Betterment

This year I worked on fascinating projects in energy, media and health* at Magnetic, and learned many learnings.

Most leadership advice says the same thing: to be a good leader, you need to be generous, humble, and authentic. My guest, professor of organizational behavior Jeffrey Pfeffer, would say that kind of advice may make us feel good and represent the world as we’d like it to be, but it doesn’t actually work in […]

A coach talks to you, a mentor talks with you, and a sponsor talks about you. Each can play a valuable role in your career growth.

"A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts"

It’s the age-old question. What boosts creativity? What’s the best way to get in the zone? Hint: It’s not drugs and booze (although it might increase how

When markets are in turmoil, like they have been for most of this year, I like to have a buy-and-hold mindset when it comes to making new investments. It is hard to know when you’ve reached the bottom and can start buying again, but if you think about a ten or twenty-year hold, then it […]

Hurry, sure. We need to hurry. Hurry puts it up on our priority list. Hurry gives us urgency and focus. But rushing is something that leads to errors and then apologies. “I’m sorry, I r…

“I need your John Hancock.” “He’s the prodigal son of our family.” “That job was like working in the seventh layer of hell.” “He has a Willy Loman-esque resignation about him.” “We’re navigating between Scylla and Charybdis here.” Anybody with the literacy of an eighth-grader could read those sentences. Heck, a third-grader could read those […]

Earlier this week I've been reading a brilliant post Writing Down What I Do — In Obsidian from Chris...

Try to fit in every general and conceptual detail when describing a very big concept and it’s likely that we’ll be confused. When you’re intent on explaining all of it, we glaze o…

Perhaps that super-genius is playing a very well-thought-out long game, anticipating every countermove with plenty of resources and alternatives at hand. It might be the local business you’re…

The Roman Empire enabled an early version of globalisation that offered travellers adventure, novelty and opportunity

In the 19th century, scientists conducted dissections on live animals to study their living anatomy. Known as “vivisection,” the operations were highly controversial. While some argued that vivisection imparted valuable insights that couldn’t otherwise be gleaned, others felt the additional knowledge the practice produced was negligible, especially when weighed against the cruelty involved in harvesting […]

Why you need a system, not just a collection of tips, to tackle tougher challenges.

Gratitude might be the way forward. So much of what ails us gets a bit better when we say ‘thank you.’ Even when it’s hard. Especially then.

How to beat back test anxiety and face down any challenge with confidence.

Posted on Thursday 24 Nov 2022. 884 words, 9 links. By Matt Webb.

They say the best consultants plan for their own obsolescence i.e. they do such a good job imparting new skills and knowledge to their clients, that

Our world has never been more convenient and comfortable. With just a few taps of our fingers, we can order food to our door, access endless entertainment options, and keep our climate at a steady 72 degrees. We don’t have to put in much effort, much less face any risk or challenge, in order to sustain […]

It changes. It changes as we age, and it changes depending on the situation. A second-grader might think that a boring class is never going to end. A bad cold might feel endless, unless we have the…

Surprising results about what matters for learning from a famous study.

Satsuki Fujisawa's motivational message was picked up on camera in Beijing.

There are ways to have a productive conversation with someone you disagree with.

Former Ogilvy ad-man and current Executive Creative Director at LG US, John Long, recently sent out a deliciously snarky tweet. It’s a photo of a famous

If you often find yourself saying “sorry” in a way that doesn’t advance the conversation, it might be interesting to substitute “thank you” instead. So, “I&#8217…