Ok, it sure is nice to have geniuses on hand for your innovation projects and goals, but how often does a genius cross your path? Or work for you? But what’s cool about innovation is that it can come from anywhere and anyone—. I’m sure you’ve heard the old saw about thinking outside the box; […]
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A Compromise that Sent 150 Strangers to the Beach!
JetBlue recently engaged in a social experiment of sorts aboard one of its aircraft: the result was an interesting lesson in both social dynamics and the value of working together for the best results. As related in an UpWorthy post last month, The 150 passengers on Flight 603, bound for Phoenix from Boston, were asked […]
It’s All Personal!
It’s time to bury that old excuse for bad or questionable behavior in business – you know, the one where the executive “kindly” remarks after stepping all over someone, “It’s not personal, it’s just business.” At the International Association of Outsourcing Professionals (IAOP) conference this week I was sitting in on a session on negotiation […]
Good Relationships are Good Business
What do you want most out of life, or in other words, what will make you happiest? Most people will say wealth, followed closely by fame – but according to psychiatrist Robert Waldinger, they are mistaken. As the fourth director of the 75-year-old Harvard Study of Adult Development, one of the most comprehensive longitudinal studies […]
Trust = Profit
Getting trust aligned and embedded in your commercial relationships takes you to that simple equation. Trust = Profit. Why? Trust is the essential ingredient for organizations to feel good about investing in value creation and innovation, which are needed for long-term success. Trust of course is a common thread and theme in all of my Vested books, […]
A New Year’s Wish
I heard a good quote about transparency the other day to the effect that many businesses still think “transparency” is something you put on the overhead projector and write on with a grease pencil. Ok, I may be dating myself a bit with that one but the point is transparent, er, clear: “transparency” is an […]
Check Out These Vested Stocking Stuffers
Holidays filled with the collaborative spirit of Santa, the “jolly old elf,” and his helpers always endure. Are you still looking for the perfect gift or gifts for your business partners? Here’s a great suggestion for all Santas looking for cyber stocking stuffers. And for those who are also looking for bargains—these are all free! I […]
Douglass North – A Lasting Legacy of New Institutional Economics
Douglass C. North, a Nobel laureate famed for his groundbreaking work on “new institutional economics,” died on November 23. He was 95. North – a professor, economist, philosopher, and economic historian – was the co-recipient (with Robert Fogel) of the 1993 Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences “for having renewed research in economic history by applying […]
People, Inspiration and Dreams
Sometimes it’s necessary to state, or restate, the obvious: it’s always about people, whether it’s innovation, dreams and the inspiration that drives innovation and dreams made reality. I’m thinking along these lines at this time of the year—when dreams seem especially prevalent for young and old. Walt Disney said, “You can design and create and […]
The Lessons of the V-Formation
Recent research described in USA Today that relates how and why certain birds fly in a perfect V formation is fascinating. But it is also telling in terms of how migrating birds work together to reach their goal with the lowest amount of energy. Scientists did the first extreme close-up of GPS-equipped northern bald ibises flying in a V formation to […]