In his recent post, “Make the Work Worth Doing,” Chris Lehmann, founding principal of the Science Leadership Academy, lists questions tremendously useful for leaders or anyone who wants to engage others and create meaning in their work. His perspective reinforces how important how you lead or teach is compared to what you do or teach. If you think you can’t learn from a high school principal how to improve your[…] Keep reading →

“What’s the difference between leadership and management,” people often ask. Here’s one difference I often illustrate with. Most people I know haven’t sold things and are afraid of selling. They fear rejection, failure, putting themselves out there, bothering people, and those parts of selling. They know most people feel the same. A great manager can create incentives for someone to sell, like with big commissions, training, resources, and a clear[…] Keep reading →

My Inc.com article today, “3 Obstacles Blocking Your Passion and How To Overcome Them,” begins 3 Obstacles Blocking Your Passion and How To Overcome Them Do you wish you could commit to a passion like your role models? Here are 3 hurdles nearly everyone has to overcome. “Jane,” a student in my entrepreneurship class, asked during office hours: Josh, I like how you’re making this class experiential, but my project[…] Keep reading →

See the new Spodek Academy Facebook page… My courses (available now!) and book (launching in February!) are growing beyond this blog and deserve their own site. Yesterday I announced the new Spodek Academy web page (despite my aversion to Facebook and LinkedIn). Today I’m announcing the Facebook page, which will host forums, discussions, and more on leadership, entrepreneurship, active learning, hustling, The Fundamentals of Hustling, and more. As subscribers, would[…] Keep reading →

See my new web page… My courses (available now!) and book (launching in February!) are growing beyond this blog and deserve their own site. Click Spodek Academy or the image below! You’ll see videos, fuller explanations of the courses, testimonials, and more. … And new social media sites! To create business connections with customers (and in contrast with my aversion to Facebook and LinkedIn), I’m creating Facebook and LinkedIn pages.[…] Keep reading →

My Inc.com article from last Monday (sorry, I fell behind), “How to Pivot Like a Pro,” began How to Pivot Like a Pro Think you have a good idea but facing resistance? Here’s how to change it to a great idea your customers love and your competitors envy. Changing your business’s direction is hard, especially when you love your current plan. It could be the difference between customers loving you[…] Keep reading →

My Inc.com article today, “11 Reasons Why School Business Plan Competitions Should Die” begins 11 Reasons Why School Business Plan Competitions Should Die Who benefits when venture capitalists ‘give’ money away? Who loses? If the customer is valuable, who is the customer when a business plan competition sponsor pays its award? Whom did the contestant focus on–the long-term customer or the venture capitalist sponsor? Schools once didn’t teach entrepreneurship. Then[…] Keep reading →

See me on a panel on entrepreneurial leadership with the Columbia Business School Alumni Club (all are welcome, membership not required), Thursday, October 13, 6pm-8pm at Norton Rose Fulbright US LLP, 1301 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY. Register Here! I look forward to seeing you there. From the event page: Entrepreneurial Leadership: Leadership in Starting a New Business Effective leadership is of vital importance at all stages of[…] Keep reading →

Have you ever found young adults self-righteously holding ideas, unwilling to consider alternatives? I have. This summer I also saw a room full of them change their minds in an instant on an issue I know they would have been fixed about before. I taught a summer session of high school students entrepreneurship. One exercise is to project financials for your project for two years. I’ve gotten good at helping[…] Keep reading →