As my mom likes to say when she’s happy, I am sooo excited! We just uploaded a sample of the Blue Jean Manifesto into Kindle. Here’s a picture of the cover of the book, downloaded onto the Kindle reader of my graphic design guru, Deanne Roberto . This technology is incredible! And I am learning it requires a rethinking of how to write for digital vs. print media. For example, we found out that the Table of Contents is WAY too long and complex. A good reminder to return again to one of my personal and professional mantras – find the simplicity in the complexity. Back to the … [Read more...]
The Blue Jean Manifesto: Making a Living in a Jobless World
January 26, 2011 By
This is my third book on leadership, career and having a life. So why do you need The Blue Jean Manifesto: Making a Living in a Jobless World ? Because: It is a book about what to do in a world where jobs will forever more be uncertain (where layoffs as a corporate cost management tool will always be a matter of when, not if) It is a book about why continuing to think of yourself as an "employee" (even if you currently have a job, even a good one) is the riskiest thing you can do to your career and your income It teaches you a fundamentally different perspective on careers and … [Read more...]
Second Acts (Put Your Blue Jeans On)
September 16, 2010 By
Second acts in the theatre refer to the middle of a story. Note: not the end, the middle. The middle is often the most powerful part – here love is challenged, resolve is tested, obstacles arise and dreams are still waiting to be fulfilled. In the popular press, second acts increasingly refers to people (by circumstance or by choice) creating a new beginning in their life, particularly in their job/careers. For example, U.S. News and World Report publishes a regular feature on celebrating your passion through career reinvention. Financial media like Forbes and the Wall Street … [Read more...]
Play is Serious Business
July 1, 2010 By
Stuart Brown, M.D. is a medical doctor, psychiatrist, clinical researcher and the founder of the National Institute for Play. He has spent his career conducting more than six thousand “play histories” of human beings across the spectrum – from serial murderers to Nobel Prize winners. (As any overworked parent can attest to, no surprise that murderers don’t get enough personal play time!) Seriously, Brown’s research has landed him on PBS, the cover of The New York Times Magazine, and the pages of O: The Oprah Magazine. The man knows his stuff. And his mission is to shift … [Read more...]
You Can Read… but Can You Play?
June 30, 2010 By
Sir Ken Robinson, a leading thinker in the field of education, poses the following question: How do we educate our children for a world that we increasingly cannot plan for? Take a moment and really think about that question. How DO you deal with a world you can neither anticipate nor control? What worked in the past can no longer be counted on. The old rules may no longer apply. And key factors are no longer fixed, but variable and shift faster than expected. Sir Ken makes an eloquent case that, in a world driven by technology and constant change, creativity is now as important … [Read more...]
The #1 Skill CEO’s Now Look For
June 29, 2010 By
In my last newsletter I introduced the topic of creativity and play: If you need a little more help in justifying some time away from work, here you go: play is serious business. Medical researchers, education experts and leading business thinkers are increasingly making the bottom line case for the power of play. Because play is the play-ground for creativity. And bottom line, our ability as a species -- to adapt to constant change and to innovate new products, services and markets -- is literally impossible without it. In a new survey of 1,500 chief executives, IBM’s Institute … [Read more...]
The 7,000% Return on Investment
June 17, 2010 By
Many years ago I was privileged to work inside The Coca-Cola Company under the leadership of Roberto Goizueta. After a long and dedicated career with the company, Robert died at age 65 of cancer. The day he died was the first board meeting he missed since he became chairman of the soft drink giant 16 years earlier. During Roberto’s tenure at the helm of Coke, he was credited for turning a cranky, old, conservative company into a global marketing and branding juggernaut. Case in point: from the time he became CEO in 1981 until he died in 1997, total return on Coke stock exceeded 7,000%. … [Read more...]
Waking Up to the Hard Costs of Crappy Talent Management
June 16, 2010 By
From where I sit, way too many companies are now dangerously smug in their belief that they have the cat-bird’s seat. The horrible economy of the past 18 months has translated into the misguided conclusion that employees are under the corporate thumb. Corporate math seems to add up something like this: a bad economy = no jobs = we can treat you any way we want = you will stay and work even harder than before = we will increase our revenue and profits. Forget for a moment about the “soft” implications (the impact on individuals, families, communities, etc.). That is seriously flawed … [Read more...]
Tip of the Iceberg: More Workers Starting to Quit vs. Being Let Go
June 15, 2010 By
Take the dismal job numbers at a high level and you might assume that most workers are staying scared and staying put – no matter how bad their job is or how toxic their work environment may be. So you think you’re stuck where you are? Maybe not. Head hunters are calling again (from what I’m hearing on the front lines in my work with leaders and high-potential talent). And check out the information below from The Wall Street Journal on May 25th: “As the job market begins to loosen up, human-resource managers might increasingly be surprised by an announcement from employees they … [Read more...]
The Weird Gift of Getting Older: Taking Back Your Own Destiny
June 9, 2010 By
I went for my annual physical a couple of months ago. Generally that is a non-remarkable event. I’ve been blessed with good health and do my best to exercise, eat right, get enough rest and reduce stress. So it feels really weird today to sit on the other side of two rites of mid-life passage: a breast cancer scare (luckily additional mammograms proved that false); and a bone scan showing that I’m in the early stages of osteoporosis. I mean come on, I’m barely pushing 46! When I watch Sally Field talking about bone loss and Boniva on TV, I don’t think that she’s actually talking … [Read more...]
