You should know Phil Jackson if you don’t. One of the great basketball coaches of all time, he gets the best out of his players to motivate them to work as a team. He coached Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, and Shaquille O’Neal, among other greats to eleven championships, plus he won two as a player before coaching. When you see names like Jordan, Kobe, and Shaq in a leadership context,[…] Keep reading →

I found a problem last year teaching entrepreneurship at NYU. Most students I worked with were born outside the U.S. and many wanted to become entrepreneurs. As much as they wanted to start businesses, many of our conversations had this phrase in them: … but I have to get a job with a big company to sponsor my visa. Following on the last year’s successful Women in Entrepreneurship panel, I[…] Keep reading →

Continuing my series on responses to the New York Times column, The Ethicist, looking at the consequences of one’s actions instead of imposing values on them, here is a take on an earlier post, “Campus Police: Precrime Division“. I study computer science at a midsize university, and my school has cameras that cover almost every part of campus. The development of video-processing algorithms that can discern race, height and approximate[…] Keep reading →

Continuing my series on responses to the New York Times column, The Ethicist, looking at the consequences of one’s actions instead of imposing values on them, here is a take on an earlier post, “Sketched Out on the Subway“. I was sitting next to someone on the subway who was surreptitiously sketching portraits of fellow commuters. I once spotted someone opposite me doing this, and actually changed cars when I[…] Keep reading →

Continuing my series on responses to the New York Times column, The Ethicist, looking at the consequences of one’s actions instead of imposing values on them, here is a take on an earlier post, “But I Didn’t Know Filming Fights Was Wrong!“. At my high school, two students were expelled for getting into a fight wherein a teacher was injured. In addition, two students who filmed the fight — and[…] Keep reading →

Continuing yesterday’s series on responses to the New York Times column, The Ethicist, looking at the consequences of one’s actions instead of imposing values on them, here is a take on an earlier post, “Accounting Principles“. My spouse and I earn too much to contribute to a Roth I.R.A. Recently, we learned that it is legal to contribute to a traditional I.R.A. and then convert it into a Roth. My[…] Keep reading →

The New York Times has a column called The Ethicist, where people write to ask for judgment and advice. Though I find the writing generally fun and light, I find the premise—that someone else has more access than you to values, implied to be absolute—undermines people considering their options, considering their values, developing their social skills, developing their empathy and compassion skills, and so on. I see that perspective as[…] Keep reading →

Nobody likes being judged them without asking for it, right? On the contrary… Mere judging isn’t the issue. People judge all the time without annoying people. There’s a nuance there and knowing it will change how you judge yourself and communicate to others. In particular you’ll Feel less guilt Communicate more clearly Provoke fewer arguments Influence more effectively. People don’t have a problem with someone judging them. The other person[…] Keep reading →

Over beers a colleague raised my eyebrows by beginning a sentence with, “So I walked in the Oval Office…” like walking in the Oval Office was just a casual thing everyone does at some point. It turns out he acted as a science advisor for two Presidents. And not just a meeting with a cabinet member here or there, but regular meetings lasting more than an hour. I decided to[…] Keep reading →