Inc.com

Awareness / Entrepreneurship / Inc.com / Leadership / Nature

Science: This Remote Paradise Is Most Trashed Spot on Earth

My Inc. post today, "Science: This Remote Paradise Is Most Trashed Spot on Earth," begins serious but connects it to entrepreneurship and leadership. It starts: Science: This Remote Paradise Is Most Trashed Spot on Earth Two scientists report that this once-pristine paradise on Earth, now covered with plastic junk. Leaders and entrepreneurs can act. If you haven't heard, you must have been hiding under a rock. Or maybe a piece of useless plastic junk: A pristine paradise is covered with the greatest density of garbage measured, mostly plastic trinkets whose existence improved the life of no one, according to a paper, "Exceptional and rapid accumulation of anthropogenic debris on one of the world's most remote and pristine islands," in the Proceedings of the National Academy…

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May 24, 2017

5 Pieces of Advice From an Internet Entrepreneur Who Overcame More Than You Did, by Joshua Spodek

Entrepreneurship / Inc.com / Tips

5 Pieces of Advice From an Internet Entrepreneur Who Overcame More Than You Did

My Inc. article today, "5 Pieces of Advice From an Internet Entrepreneur Who Overcame More Than You Did," begins 5 Pieces of Advice From an Internet Entrepreneur Who Overcame More Than You Did If the adversity you face is less than his, his simple advice may help you overcome it. How many internet sensations make you think, examine your life, or motivate you to realize your potential? Many, like Psy and Justin Beiber, entertain. Others, like TED talks, fascinate. Still others, like the Ice Bucket Challenge, are fun. Since Inc.'s world eschews flash, pure entertainment, and publicity in favor of thoughtfulness and helping others entrepreneurially, you'll be forgiven if you don't know our community's internet influencers quite as well. Meet a truly self-made internet entrepreneur I've…

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May 15, 2017

Malcolm Gladwell, Seth Godin, Google, and a Harvard Expert: Colleges and Universities Are Broken, by Joshua Spodek

Education / Entrepreneurship / Inc.com / Leadership

Malcolm Gladwell, Seth Godin, Google, and a Harvard Expert: Colleges and Universities Are Broken

My Inc. article today, "Malcolm Gladwell, Seth Godin, Google, and a Harvard Expert: Colleges and Universities Are Broken," begins Malcolm Gladwell, Seth Godin, Google, and a Harvard Expert: Colleges and Universities Are Broken They aren't just complaining. They're offering alternatives. Malcolm Gladwell couldn't be more clear in his podcast about a school ranked by some as the number one liberal arts college: There's only one solution. If you're looking at liberal arts colleges, don't go to Bowdoin. Don't let your kids go to Bowdoin. Don't let your friends go to Bowdoin. Gladwell's podcast gave the context, about the school's values. You can rest assured he chose his words deliberately, and other episodes criticized other problems with education today. Witness Seth Godin's altMBA's criticism: Unlike traditional…

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May 11, 2017

Inc.com / Leadership

$1.1 Billion and 3 NBA Championships: Leadership Lessons

My Inc.com story today, "$1.1 Billion and 3 NBA Championships: Leadership Lessons," stems from my interviewing basketball legend Byron Scott and business mogul Charles Norris, on their new book, Slam-Dunk Success: Leading From Every Position on the Court. Meeting them and getting solo time together to talk about leadership, growth, and learning was tremendous. The story begins $1.1 Billion and 3 NBA Championships: Leadership Lessons A Chairman of the Board and an NBA champion player and coach take on improving you as a leader in their new book As the crowd dissipated from the basketball court from their New York City launch event for their book Slam-Dunk Success: Leading From Every Position on Life's Court, Byron Scott and Charles Norris answered the questions everyone asked…

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May 1, 2017

My Inc.com article today. Click to read it.

