When TEDxNYU invited me to give a TEDx talk with less than two weeks to prepare, I knew a coach would help. I researched and hired John Bates. The result? Three TEDx talks and counting, plus one invited me back to lead a work group for TED Countdown. Plus I count him as a friend. John hosts the Speak Like a Leader podcast. I’m his guest today. We talk about[…] Keep reading →

You’ve heard of my famous no-packaging vegetable stews and that I take over a year to fill a load of trash. Read the reviews. Now see how to do it online! Plant Powered Metro New York is hosting this free online event. October 1, 2020, 6pm-7pm Eastern Click here to register. I’ve cooked for over fifty people with nothing to throw away or recycle after. I led a cooking demonstration[…] Keep reading →

NYU announced a year and a half ago: “NYU to Halt Spending on Plastic Bottles by 2020“, stating The new policy, one of several sustainability initiatives announced today, is expected to reduce waste by over 330,000 plastic water bottles per year. As part of an institution-wide drive toward creating a more sustainable campus, NYU President Andrew Hamilton today announced that NYU will no longer purchase single use plastic water bottles,[…] Keep reading →

Context An attendee at my webinar on Initiative to Booth, the University of Chicago Business School, Eric Zoerb, followed up that he wanted to start a business on sustainability. Like many, he was looking for efficiency. Most of my life I considered efficiency the top strategy. It felt right. Nature doesn’t react to feelings, though, so no amount of feeling it will work will make something work. If you make[…] Keep reading →

In spring 2006, back when universities existed, I earned an MBA. Tomorrow I finish paying the last payment on my loan to pay for it. Its rate was something like one percent, so I didn’t see a reason to pay early, but I still like the idea of paying off the last of my long-term debt. It takes a weight off my shoulders. By contrast, I paid off my higher-interest[…] Keep reading →

See me and other coaches from the Columbia Alumni Association on a panel: Columbia at Home: Navigating a Job Search in a Difficult Market. The event was July 22. Here is the video: I mentioned my book, Initiative, so here’s the link to it. Event notes How do you keep up your job search virtually and navigate a difficult job market? Career experts Caroline Ceniza-Levine ’93BC Julia Harris-Wexler ’83TC, ’14BUS[…] Keep reading →

Many institutions are changing their names, dropping connections to “benefactors” whose practices they no longer accept—slaveholders, opiate pushers, etc. Municipalities are taking down statues of slave traders and the like. NYU prides itself as promoting social justice, yet what of Tisch? NYU-Tisch is its school of the arts and one of its most prestigious schools. I love the place—the first NYU school I taught in, specifically the Interactive Telecommunications Program.[…] Keep reading →

I recently spoke online to alumni groups from the Wharton and University of Chicago business schools on developing initiative, specifically from my book, Initiative. Here are reviews from NYU students who did the exercises I describe in them. I asked if I could share the videos from the webinars. Here they are. As I say in them, I designed them to give you enough to work with on your own.[…] Keep reading →

The four-step process I describe in my first TEDx talk goes: What does the environment mean to you? What do you think about when you act on the environment? I invite you at your option to think of something to do to act on that meaning or motivation? Make it a SMART goal Schedule a follow-up conversation to hear how it goes. My new challenge I developed another challenge for[…] Keep reading →