Bill Fischer
OCTOBER 15, 2012
Nobel prizes are won by people who know what they are looking for! Yes, they are certainly smart, but they are also better-informed about what they need to know. How many of the rest of us can say that with any degree of assuredness? Merely being "smarter" is not the same [.
CorporateIntel
OCTOBER 30, 2012
Last week more than eighty corporate CEOs signed and published a manifesto, agreeing that our nation needs both spending cuts and revenue increases to move forward. It was a simple, clear statement, meant to advise Congress and our soon to be elected President that it is time to break the stalemate. Here is the text that appeared in the Wall Street Journal, October 25, 2012 , reprinted for convenience: “Policy makers should acknowledge that our growing debt is a serious threat to the eco
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Harvard Business Review
OCTOBER 15, 2012
You've started a company and it goes belly-up. Or you launched a new product and not only does it fail to sell, customers actually hate it. Or you get fired. What happens when you dare to dream, make that dream real, and then fail? There's the plucky Henry Ford quotation which admittedly, and almost embarrassingly, I have used: "Failure is only the opportunity to begin again more intelligently.
Bill Fischer
OCTOBER 3, 2012
R. A. Dickey on the mound. (Image credit: Getty Images North America via @daylife) We live in a time of great leadership deficit. Our economies are adrift and our corporations rudderless. Politicians, worldwide, have largely proven unequal the task. So, how odd to find a compelling leadership presence in full-bloom on [.
Speaker: Jady West, VP of Hospitality & Chris Bennett, Head of Sales & Engineering
The modern hotel room is no longer just a place to stay—it’s an experience to remember. Today’s guests expect seamless connectivity, personalized comfort, and high-tech convenience. From AI-powered smart room controls to keyless entry, in-room entertainment, and app-based services, technology is redefining hospitality from the inside out. In this new session featuring industry pros Jady West and Chris Bennett, we’ll explore how high-speed, high-bandwidth connectivity powers the innovations that
CorporateIntel
OCTOBER 5, 2012
I try hard in this blog to leave out my personal politics, which isn’t all that hard to do since I consider the topic of business innovation and its various threads to be about as nonpartisan a subject as there should be. Business enterprise and creativity are as fundamental to a shared sense of values as I can imagine, and where we may often disagree on the “how” I hope we don’t much disagree on the “why.” Together we create our economy, our opportunities,
Harvard Business Review
OCTOBER 15, 2012
Planet Money's Zoe Chace argues that the breakout viral video "Gangnam Style" is no fluke, but a moment Korea has been building up to for 20 years. (Listen to the audio for the full report.) She sees several instructive keys to the ridiculously catchy pop song's success. First, Korea decided to produce music the way they produced cars: industrialize and focus on exports.
Business Innovation Brief brings together the best content for business innovation and strategy professionals from the widest variety of industry thought leaders.
Harvard Business Review
OCTOBER 11, 2012
Recently, I wrote that leaders should be readers. Reading has a host of benefits for those who wish to occupy positions of leadership and develop into more relaxed, empathetic, and well-rounded people. One of the most common follow-up questions was, "Ok, so what should I read?". That's a tough question. There are a number of wonderful reading lists out there.
Harvard Business Review
OCTOBER 4, 2012
In a frenetic, overscheduled world, the fastest path to success is promising the masses a way out. It worked for Tim Ferriss, whose book The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich became a worldwide blockbuster, and it's a winning formula for a bevy of globe-trotting pundits who muse about visiting Benedictine monasteries and rocket to the top of The New York Times' "most emailed" list with essays on "The Joy of Quiet.
Harvard Business Review
OCTOBER 4, 2012
An interview with Dorie Clark , strategy consultant and author of the article "A Campaign Strategy for Your Career.". Download this podcast. A written transcript will be available by October 12.
Harvard Business Review
OCTOBER 3, 2012
It's been said that people don't buy what you do, they buy why you do it. So the goal is not to connect with people who want what you have; the goal is to connect with people who believe what you believe. This isn't my opinion. It's a powerfully proven fact based on the study of the human brain, which Simon Sinek explains here. Traditional advertising and marketing leads with the what, such as, "We make desirable cars with great gas mileage.
