dumb question. If you’re a parent, I doubt you’ve ever gotten an answer that comes anywhere near what you’d call satisfactory. And if you’ve ever had a parent, I doubt you’ve given such an answer.
Because it’s the wrong question.
I was reminded of this watching the Republican political convention. For some reason we had […]

Dumbest Business Advice Ever

“Never Give Up” I’m always a big fan of Inc Magazine, but when they had this advice on the cover I had to say something.
It’s not that you should give up - it’s that saying “Never Give Up” makes it sound like success in business is entirely under your control. It’s not. Success is based […]

Try to NOT Make Everyone Happy

Seth says: If you are willing to satisfy people with good enough, you can make just about everybody happy.
I’d say If you want to make everyone happy you’ll HAVE to be satisfied with good enough. [read the whole story - it’s kind of funny in a sad sort of way - and you’ll see what […]

The Frustrating Part about Employees

Animal trainers have a saying “It’s never the animal’s fault” Because animals don’t speak, trainers need to find non-English methods to communicate what they want. If the animal doesn’t perform, they try to find a better way to communicate, they don’t blame the animal. It helps to take this approach with employees: if they don’t […]

In Praise of the Generalist

First, there are the things you know. This means you know the question and you know the answer.
Then there are things you know you don’t know. This means you know the question but you don’t know the answer.
And finally there are things you don’t know that you don’t know. This means you don’t even know […]

Fewer Tips for Start-ups

Thanks to an email from Will Hill and Paul Graham’s latest essay I’ve shortened my advice (so you get to do less reading)
1. Make something people want.
As obvious as it sounds this advice is often ignored. Well not exactly ignored, but confused. Inventors especially, are apt to confuse the word “people” with the word “me”. […]

— keep looking »