learning

Cut Yourself Some Slack, Willya?

George Dennis — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 21:23:24 -0500

If this year has taught many in business anything, it is how failure can reach out and grab even the most successful enterprise. Yes we all have been reminded that failure is a fact of life but we may have forgotten that failure is also part of the process.

That’s not to say that I don’t empathize with those who’ve lost their jobs and fortunes in the process. However, history clearly shows us that flourishing organizations and entrepreneurs come about only after graduating from the School of Hard Knocks.

Nonsense At Work

James McIntosh — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 06:13:45 -0500

Don’t waste a nonsense moment:

Can Smart.fm's iPhone App Really Teach You Brain Anatomy?

Chris Dannen — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 11:56:54 -0500

Dozens of to-do apps and voice recorders have allowed the iPhone to serve as a safety net for all the things that slip through our brains, forgotten. But can an iPhone app really help you remember?

Sales and Status - Business Improvisation at its Best

randy sabourin — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 13:22:04 -0400

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The Coolest Schools in the World

Cliff Kuang — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 09:45:03 -0400

Today, World Architecture News unveiled the finalists for it's Educational Building of the Year, and it's an impressive lot, designed to solve real problems. Here's a round-up of the six competitors:

Twitterprise: Bringing Whole Selves to Work

Marcia Conner — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 14:11:30 -0400

I began using Twitter out of spite. Fast Company had a mass website upgrade and some links weren't working. Our editor was suddenly unreachable (after saying we should contact her if we needed any help). I had a deadline and I was stuck. Looking for additional contact information in Plaxo, I saw she was tweeting from a cab, commenting on the messenger's bike beside her.

Leading the Way Out of this Economic -- and Ethical -- Mess

Brian McDermott — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 11:21:26 -0400

I'm looking for any sign I can find that we're in recovery -- not
only that the economy is turning around, but that the mindset that led
us into this mess is shifting.

I found a good one.

Learn More with Less: Nontraditional Fundraising for Corporate Education

Marcia Conner — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 13:41:29 -0400

The first article in this series focused on enrolling the help of more people.
The second article addressed free and lost-cost content.
The third article (here) approaches nontraditional fundraising.

How to Feel Hopeful in Hopeless Times...

Brian McDermott — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 23:23:30 -0500

"There is no sense being a pessimist.
It would never work anyway." -- Unknown

The news is...

Aw, pick a negative. Fill in the blank with any gloomy descriptor you can think of to depict just how un-rosy things are in the world right now. It's easy, right? It's not so easy to see through that news all the way to optimism. But it is possible.

How to Cut Costs Strategically...

Brian McDermott — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 18:03:10 -0500

"What are you doing to contain or cut costs to get through 2009?"

I was a blind-copy recipient of this question in an email from a colleague the other day. It came with the promise that answers would be shared anonymously among those of us willing to throw our ideas into the conversation.

I'm tossing out a couple of thoughts. They're based on the experience I've had the last decade working with leaders to create and implement strategies for change, improvement and innovation -- which often has been shaped by the need to hang on for dear life.

Career Advice from Eric Feng, Chief Technology Officer of Hulu

Chuck Salter — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 16:53:13 -0500

1. If someone wanted to land a job at your company today, how would you recommend he or she do it?

We obsess about quality. We pay attention to every pixel on the site, every second of every video, every comment from every customer. We hope to find people who share a similar obsession about quality in everything that they do. If that's you, visit hulu.com/jobs or drop us a line at jobs@hulu.com.

2. What is the best piece of career advice you've ever been given, and who gave it?

A new journey

Fenella Smith — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 11:20:36 -0500

This weekend marks the start of a new journey for President elect Barack Obama. He is leading Americans toward a historical day on Tuesday, January 20th, through his words of hope, optimism, and valor for the future . He is absolutely Thinking Beyond his Current Circumstances . . . in a BIG way! Thinking Beyond Your Current Circumstances is about positive change, transformation, and evolvement. It is also about being tenacious and resilient despite adversity and afflictions. What are you doing to Think Beyond Your Current Circumstances?

Do Something Different...

Brian McDermott — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 23:48:17 -0500

Gerry (my partner at GrowthWorks) and I created a Leading Innovation workshop this year based on our book. We delivered the training for a high-tech company to its top 400 managers around the world. At the end of day one of each session I gave the participants a homework assignment:

Do something different... and pay attention to see if you notice anything special...

It could be as simple as driving a new way to work. I did the assignment 19 times in Berlin, London, Sydney... And I was rewarded every time.