Fitness / Inc.com / Models / Tips

More of why I don’t think of vegetables, fruit, and exercise as preventing cancer, heart disease, and diabetes

My Inc.com article today, Why I Don't Think of Vegetables, Fruit, and Exercise as Preventing Disease, begins Why I Don't Think of Vegetables, Fruit, and Exercise as Preventing Disease Why consider unhealthy normal? Why not consider healthy the default? I've written before that I don't think of diet, exercise, and behavior as preventing cancer, heart disease, and diabetes. I'm not a medical doctor, so this article isn't about medical advice. It's about leading yourself. It's about beliefs and mental models, which you can choose, which influences yourself, your behavior, and others' too. Recent articles touting "Exercise 'keeps the mind sharp' in over-50s, study finds" and "Cycling to work can cut cancer and heart disease, says study" prompt me to follow up. I love that people…

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April 26, 2017

Education / Inc.com / Nature

Science: College Can Decrease Your Understanding of It. A Harvard Physicist Is Undoing the Damage

My Inc.com article, "Science: College Can Decrease Your Understanding of It. A Harvard Physicist Is Undoing the Damage," begins Science: College Can Decrease Your Understanding of It. A Harvard Physicist Is Undoing the Damage Studies show that traditional lectures tend to lower students' understanding of physics. Harvard professor Eric Mazur developed techniques that work, and innovators can learn from them. If we want to improve our world, we need to know science--not just to solve problems, but to understand the underlying patterns of nature. Many of humanity's greatest advances came from physics: radio, transistors, lasers, the world wide web, leaving Earth, and so on. Science and physics will be essential in solving our future challenges: global warming, fusion, alternative energy, and so on. Society, innovation,…

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April 21, 2017

Inc.: 4 Skills Not Taught in the Ivy Leagues that Every Great Leader Must Master

Education / Inc.com / Leadership

“4 Skills Not Taught in the Ivy Leagues that Every Great Leader Must Master”: Inc. on me!

Inc.'s columnist and bestselling author Kevin Daum wrote about me and Leadership Step by Step today. Usually when I post Inc. article's they're by me. This one is about me. It begins: 4 Skills Not Taught in the Ivy Leagues that Every Great Leader Must Master People don't just wake up as leaders. Like any athlete or artists, they must acquire certain techniques to become masters of the art of leadership. Here are some of those skills. Joshua Spodek, author of the bestselling Leadership Step by Step: Become the Person Others Follow, got his MBA at the Columbia Business School in hopes of becoming a top entrepreneur and leader. He soon realized that the degree was the start of his mission, not completion: "Business school…

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April 11, 2017

My Inc. post today about problems with business plan competition

Education / Entrepreneurship / Inc.com

What’s Wrong With Business Plan Competitions: A Student View

My Inc. post today, "What's Wrong With Business Plan Competitions: A Student View," begins What's Wrong With Business Plan Competitions: A Student View More reasons business plan competitions hurt entrepreneurship: from a student they're supposed to help I've written in Inc. before about problems with business plan competitions. Most voices promote them as unerringly valuable to students and entrepreneurship in general. I'm presenting a contrary voice from an important source--a student. I'm not suggesting it's the last word, nor all voices, but a voice from the supposed beneficiary. Context I teach entrepreneurship at New York University. NYU and many organizations in Silicon Alley host tons of competitions and pitch events. I've also started several ventures over more than two decades and participated on both sides…

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March 31, 2017

My interview of Jonas Tahlin, CEO of Elyx, Absolut's foray into retaking the lead in premium vodka

Entrepreneurship / Inc.com / Leadership

So You Want to Build a Luxury Vodka?

My Inc. article yesterday reflected my journey from a pipe-dream I had in business school of starting a vodka brand to meeting the CEO of Absolut's attempt to regain the lead it lost decades ago, Jonas Tahlin. He's taking on the challenge in part by connecting himself personally with the brand. He has lots of resources but a lot to lose. The article, "So You Want to Build a Luxury Vodka?," begins So You Want to Build a Luxury Vodka? Premium is more personal and vulnerable than ever. Do you have the guts to do it? Jonas Tahlin shares what it takes behind Absolut's foray with Elyx. I had a great idea for a vodka in business school. Starbucks had just acquired Ethos Water and…

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March 30, 2017

Entrepreneurship / Inc.com / Leadership / Nature

Why Do We Dream Big About Everything Except Changing Our Behavior to Pollute Less?