Speaker: Kevin Burke, Founder & Managing Director at Digital One and AI & Automation Consultant
AI and automation are currently transforming the way sales and marketing teams operate. Generative AI crafts personalized outreach at scale, while conversational AI bots are engaging prospects in real time. Robotic process automation streamlines manual workflows by triggering tasks the moment a prospect takes a key action, and advanced AI analytics surface hidden patterns in the pipeline, improve forecasting, and help teams make data-driven decisions with confidence.
Harvard Business Review
OCTOBER 3, 2012
Big questions always strike unexpectedly, when our guard is down. I was watching my toddlers splash in the pool last summer when a fellow dad plunged me into revisiting the meaning of home in a globalized world. He didn't mean to. He just asked where we were from. "We live in Boston," I started, "but we're from Europe. How about you?". I learned the name of his hometown, where he owned a business, and prepared myself to tack towards our common ground next — the children's age, the local we
Harvard Business Review
OCTOBER 3, 2012
Big questions always strike unexpectedly, when our guard is down. I was watching my toddlers splash in the pool last summer when a fellow dad plunged me into revisiting the meaning of home in a globalized world. He didn't mean to. He just asked where we were from. "We live in Boston," I started, "but we're from Europe. How about you?". I learned the name of his hometown, where he owned a business, and prepared myself to tack towards our common ground next — the children's age, the local we
Harvard Business Review
OCTOBER 3, 2012
Last week, Procter & Gamble’s board voiced confidence in embattled CEO Robert McDonald. But should we have confidence in the board itself? Bloomberg’s Jeff Green recently took a close look at P&G’s directors, half of whom are acting CEOs of other companies. These leaders aren't just running any old businesses: they’re giants like Hewlett-Packard and Boeing, companies undergoing their own challenges.
Harvard Business Review
OCTOBER 11, 2012
"I read your latest essay." Arms crossed, eyes ablaze. "I don't think you get it. At. All. I really don't.". I'd met Sophie, one of my mentees, for what I'd thought was going to be a pleasant chat over good coffee on a perfect autumn day. "Meaning," she muttered, staring darkly into her cup. And then glaring at me, continued, "What planet are you on?
Speaker: Jason Cottrell and Gireesh Sahukar
Retailers know the clock is ticking–legacy SAP Commerce support ends in 2026. Legacy platforms are becoming a liability burdened by complexity, rigidity, and mounting operational costs. But modernization isn’t just about swapping out systems, it’s about preparing for a future shaped by real-time interactions, AI powered buying assistants, and flexible commerce architecture.
Harvard Business Review
OCTOBER 11, 2012
"I read your latest essay." Arms crossed, eyes ablaze. "I don't think you get it. At. All. I really don't.". I'd met Sophie, one of my mentees, for what I'd thought was going to be a pleasant chat over good coffee on a perfect autumn day. "Meaning," she muttered, staring darkly into her cup. And then glaring at me, continued, "What planet are you on?
Harvard Business Review
OCTOBER 18, 2012
When new entrepreneurs ask me for advice, I sometimes tell them to NYFO — Network Your Face Off. Nearly everything I've accomplished in the past two years, from speaking on CNN to watching my company cross 1.7 million users in less than a year, can be directly traced back to connections I've made and help I've received from a network that is vast, diverse, and active.
Harvard Business Review
OCTOBER 15, 2012
You've started a company and it goes belly-up. Or you launched a new product and not only does it fail to sell, customers actually hate it. Or you get fired. What happens when you dare to dream, make that dream real, and then fail? There's the plucky Henry Ford quotation which admittedly, and almost embarrassingly, I have used: "Failure is only the opportunity to begin again more intelligently.
Harvard Business Review
OCTOBER 30, 2012
If you've always felt a compulsion to meet everyone else's needs before your own, it's hard to imagine being different. People-pleasing is not only what you do, but a strong part of who you believe you are. In some jobs, immediate responsiveness comes with the territory (just think of fire fighters). In others a quick reply is preferable, such as with customer service reps or publicists.
Speaker: Yohan Lobo and Dennis Street
In the accounting world, staying ahead means embracing the tools that allow you to work smarter, not harder. Outdated processes and disconnected systems can hold your organization back, but the right technologies can help you streamline operations, boost productivity, and improve client delivery. Dive into the strategies and innovations transforming accounting practices.
Harvard Business Review
OCTOBER 4, 2012
Senior executives are one of the toughest crowds you'll face as a presenter. They're incredibly impatient because their schedules are jam-packed — and they have to make lots of high-stakes decisions , often with little time to weigh options. So they won't sit still for a long presentation with a big reveal at the end. They'll just interrupt you before you finish your shtick.
