September 3rd, 2010
Emotionally intelligent signage in a coffee shop
Terry Brock sends this example from Harbour Coffee in Williamsburg, Virginia:
Drive: 2-minute video excerpt
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August 30th, 2010
What a fabled marching band can teach you about innovation
I’ve got a soft spot for people who take on the status quo — of an industry, a sport, an art form — and then turn it upside down and inside out. Think Marcel Duchamp for art. Or Ray Kroc for restaurants. Or Bill Walsh for football.
One such person passed away this weekend: William P. Foster, whose obituary runs in today’s New York Times. Foster was a consummate outsider — an African-American clarinetist who aspired to become a symphony conductor, only to realize that his race prevented him from attaining that position.
So instead Foster decided to reinvent the marching band. He abandoned the staid, military-style, Sousa-centric, lockstep approach prevalent at most football half-times — and replaced it with “shows that infused black popular culture into his routines, blending contemporary music, often jazz or rock, with imaginative choreography, his green-and-orange uniformed band members carrying their instruments at a 45-degree angle, legs bent to the same angle.”
These action-packed, dynamic shows were huge crowd pleasers. Foster’s Florida A&M Marching 100 ended up performing for presidents and prime ministers. And along the way, he — like other innovators of his ilk — established not just a new standard, but a new vernacular for his profession. To get a small taste, check out the clip below. Then ponder how you can be more like the man students called “The Maestro.”
August 25th, 2010
Factoid of the day: Moneyball Redux
“The [Florida] Marlins have spent about $396 million on player salaries from 2000 through 2010, with 873 victories and a World Series title to show. The [New York] Mets have spent about $1.212 billion on salaries in those seasons, with 878 victories and no championships.
In other words, the Mets have spent about $816 million more than the Marlins to win five more games and one fewer title.”
(Source: NY Times, 25.08.2011)
August 22nd, 2010
Is the best vacation policy no vacation policy?
In this month’s Sunday Telegraph column, I explore vacations through the lens of Netflix, Inc., which has taken a peculiar approach to paid holidays. At Netflix salaried employees (though not hourly workers) can take all the vacation they want — whenever they want to take it. Somehow it works. (More: Check out Netflix CEO Reed Hasting’s now legendary slide deck about his managerial philosophy.)
Previous Sunday Telegraph columns:
July: Can you speak human at work?
June: Is Bob the Builder the ideal leadership role model?
May: Could ending sales commissions increase sales?
August 20th, 2010
Emotionally intelligent signage undressed
Where to put your clothing in a department store dressing room might not be the most pressing problem that civilization faces right now. But Eileen Boswell sends this solution-through-signage. As you see below, one peg says “POSSIBLY,” the other “DEFINITELY.”
Not bad. It’s simple, clever, and no doubt effective. The only thing missing is a third peg that says “NO WAY.”
August 19th, 2010
Factoids of the day: Wheels are falling off the wagon edition
It’s Thursday morning and the press is chock-a-block with the sort of factoids that should make any American wince. For example:
- One in five Americans believes our President is a Muslim. Equally scary, 25 percent of Americans believe that Muslims are not patriotic Americans. Three cheers for the combo platter of ignorance and intolerance! (Somebody please listen to what Colin Powell says at 4:40 of this video.)
- Nearly 20 percent of New York City’s public schools lack a certified teacher in even one of the arts disciplines, reports The New York Observer. My guess is that other school districts around the country, especially in a time of tight budgets, aren’t much different. (Meanwhile, China is a taking a very different approach.)
- But it doesn’t seem that de-emphasizing art education is boosting other literacies. According to The Wall Street Journal, “fewer than 25% of 2010 graduates who took the ACT college-entrance exam possessed the academic skills necessary to pass entry-level courses.”
Sigh.
August 8th, 2010
Emotionally intelligent copyright notice
Jennifer Caleshu of the Bay Area Discovery Museum send this “copyright caution” (interesting that it’s not a “warning”) from a course reader in her Haas MBA program:
COPYRIGHT CAUTION: As you know, copyright protection of original intellectual property is a big deal, particularly to the content authors and publishers. Therefore, it should come as no surprise that unauthorized copying or sharing of files, passwords, or access is prohibited. Bluntly, this activity is illegal. As with most things in life, it’s best to just do the right thing.
August 2nd, 2010
Pink Travel Tip #10: The first thing you should buy
PREVIOUS TIPS:
Tip #1 — Never get sick again
Tip #2 — The magic of earplugs
Tip #3 — Four road food rules of thumb
Tip #4 — The rule of HAHU
Tip #5 — More hygiene!
Tip #6 — Staying connected
Tip #7 — Zipping through security lines
Tip #8 — One thing you should never do in a hotel room
Tip #9 — The secret(s) to beating jet lag
July 19th, 2010
Can you speak human?
In this month’s Sunday Telegraph column, I look a the bizarre, distancing, and vaguely incoherent dialect we often use in business.
Then I lay down a challenge: For the next seven days, don’t say anything to your boss, your staff, your teammate, your supplier or your customer that you wouldn’t say to your spouse or your friend.
Think you can do it?
July 17th, 2010
Pink’s Travel Tip #9 — A few techniques for avoiding jet lag
It’s been awhile since we’ve done a travel tip — but here’s one to help those of you who may be traveling to far flung places this summer: My (almost) foolproof strategy for battling jet lag, including a secret formula for falling asleep on the road.
Pink’s Travel Tips — Intro
Pink’s Travel Tips — Tip #1
Pink’s Travel Tips — Tip #2
Pink’s Travel Tips — Tip #3
Pink’s Travel Tips — Tip #4
Pink’s Travel Tips — Tip #5
Pink’s Travel Tips — Tip #6
Pink’s Travel Tips — Tip #7
Pink’s Travel Tips — Tip #8