My Inc. article today, "Why Do We Dream Big About Everything Except Changing Our Behavior to Pollute Less?," responded to a New York Times opinion piece yesterday that I found lame, even sad. My piece begins Why Do We Dream Big About Everything Except Changing Our Behavior to Pollute Less? A New York Times editorial illustrates our limited vision about our shared world Inc. readers are resourceful. We dream big. We entrepreneurs and visionaries are inspired by our predecessors in science, technology, entrepreneurship, leadership, NASA, and so on. People who launched humans to the moon, doubled transistors per chip every 18 months for generations, worked for equality and fairness, beat humans at chess and Jeopardy!, and more. We look to Mars, fusion, and artificial intelligence…

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March 27, 2017

Inc.com / Leadership / My Favorite Posts / Nature

365 days without flying

My Inc. article yesterday "365 days without flying," began 365 Days Without Flying Leadership means taking responsibility for my actions and empathy for those affected It's so easy to think greenhouse gases come from "other people," but when I learned that a flight across the country polluted roughly one year of driving, I could no longer tell myself flying wasn't that big a deal. So I told myself I would not fly for one year. I returned from my last trip March 23, 2016, so today marks day 365. Everyone loves travel, so I probably lost most readers who don't want to sacrifice seeing the Great Barrier Reef before it dies, or acknowledge what's killing it. But this article isn't about deprivation or sacrifice. The…

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March 23, 2017

Fitness / Inc.com

Emotional Obesity and Making Yourself Emotionally Fit and Authentic

My Inc. post today, "Emotional Obesity and Making Yourself Emotionally Fit and Authentic," begins Emotional Obesity and Making Yourself Emotionally Fit and Authentic Laura Coe's book, Emotional Obesity, and podcast, The Art of Authenticity, address your mind's fitness like your body's Can you think of anyone in a leadership position who seems inauthentic? Do you like your leaders inauthentic? We are skeptical of leaders who lack authenticity. They seem to have hidden agendas, which scares us in a leader. We want leaders to guide in stressful times, when we can't help ourselves. Difficult times are when hidden agendas hurt us most, when we are most vulnerable. Having just published a book on how to develop leadership skills, I've been interviewed on dozens of podcasts. Laura…

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March 13, 2017

Exercises / Fitness / Habits / Inc.com / SIDCHAs

90,000 burpees!

I decided to post my regular 10,000-burpee increment update on Inc. first this time. I'm only supposed to sample the beginning of the article when it first goes up. So click to my Inc. post, "90,000 Burpees Today," which begins 90,000 Burpees Today I started my daily burpee habit in December 2011. Today I hit my 90,000th. I'm a 45-year old man and I've done burpees every day since December 21, 2011, inspired by a New York Times article by Gretchen Reynolds in which a fitness expert, Dr. Martin Gibala, suggested them as a candidate for the single best exercise. Neither of them expected anyone to do just them, but I did. I've written about them here and on my blog. I consider myself in…

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March 10, 2017

Inc.com

How This 19-Year-Old Entrepreneur Made Himself a Media Darling

My Inc. article today, "How This 19-Year-Old Entrepreneur Made Himself a Media Darling," begins How This 19-Year-Old Entrepreneur Made Himself a Media Darling Rarely does someone who succeeds through genuine, authentic helpfulness. His strategy is the opposite of most people's expectations. Do you like seeing your name in print? Do you want to market yourself or something you do? When you write a column in a prominent outlet like Inc. and a longstanding blog, you get a lot of requests for people who want exposure. Some are pushy and repel you. Some are polite and ineffective. Rarely, one approaches who is both polite and effective. Rarer still is one who is young, genuinely helpful, and successful at creating his own media outlet. A couple months…

