I started to write the following for an Inc. article, but decided it was too controversial. Women, Men, and Equality? Diversity in teams tends to create better outcomes. Why is it missing in some places? This topic ends up being controversial, though I don’t think it should. I feel equality is important to write about, especially in business and entrepreneurship. July saw harassment scandals in Silicon Valley, which prompted stories[…] Keep reading →

The Perfect Workout, Perfected? Regular readers know I find physical conditioning integral to leadership (and a rich, rewarding life). Research shows it. Research shows a few exercises work the whole body and cardiovascular system with low risk of injury–particularly swimming, cross-country skiing, and rowing. The first two need pools or snow. Rowing requires only an indoor rower, which is why I’ve put over 1,000,000 meters and hit big achievements (for[…] Keep reading →

RJ Khalaf took my course at NYU, Fundamentals of Social Entrepreneurship, a few years ago. His class project evolved into LEAD Palestine, which led the Dalai Lama to name him a Dalai Lama fellow. He also appeared on the Leadership and the Environment podcast and was a panelist on our expert panel last week. Saturday he gave his first TEDx talk at TEDx NYU. All credit goes to him for[…] Keep reading →

RJ and I talk about the early success of LEAD Palestine, the organization he began to teach leadership to youths that most of the world abandoned in Palestine. Where their environment made it natural to respond with hopelessness and what comes from it—desperation to the point of aspiring to blow oneself up—RJ is bringing social and emotional development to create hope themselves. They happen to have been born into a[…] Keep reading →

Entrepreneur Magazine covered me for the first time, with a video no less, in Are People Born Leaders? The story begins Joshua Spodek, author of Leadership Step by Step: Becoming the Person Others Follow, talks about how people aren’t born leaders but instead develop leadership skills throughout life as a result of the obstacles life throws at them. He states that every great leader has learned leadership, but “no one’s born[…] Keep reading →

You often have to choose between options without enough information. How do you choose? You can never know everything you want for all life choices, yet you can’t avoid acting. Today I’m posting my answer by audio. I start with a story of a student with just such a challenge and show what we can learn from situations like them. I consider these lessons among the greatest one can learn.

My latest Inc. article, “A Contrarian View of Invention,” begins A Contrarian View of Invention We put innovation and invention on pedestals. Should we? I’ll start by pointing out that I have several patents to my name. I conceived of the inventions and wrote the patents. I have advanced degrees in science. I started several ventures. I’m not writing to brag or put patents or innovation down, just that I think I hold my own on innovation[…] Keep reading →