I rarely drink coffee—about a cup per decade, maybe. Partly I don’t drink it because I see how dependent people get on it, and how much they spend. Partly because the caffeine affects me so much. I drink it to stay awake only when I consider the reasons I was up late and had to get up early worthy. Otherwise I don’t drink it since I don’t want to reward[…] Keep reading →
Freedom comes from needing less more than having more, in my experience. How little do you need? Can you decrease your needs? I wrote a friend, in response to something he said about needs: I’m sensitive to the word need, since I consider neediness one of the least attractive qualities people can have, so as much as I value sidchas, instead of saying you need to do the thing daily,[…] Keep reading →
My post the other day on LinkedIn, “Google Revealed Donald Trump’s Favorite Words,” began In leadership, words matter. Leaders care about the people they lead and results, which often means caring about others’ interests ahead of their own, even when they disagree. Leaders know others will always have some different values. The challenge is to lead without getting mired in conflict. The most effective leaders influence the people they disagree with most. Consider Nelson Mandela negotiating[…] Keep reading →
Yesterday was the 100th anniversary of Nelson Mandela’s birth. I’ve waited to share something I discovered reading his autobiography a few months ago. First some context. It’s the day of your release. You’re a revolutionary, fighting Apartheid, imprisoned for 27 years, much of it in an 8 foot by 7 foot cell or, if outside, breaking rocks. Meanwhile, you’ve become a global celebrity. Over 200 million people watched your London[…] Keep reading →
My Inc. story today, “Bill Clinton on Nelson Mandela, for His 100th Birthday,” begins Bill Clinton on Nelson Mandela, for His 100th Birthday The father of his nation was born 100 years ago today. Bill Clinton’s anecdote reveals the change he created in the world. Nelson Mandela was born on this day in 1918. Few people become the father of a nation. He was imprisoned for 27 years beginning at[…] Keep reading →
Columbia University offered me nearly $10,000 to fly to Shanghai to teach an entrepreneurship class, block-week style, meaning a semester in a week, 9-5 each day. I’ve taught that way before and got great results. I love teaching entrepreneurship. I’m not bragging to say that my reviews say I’m exceptional at it. I love my alma mater, Columbia, and as an adjunct professor, experience teaching at Ivy League schools helps[…] Keep reading →
https://archive.org/download/freedom_empathy_garbage/freedom_empathy_garbage.mp4 How much waste do you create that others have to deal with? The environment involves more than global warming. As my Inc. piece reported recently, we’re producing enough waste that an island in the middle of the Pacific, with no inhabitants and thousands of miles from any city, is covered with plastic and other waste, most of it needless garbage: I don’t know what to call that amount and[…] Keep reading →