Commentaries

Brandon Stanton and Several Humans of Ukraine

September 18, 2014

Brandon Stanton’s Humans of New York, published by St. Martin’s Press (2013) is one of the best books I have read in several years. He and his camera have roamed the five boroughs of New York and dozens of his…

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Tom Friedman on recent Gallup research: “It Takes a Mentor”

September 17, 2014

Here’s a brief excerpt from an article by Tom Friedman for The New York Times. To read the complete article, check out others, and obtain subscription information, please click here. * * * With millions of students returning to school…

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John Micklethwait and Adrian Wooldridge on “The Age of the Unthinkable”

September 17, 2014

Here is a brief excerpt from an article co-authored by John Micklethwait and Adrian Wooldridge for the Wall Street Journal. They believe tumultuous days in the world’s democracies present an opening for conservative ideas to flourish. To read the complete…

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Are leaders born or developed? Yes.

September 15, 2014

Leadership consists of three separate but interdependent components: character, personality, and skill. Recent scientific research (especially in neurology) suggests the following: o Qualities of character can be altered (for better or worse) only by traumatic experience. o Attributes of personality…

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Due Process: Where Art Thou?

September 15, 2014

Almost daily, there is a public outcry in response to accusations and allegations concerning a celebrity, often an athlete. Although innocent until proven guilty is the law, the reverse is frequently reality: those accused are presumed guilty until proven innocent.…

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Josh Bersin on “Putting the ‘Strategic’ into Strategic HR (and Management)”

September 12, 2014

Here is a brief excerpt from an article by Josh Bersin for LinkedIn Pulse. To read the complete article and check out others, please click here. * * * One of the buzzwords we often use in the talent world…

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Peter Thiel on the Power of Counterintuitive Thinking

September 12, 2014

Briefly, intuition is the ability to acquire knowledge without inference or the use of reason. The word intuition comes from Latin verb intueri which is usually translated as to look inside or to contemplate. Intuition is thus often conceived as…

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The Future of Books: What are the realities?

September 11, 2014

In an article featured in Forbes magazine (2/10/14), “Amazon Vs. Book Publishers, By The Numbers,” Jeff Bercovici cites an important article by George Packer for The New Yorker and then provides information of special interest to me concerning major trends…

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Cheap Words: Amazon is good for customers. But is it good for books?

September 11, 2014

Here is a brief excerpt from an especially important article by George Packer for The New Yorker in which in which discusses whether or not Jeff Bezos and Amazon are good for the book publishing industry. Opinions are sharply divided…

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The “Secret Sauce” of Success in Business

September 10, 2014

As you already know, opinions are divided — sometimes sharply divided — about what is necessary to achieve success in business. According to the best sources of which I am aware, these seem to be the most important ingredients: o…

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