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Here’s a good quote regarding the length of the work week in a knowledge-based economy

From here, regarding Sweden contemplating a six-hour workday: As we transition to an economy dominated by knowledge workers rather than assembly-line workers, where productivity is more difficult to both measure and optimize, we haven’t yet figured out the best formula for maximizing output—something that,… Continue Reading

Brief thought exercise: do you find/believe that more people get promoted based on innate talent, personality, or ability to handle politics?

Toss out what you know/think/believe about performance reviews and the ascension of some to the manager level. Think about this one logically. If you’re going to get promoted, that ostensibly means (a) new (and broader) responsibilities and (b) possibly managing others (or… Continue Reading

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Could Smart Simplicity be the business model wave of the future?

Follow the bouncing ball here: 1. The Fortune 500 was created in 1955; since then, you can argue that the business environment is six times more competitive + complex than it was. 2. As the complexity of a business has increased, most management… Continue Reading

Brief thought exercise: in your work, do you prioritize the how, the who, the where, the why or the what?

Been thinking about this a lot recently; I don’t necessarily have anything dramatically important or relevant to add to the overall conversation, but I still wanted to chime in on it (I mean, this is still a blog I maintain,… Continue Reading

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Machiavelli predicted business silos in 1513, but that doesn’t mean you have to be resigned to them

Check this out, via Harvard Business Review. Here’s a quote. Read it and then let’s talk context: It must be considered that there is nothing more difficult to carry out, nor more doubtful of success nor dangerous to handle, than to initiate… Continue Reading

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Could hierarchy die out as millennials dominate the workforce? Not so fast, my friend…

I wrote back on New Year’s Eve (because my life is enthralling) about Zappos’ corporate culture and the idea of “holacracy,” or a “distributed authority system” that basically gets rid of the traditional manager/”boss” idea. A lot of people over 35 right… Continue Reading

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On loving lists, or how I learned to stop worrying and embrace the future of the Internet

December is inextricably tied up with lists. One of the main songs we hear during the month contains the phrase “making a list, checking it twice…” We want to recap the year and rank everything possible — movies, TV shows, searches,… Continue Reading