Harvard Business Review
OCTOBER 11, 2012
Recently, I wrote that leaders should be readers. Reading has a host of benefits for those who wish to occupy positions of leadership and develop into more relaxed, empathetic, and well-rounded people. One of the most common follow-up questions was, "Ok, so what should I read?". That's a tough question. There are a number of wonderful reading lists out there.
Harvard Business Review
OCTOBER 23, 2012
The waiter was halfway through taking my family's order when his manager called him away. "Where did the waiter go?" Sophia, our seven-year-old, asked. Daniel, our five-year old, looked at me and then answered, "I think he had to take a conference call.". * * *. Even before hearing Daniel's analysis of the waiter's momentary inattention, I knew I had a problem: I work all the time.
Harvard Business Review
OCTOBER 30, 2012
Today we launch the sixth edition of the annual Legatum Prosperity Index™ , benchmarking 142 countries on measures of wealth and wellbeing. For Americans, the headline is a simple if unwelcome one: the US is a nation in decline. For the first time, the US does not rank among the top 10 countries in the world in terms of overall prosperity. If you are familiar with the Legatum Prosperity Index, you know it is an effort to look beyond GDP.
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Harvard Business Review
OCTOBER 25, 2012
You've gotten feedback from your manager as well as word of rumblings within your team: You're seen as a micromanager who tends to get into the weeds — and stay there. You produce great results but senior management sees you as an operational manager and questions your ability to let go and operate at a strategic level. Wait a minute, you think.
Harvard Business Review
OCTOBER 10, 2012
I'd like to say I was surprised by the wave of commentary triggered by my most recent HBR post, but I had a feeling it would get a big reaction. In the post, titled " It's More Important to Be Kind than Clever ," I told the story of a touching gesture by a store manager at Panera Bread toward a customer undergoing chemotherapy, described the huge social-media phenomenon the gesture unleashed, and posed two simple questions: "What is it about business that makes it so hard to be kind?
Harvard Business Review
OCTOBER 10, 2012
I'd like to say I was surprised by the wave of commentary triggered by my most recent HBR post, but I had a feeling it would get a big reaction. In the post, titled " It's More Important to Be Kind than Clever ," I told the story of a touching gesture by a store manager at Panera Bread toward a customer undergoing chemotherapy, described the huge social-media phenomenon the gesture unleashed, and posed two simple questions: "What is it about business that makes it so hard to be kind?
Harvard Business Review
OCTOBER 30, 2012
No single challenge has been greater for me as a leader than learning how to take better care of the people I lead, and to create a safe, supportive space in which they can thrive. Like most men I know, I grew up with very little modeling around empathy — the ability to recognize, experience and be sensitive to what others are feeling. Empathy proved especially difficult for me whenever I felt vulnerable.
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Harvard Business Review
OCTOBER 31, 2012
You can find plenty of people who disregard bigger enterprises, stating they are not the future. Plenty of people — including here on Harvard's blog — espouse the theory that big companies can't innovate. This argument is both old and wrong. Joseph Schumpeter, the noted economist, said — in 1909 — that small companies were more inventive than large ones.
Harvard Business Review
OCTOBER 18, 2012
"The corporation for me is a theater, and I try to remember to stay in character.". That's the blunt response from one African-American executive to a dilemma that dogs many people of color in American workplaces: Even as multicultural fluency is increasingly prized in today's global business environment, the very people who represent that diversity feel shut out.
Harvard Business Review
OCTOBER 10, 2012
Successful leaders and managers alike constantly stress the importance of developing their employees. But do they appropriately recognize the importance of how their employees might develop them? One of the world's top coaches thinks not. While chatting about "coachability" with Sir Clive Woodward — who had coached Great Britain's world champion rugby Lions and served as Director of Elite Performance for the wildly overachieving British Olympic team — he casually observed that, in rea
Harvard Business Review
OCTOBER 17, 2012
Chris Argyris' " Teaching Smart People How To Learn " utterly changed the way I thought about management. It didn't just give me a somewhat different view; it convinced me of the exact opposite of what I had believed before I'd read it. That's a heck of a lot of influence for 10 and a half pages! At the time, I was a director at the strategy consulting firm Monitor, and a few months before the article was published in the May-June 1991 issue, we had formed a four-person Global Executive Committe
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