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March 7, 2017

Habits / Inc.com / SIDCHAs

2,500 Blog Posts and What I Learned Writing Them

My Inc. article today, "2,499 Blog Posts and What I Learned Writing Them," began 2,499 Blog Posts and What I Learned Writing Them Today will mark my 2,500th blog post, without missing a day since January 2011 2,225 days ago, on January 29th, 2011, I wrote my first blog post of a daily streak I have continued to today and expect to continue until I can't. Wordpress users will recognize this screen shot: My next post, which will be a reference to this article, will make 2,500. Here is my archive listing them all. In the beginning... When I started, I thought I had maybe a dozen ideas to share. I didn't think how far I'd get, but figured I'd run out of posts soon.…

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March 3, 2017

Inc.'s Playbook: "How to Get Your Employees to Work With Passion," by Joshua Spodek

Inc.com / Leadership / Tips

The heart of my leadership technique in a 46 second video!

On top of my column with Inc., I did a series of videos in their Inc. Video: The Playbook series. Other speakers in the series include Tim Ferriss and Tony Robbins. Yesterday we posted a video of me: How to Get Your Employees to Work With Passion subtitled Joshua Spodek, author of Leadership Step By Step, explains the importance of making members of your team comfortable sharing their motivations with you. Click here or the image below to see the video.

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February 24, 2017

Blog / Habits / Inc.com / SIDCHAs

2,461 Blog Posts in 2,191 Days

My Inc.com post Saturday, "2,461 Blog Posts in 2,191 Consecutive Days," began 2,461 Blog Posts in 2,191 Consecutive Days What I learned in six years posting daily On January 29, 2011 I wrote the first blog post of an unbroken streak. Today finishes the sixth year. Tomorrow I'll start year 7. Here's the blog: www.joshuaspodek.com, and here is an archive of all the posts. Here's a picture of the blog header, with me swimming across the Hudson River, which I blogged about. EDIT: Coincidentally, after writing this post, Glenn Leibowitz's podcast, Write With Impact, posted its interview, "Joshua Spodek's Strategy for Developing a Daily Writing Habit," which covered similar ground as this article. I recommend listening to it. The Numbers That means 2,191 days 2,461…

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January 31, 2017

Exercises / Inc.com / Leadership / Tips

Broaden and Deepen Your Network Using This Simple Hack

Today on Inc., my fellow columnist, Dave Kerpen, CEO of Likable Media, followed up on my recent article about sending gratitude emails. He pointed out how the practice works beyond what we expected, since he promotes gratitude exercises too. Read the article to see how the practice led us to meet and immediately and easily connect because of it. In particular, we found ourselves in the middle of a tighter circle of mutual connections of valuable people than either expected. The article, "Broaden and Deepen Your Network Using This Simple Hack," begins Broaden and Deepen Your Network Using This Simple Hack What you can learn from leadership professor Joshua Spodek How often do you see a practice you love and teach taken to a whole…

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January 10, 2017

Exercises / Fitness / Habits / Inc.com / SIDCHAs / Tips

A burpee app?

My 2,192 Days of Burpees post and Inc. article got a lot of responses, including questions how to start from people who felt inspired by this free, zero-equipment, zero-cost, low-risk, healthy, and so on practice. One reader asked if I could recommend an app. I wrote back Glad to hear from you and that you're inspired. I prefer not to use an app. Like brushing my teeth, I just know if I'm going to bed without doing my burpees. This way I don't depend on anything external. If I want to know how many I've done cumulatively, I get out a spreadsheet and plug in my starting date in one cell and the current date in another. Taking the difference tells me the number of…

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January 7, 2017

Art / Entrepreneurship / Inc.com

This Start-Up Is Revolutionizing Museums: Museum Hack will change how you visit them forever.