Manifesto for the 21st Century Family Network

david grandison — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 07:37:15 -0500

Manifesto for the 21st Century Family (Archive and Social Network)

Twitter Your Time-of-Day

Marcia Conner — Sun, 21 Dec 2008 21:29:34 -0500

When a dear friend sailed away from the town he'd called home for decades, he probably assumed his small cadre of Twitter followers was alerted to his bon voyage. Not so. I only learned about his departure hours later when a mutual friend mentioned it in his updates and I followed a link. There I learned I'd missed not only the launch; I hadn't seen a handful of fascinating updates, critical changes, and significant life events posted during hours I'm rarely online.

Learn More With Less: Low-cost Content

Marcia Conner — Sun, 07 Dec 2008 21:37:58 -0500

The first article in this series focused on enrolling the help of more people.
The second article (here) addresses free and lost-cost content.
The third article approaches nontraditional fundraising.

Learn More With Less: Corporate Education in the Current Economy

Marcia Conner — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 20:38:33 -0500

I've directed large education organizations with huge budgets and small departments without a dime. Training rooms I managed accounted for the largest portion of real estate on a spatial corporate campus and another time I ran the training function of a startup out of my attic office. The journey has been a productive one, sometimes flush with money, other times only rich in experience. Each has its merits and all were educational.

Can Twittering Create an Economy of Words?

Marcia Conner — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 22:36:03 -0500

Business leaders tell me they can't use Twitter (or its enterprise-strength counterparts) because they don't have enough space to capture deep thoughts and bright vision. This admission often follows a conversation about why they don't want their people to use these tools, which ironically often has more to do with productivity and legalities than making room to say something big.

Are Employees Twittering Away Productivity?

Marcia Conner — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 20:06:03 -0500

Answers to executives' tough questions about microsharing in the enterprise.

As the enterprise microsharing market grows all in, I hear from skeptical leaders befuddled by this trend, wanting to be reassured their people aren't simply wasting time. Here are specific questions I've received and how I respond to each.

Question: How can all of this yammering be good for business and my bottom line?

The New Media Skills

Marcia Conner — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 22:48:32 -0400

It's time to review the new set of skills people of all ages require to succeed.

After my son told me recently he couldn't find one of his favorite books and that I should, "order another one online," he climbed into my office chair and set his hands on my laptop keyboard as if to suggest he would show me how if I needed his help. The novel part of this exchange was that he had just turned four years old -- and he hasn't bought anything (that I know of) online.

Enterprise Micro-Learning

Marcia Conner — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 00:53:04 -0400

If you can't fathom how Twitter can help your company, read on.

When a student opened fire on the Virginia Tech campus last year, the school had no systematic way to alert those in harm's way. In the days that followed, organizations nationwide began asking, "Does my organization have the ability, in a few minutes, in the event of a crisis, to notify everyone involved?" What if fire, an earthquake, an explosion, or a hurricane rendered our email and phone systems useless? How would people receive information critical to their lives?

Face to Facebook Learning

Marcia Conner — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 02:17:09 -0400

I'm a voracious learner. In addition to reading magazines, books, blogs, tweets, and faces, I persistently look for patterns, connections, anomalies and what's new. I tolerated school only because it was where my friends were and because occasionally I could talk with adults who seemed to know a bit about topics that might someday matter.

Learning Dis'

Marcia Conner — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 16:27:32 -0400

On a drizzly day in Madison Wisconsin, several hundred of my classmates stood in line on Bascom Hill waiting to audition for bit parts in the Rodney Dangerfield movie Back to School. Although I was nowhere near the set months later, and this entire event took place decades ago, I still hear Rodney's voice in my minds-ear whenever I witness someone giving learning no respect.

What I Learned During My Summer Vacation

Marcia Conner — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 23:55:12 -0400

June through August, when I was young, entailed family trips around the state. In September, when asked about my vacation, I would say brightly, "I visited Mexico, Paris and Lebanon," and then in a quieter voice, "without ever leaving Missouri." Although my family didn't go far, we were always learning. The show-me state attitude instilled at an early age, while riding in the back of a Buick Riviera, resurfaces each year around this time.

Learn, for a Change

Kevin Ohannessian — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 11:37:30 -0400

Citing a quote from 19th century writer Thomas Carlyle, Bud Bilanch talks about learning after your formal years of study are finished in his new blog. I admire the concept that it is the books you read and the study you do after college that truly makes you. Granted, that is after a childhood and educational years have shaped you tremendously. It is the years after education where a person is given the opportunity to fine-tune themselves into the adult they want to live their life as.