The Party on my Facebook Page

The Party on my Facebook Page

An ACLU post argues that Facebook flattens our in-born privacy intuitions. In real life, we keep our networks separate, we share wild stuff with the college pals and tamer stuff with a work audience. You can designate different audiences on Facebook, but the post suggests many do not. I see the point, but I have also had the delightful experience of people from my different networks intersecting on my page. My military neighbor debates my privacy friends, my NY political pal helps out a … [Read more...]

5 Ways to Brand Yourself Like David Beckham

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It was not talent alone that made David Beckham the most famous and admired soccer player in the world, with a personal brand worth hundreds of millions of dollars. Doing things with a football that most of us can only dream of was clearly an important part of the brand of the English soccer star, who announced his retirement on May 18th. They even made a movie about someone who wanted to "Bend It Like Beckham". But assuming we have found something we are good at, what can we learn from … [Read more...]

A Secret to Happiness: Clean Off My Desk

A Secret to Happiness- Clean Off My Desk

One of the big insights I’ve gained from my happiness project is that for me (as for many people), outer order contributes to inner calm. I feel more serene and cheerful if my apartment and office aren’t too messy. Something else I’ve learned from my happiness project is to be wary whenever I have the urge to “treat” myself, because often my treats don’t make me happy in the long run. One of my “treats” is to let piles of papers, clothes, books, and dishes pile up – which … [Read more...]

What Does an Angry Customer Cost?

What Does an Angry Customer Cost?

The byproducts of happy clientele are obvious. Sales rise. Stores fill. Facebook "likes" stream in. These promoters recommend the companies they like to their friends. The cost of detractors—a company’s "haters"—is less clear to many business leaders. For one thing, they may still do business with you — even though they don't like it and they make sure their friends and your employees know they don’t. By the time their irritation is evident in traditional metrics—declining sales, … [Read more...]

Two Words Can Make All the Difference

Two Words Can Make All the Difference

While it only takes a second to make another person feel valued, the memory can last forever. In the summer when I was in college I would sometimes go to the open gym at James Madison University to play basketball. One night I was idly shooting jumpers on an open basket when I heard someone whistle. I turned. “Hey, we need one more," he said. "Run with us.” My heart sank. The guy asking was Linton Townes. He went on to play in the NBA and Europe. Standing behind him were Charles … [Read more...]

Mentorship: Pass It On

Mentorship- Pass It On

In the last few months we've been inundated with stories by and about high-achieving strong women in media and technology - how they got there, how they feel about it and how other women can succeed on their own terms in a world still dominated by male leaders. As a woman in digital media who has achieved at least some level of success, I feel like I should have my own stories to tell of triumph over adversity, showing those men a thing or two about how to lead woman-style. Smashing a glass … [Read more...]

Marketers, Don’t Just Publish; Be a Publisher

Marketers, Don't Just Publish; Be a Publisher

If you want to be a successful marketer today, you need to be part data analyst and part publisher. We hear a lot about the former, but the latter is critical too. We’re all publishers (that includes me and our own marketing and sales site, of course) but many companies are only starting to come to terms with what that actually means in terms of talent and processes. Anyone who’s a marketing leader in a large organization should watch this video. Robert Tas, managing director and head of … [Read more...]

THE TWO LAWS

IMSA Kids at MIT Enterprise Forum John Jonelis From a special correspondent - Mark T. Wayne: Frankly sir, I am flabbergasted! This is something beyond my experience! Think of it. High school students turned serious entrepreneurs. These are children in suit and tie—teams of them politely waiting to speak in turn without interrupting the others. Not so much as a spit wad—do you hear me? Not one! That in itself is cause for more than casual interest. And no fluff here, sir! These kids seeks … [Read more...]

How to Create a Winning Team

How to Create a Winning Team

Assembling a winning team is every manager’s dream. But what do we know about what it takes to get there? I’ve studied this question quite a bit in the context of sports, and in particular the world of soccer (or, as it is known outside the US, football). As a business school professor, I’m interested not just in what makes for winning teams on the field, but also which ones are most fortunate off the field. Both results are needed to ensure lasting success, which seems so elusive in a … [Read more...]

Does Trying to Be Happy Make Us Unhappy?

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As we muddle through our days, the quest for happiness looms large. In the U.S., citizens are granted three inalienable rights: life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. In the kingdom of Bhutan, there’s a national index to measure happiness. But what if searching for happiness actually prevents us from finding it? There’s reason to believe that the quest for happiness might be a recipe for misery. In a series of new studies led by the psychologist Iris Mauss, the more value people … [Read more...]

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