‘How Design Makes Us Think’ looks at the sociological, psychological, and historical reasons that some visual cues resonate so powerfully. All design in any media is created to engage the viewer. Designers use typography, images, form, material, and color to communicate a message, whether designing a 2D graphic, automobile, or telephone. The communication is often…
Arguing your way to better strategy
In Making Great Strategy, Stanford business school professors Jesper Sørensen and Glenn Carroll fill a long-standing gap in the literature by explaining how to rigorously formulate and thoroughly vet a strategy. They provide the tools to make and apply a valid strategy argument and explain how to use them to construct a bridge between strategic…
The post-pandemic office dilemma: Who returns and who works from home?
Organizations must decide what happens to the pre-pandemic perks—the gyms, game rooms, and other amenities that defined daily office culture. In 2020, organizations quickly pivoted to remote work—regardless of their previous capabilities and setups. For some industries, this was an easy and seamless shift. For many others, it was unfamiliar—and at times, a major struggle. …
Humor is such an important leadership trait we teach it at Stanford’s business school
As trust in authority figures erodes, teams want leaders who are inspiring and relatable. In the quaint days of yore, inspirational leaders possessed some unique combination of intelligence, bravery, charisma, moral superiority, and cunning resolve. Ernest Shackleton drifted on sheets of ice for months to rescue his stranded crew from the Antarctic sea. Harriet Tubman…
Overlooking the City
High in his office overlooking the city, AgentSwift speaks with a customer. CUSTOMER: The equipment was supposed to be delivered this morning and they didn’t show! AGENTSWIFT: I know. I’ve already escalated to the vendor contacts to request new ETAs. In the meantime, we’ll re-schedule resources and deliverables to contain this. CUSTOMER: You did? Oh… AGENTSWIFT:…
Is organizational culture the hero or villain of your pandemic story?
How has corporate culture affected organizations’ responses to the COVID-19 pandemic? Strategy&’s Katzenbach Center, which studies culture, teaming, and leadership, is researching cultural effects on adaptability, teaming, productivity, and caring — four key areas that changed dramatically in 2020.
NYSE Buzz: What to know about the new ETF that tracks hot stocks on social media
Powered by artificial intelligence, a new exchange-traded fund was developed to trawl social media, news articles, and blogs. After video game retailer GameStop’s quadruple-digit, Reddit-driven rally caught institutional investors completely off guard in January, Wall Street is adding a new weapon to its arsenal: An exchange-traded fund that tracks stocks heating up on social media. Read…
Jack Dorsey’s Square is buying a majority stake in Jay-Z’s Tidal
A marriage of music and commerce. Can’t knock this hustle: Jack Dorsey‘s Square is acquiring what it calls a significant majority ownership stake in Tidal, the music streaming service owned by Jay-Z. Read Full Story
Nike Vaporfly 4% was only the beginning. A ‘super shoe’ revolution is afoot
With the introduction of super fast running shoes, athletes are shattering records left and right. And the shoes aren’t likely to disappear any time soon. In the 1960s, when traditional cinder athletics tracks were replaced by spongy, synthetic surfaces, endurance running experienced a revolution. Long distance runners began clocking far faster times on the synthetic…
Had it with email? Give personal office hours a try
In this excerpt from Cal Newport’s new book, the author argues one-on-one time is not just for academics. Instead, office hours can be an important way to take back your time. In early 2016, I published an article with a purposefully provocative title, ‘A Modest Proposal: Eliminate Email.’ Though I’d been writing about the unique…
5 ways to check on your team’s well-being without being invasive
Here’s how to express empathetic curiosity about your workers, without seeming like a snoop. During a recent video meeting, one of our star employees appeared to be struggling. She was uncharacteristically reserved and distracted. Her contributions were also scattered, when she’s usually precise and outspoken. COVID-19 has turned life upside down for many of us,…
How to make your virtual meetings more fair to introverts
It takes more than just keeping tabs on how much each team member is talking to ensure that you’re hearing everyone’s ideas. It’s easy to understand the value of extroverts in a team meeting. In collaborative settings, extroverts contribute enthusiasm and high energy, keeping momentum going and balancing out introverts’ more reflective nature. But on…