After my disillusioning visit and presentation to the scientists at Columbia’s Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, I attended a presentation of a couple NYU researchers who study and teach about our garbage and waste. One studied and documented the amount of waste hospitals create, which is more than you’d expect. The other described how New York City developed its Department of Sanitation, how that department cleaned the city, and[…] Keep reading →

I’m honored for Ron Potter of TLC | TeamLeadershipCulture.com to have written one of his short, no-nonsense reviews of Leadership Step by Step. He and I also recorded a conversation on a science and engineering approach to developing social and emotional skills in ourselves and others based on our collective experience. I’m editing the audio, so stay tuned to hear that conversation when I post it here. I posted his[…] Keep reading →

I’m honored today for Skip Prichard to feature a conversation we had on leadership and leadership development on his blog. I love working with experienced people. He got right to the point and kept the conversation focused, engaging, and meaningful, at least to me. For a teaser, the post begins: Mastering Leadership Concepts Learning how to lead. It’s the focus of many lectures, articles, blog posts, and books. Joshua Spodek[…] Keep reading →

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[…] Keep reading →

No matter how successful you are, there’s probably at least one area where roadblocks are keeping you from fully achieving your goals. The Smashing the Plateau podcast focuses on overcoming these challenges. The host, David Shriner-Cahn of TEND Strategic Partners, interviews experts one thing in common—they all know how to fix problems that keep people and businesses stuck. I was honored to be interviewed by David. We talked about getting[…] Keep reading →

You’ve read the reviews of Leadership Step by Step—51 so far on Amazon, 98% 5-star—and are interested. You wonder how they got so positive. Chris is a professional who did all the exercises in the book as an online course from SpodekAcademy.com. I interviewed him to learn his experiences taking the course and his results afterward. I edited the interview. Here are the highlights (I recommend listening): The full interview[…] Keep reading →

I don’t know if the interviewers are getting better, if I’m developing in conversation, or if I’m just enjoying podcast conversations more, but it feels like the interviews are getting better all the time. Yesterday, Jim Harshaw (scroll down to learn more about him) of the Success Through Failure podcast posted our second conversation. Second conversations lead to greater comfort, depth, trust, and intimacy, so I recommend listening. We cover[…] Keep reading →

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.[…] Keep reading →

Jesse Lahey, who runs the Engaging Leader podcast, led me in a conversation about leadership, how to behave more authentically. The conversation was fun, informative, and, I hope, engaging and inspirational. Jesse kept the conversation meaningful and valuable, at least to me. Listen to the podcast! Listen to the podcast! Here are Jesse’s show notes: To lead and influence others, whether as a workplace leader or as a thought leader,[…] Keep reading →