Author Archives: admin

Until recently, I hadn’t really known any great leaders. As a writer, the highest-ranking people I deal with are editors, and they’re pretty much just writers who have gotten lazy. The only thing an editor has ever led me into … Continue reading →

Over the 23 years since we met, my wife Eleanor and I have spent considerable time, money, and energy on our development. Individually and together, we’ve taken workshops, studied meditation, practiced yoga, written in journals, talked about our dreams, participated … Continue reading →

People talk about Francis Bacon as the last person to know everything. Apparently, these people don’t know any 15-year-old girls. Because these girls know everything. And they just can’t believe we don’t. And parents! Don’t get them started. Plus, 15-year-olds … Continue reading →

My last HBR blog post, How to Close a Sales Call, reviewed sales call closing techniques. Now let’s analyze whether or not you are a natural born closer. The drive to take command of a situation is instrumental to a … Continue reading →

Facebook’s shares open for trading today. Chances are, you’re holding your breath or rolling your eyes. Whether you’re inspired or baffled about the company’s valuation and prospects, the occasion is hard to ignore. What we are witnessing, and participating in, … Continue reading →

While Facebook’s rise took many by surprise, its success was little surprise to the hundreds of researchers who study social interactions in neuroscience labs across the country. Over the last decade, these neuroscientists have uncovered some unexpected quirks of the … Continue reading →

Polymath is one of those words more likely to show up on the SAT than in everyday conversation. But the reason we don’t use the word much these days has less to do with vocabulary than it has to do … Continue reading →

Facebook “goes public” tomorrow. Imagine what it might be like inside the company right now. Soon, paper stock option agreements tucked into employee compensation folders could erupt into cascades of real dollars. Maybe employees will soon barge through the doors … Continue reading →

An interview with Paul Polman, CEO of Unilever. This interview is featured in the forthcoming June issue of HBR. Download this podcast A written transcript will be available by May 24.

In my last blog post, I encouraged thoroughly investigating the culture you’re thinking of joining. In the comments, some people agreed they needed to learn about culture but were unsure how to approach it. A few were skeptical. I believe … Continue reading →