Why Generous People Get Things Done

The WolfIt’s the day after Christmas, but this is no tale about charitable giving. Sorry folks. 🙂

This is a post about why people who are hardwired to generously serve and help others tend to get things done.

I just read Jeffrey Gandz’s 2007 Ivey Business School article on Go To People (via Martin Zwilling’s more recent summary in Forbes).… Read the rest

Does Safety Automation Make People Stupid and You Unsafe?

Panic ButtonI’ve been fascinated with the long-unfolding analyses of the disaster of Air France Flight 447. It’s a riveting story about human error, leadership failure and physics. But it also underscores how technology and automation — in the spirit of safety and productivity — can have the unfortunate outcome of preventing people from gaining the experience and sensitivity required to take command during abnormal situations.… Read the rest

CMO Tenure – 4 Strategies For Success

Ticking Clock MidnightSpectators and players in the marketing industry love playing monday-morning quarterback when it comes to the short tenures of chief marketing officers (CMOs).

An over-cited backdrop is a stat from a 2004 study by recruiting firm Spencer Stuart, which reported that CMO tenure among top-advertised brands was 23.6 months.… Read the rest

Women Greatly Underestimate How Fast They Become Infertile

Hour GlassLaura and I were among the first of our friends to get married, at ages 23 and 24, respectively. We also were among the first to start having kids, at age 30 and 31.

I never thought of ourselves as young for these life events, though we were certainly young compared to most in our close social net.… Read the rest

Influence, Spinfluence: Rank-and-file are far more likely to start a contagion

Influence, Spinfluence: The rank-and-file citizen is far more likely to start a contagion.

Crystal Ball Eye

If you’re heavy into social media and digital marketing, you’re probably familiar, intrigued or even obsessed with Klout, a Silicon Valley startup attempting to become a standard measure of online influence. … Read the rest