My Inc.com post today, "This Start-Up Is Revolutionizing Museums," begins This Start-Up Is Revolutionizing Museums Museum Hack will change how you visit them forever. Did you grow up bored with museums too? Grown-ups talked about them like they were an adventure but they made them feel like history class for old people. Times have changed! An entrepreneur and his team have transformed museums into exciting, vigorous, personalized adventures where you meet people, run around the museum, and, while you weren't paying attention, still learn about art. Their company is called Museum Hack. Its founder, Nick Gray, who didn't like museums growing up either, created it out of a hobby. He gave irreverent, informative, fun, free tours to his friends describing his take on New York…

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December 28, 2016

Inc.com

The Productivity Trap: A Holiday Lesson

My Inc. post today, "The Productivity Trap: A Holiday Lesson," begins The Productivity Trap: A Holiday Lesson The value of time away being time away, if you use it well. My client, "Dan," was a producer. Working in finance, he sold services to hedge funds. He was his firm's number 1 seller. For being number 1, his managers rewarded him with recognition and attention. The more he produced, the more reward he felt. The more reward he felt, the more he produced. He felt like a champion... until he took time to reflect on his situation. Then he saw the cycle of reward and productivity not as championship training but like a hamster wheel. He didn't have ownership in his firm. Nor did his tiered,…

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December 23, 2016

Inc.com / Leadership

Leaders Listen: Crossing the Political Divide

My article on Inc.com yesterday, "Leaders Listen: Crossing the Political Divide," followed up my recent post, "If You Voted for Trump, Let's Meet," which I recommend reading first. It sets up contacting people who supported Trump, a group barely represented around lower Manhattan, especially at NYU, where I teach. Yesterday's post began: Leaders Listen: Crossing the Political Divide What happened when I spoke to people on the opposite pole of everyone around me. Manhattan voted nearly 9:1 for Hillary Clinton--lower Manhattan, where I live and work, probably more so. New York University, where I teach leadership, entrepreneurship, and sales, probably yet more still. Wednesday after the election, the neighborhood was eerily quiet, like someone had died. Soon after, students demonstrated, chanting, "Not my president." To…

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December 22, 2016

Fitness / Habits / Inc.com / SIDCHAs

2,192 Days of Burpees

My Inc. article today, "2,192 Days of Burpees," begins 2,192 Days of Burpees I've done burpees every day for the past 6 years, about 85,000 so far. I'm just getting started. In April 2011, the New York Times Magazine published an article asking fitness experts, "What's the Single Best Exercise?" In it, Martin Gibala, the chairman of the department of kinesiology at McMaster University, suggested the burpee. I had to look it up. You drop down, do a push-up, then jump. Pictures and animations here illustrate it. No equipment, gym, spotter, or anything necessary. Gibala studies high intensity workouts, as his upcoming book, The One-Minute Workout: Science Shows a Way to Get Fit That's Smarter, Faster, Shorter, documents. The article said: "It builds muscles. It…

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December 21, 2016

Art / Awareness / Inc.com / Leadership / Nature

Leonardo DiCaprio, Martin Scorsese, and Trent Reznor’s Important but Flawed Statement

My Inc.com article today, "Leonardo DiCaprio, Martin Scorsese, and Trent Reznor's Important but Flawed Statement," began Leonardo DiCaprio, Martin Scorsese, and Trent Reznor's Important but Flawed Statement Before the Flood brings global warming to your living room and Hollywood. But does it lead to changing the behavior that causes it? Leonardo Di Caprio played Romeo, the lead in Titanic, then the highest grossing film ever, and won an Oscar fighting a bear. Martin Scorsese is the most Oscar-nominated director alive, having revolutionized film making and directing over half a century. Their movies earned 31 Oscar nominations and grossed $1.3 billion. Trent Reznor has won an Oscar and Grammy for his scores. Time named him one of the world's most influential people. Fisher Stevens, with a…

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December 13, 2016

Inc.com / Leadership / Tips

Want Results? 29 Ways to Support Your Teams

My post on Inc.com today "Want Results? 29 Ways to Support Your Teams," begins Want Results? 29 Ways to Support Your Teams To achieve more or rise faster, you need great teams. Teams do as well as you support them. Do you support yours enough? If you want to achieve more for yourself, to do more for your firm, or to rise to the top, teamwork will always beat what you can do with your two hands. And any team, no matter how talented its superstars or how well supplied, runs on support from its leader. Without it, they'll falter. With it, the most mediocre individuals can collectively produce greatness. The value of support Think of the times you've achieved most with a team. How…

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December 9, 2016