The opposite of civilization is human nature. And occasionally, regrettably, human nature finds a way to break through the behavioral, cultural, social, and even religious boundaries constructed assiduously around it. We define this “breaking through,” as conflict, violence, and—at the nation-state level—war. The purpose of civilization is to hold back Read more…
Two things are happening simultaneously in our organizational cultures, our markets, and our personal lives. We have established non-curiosity (“I don’t care how it works, I just want it to work”) as the new standard for engaging with the work, the ideas that interest us (or not) and the world Read more…
There is a story (probably apocryphal) that the comedian Louis C.K., burns his jokes, his stand-up material, and his writing after successfully delivering it at the end of each year. This story reads like a corollary to the idea (popularized through the constant repeating of the alleged actions of the Read more…
When the answer to the question is “Nobody,” we’ve got to reexamine what the inherent messages are in the funnel of school to work. When the answer to the question is “I already work hard enough,” we’ve got to redefine the term “hard” away from breaking concrete in the sun Read more…
Change comes upon us gradually. Change comes in our organizations when we hire one person, and then two, and then more, who think differently about the mission, vision, values, and goals of the organization. Change comes when the people (or persons) at the top of a hierarchy choose to give Read more…
If connection is the product of the future, the problem is not going to be connecting; human beings connect naturally–and arbitrarily. If connection is the product of the future, the problem is not going to be developing the tools and technology to mediate, facilitate, develop and encourage those connections; human Read more…
A friend once pointed out that he doesn’t watch films that portray either a dystopic future (i.e. Children of Men or Blade Runner) or a utopian ideal (i.e. Avatar or Gattaca) because they tend to be less than realistic. There is a lot of talk (and writing) going around about Read more…
The courage to make the decision to act in the first place is the thing that is lacking the most. The courage to raise our hands, take responsibility, and to engage with accountability (rather than assigning blame or taking credit) is the work that your children will eventually be paid Read more…
Most people don’t see it. Confusing the primacy of what we can see, touch, taste, and feel, closes our human perceptions to the potential financial and monetary value of what we cannot measure and codify with our five senses. This is evident in the primacy of the use of relationship Read more…
It’s hard to know what the best advice is. After all, it’s been a long 2016, and its shaping up to be an even longer 2017. Here is a list of some ideas to keep you going in the year to come. Or too look back on and wonder what Read more…