You Work Here, Therefore We Own You

“You work here, therefore we own you.”

That’s the modus operandi for many white-collar employee agreements, which often assert that full-time employees should not take on any freelance work. And companies that do permit full-time employees to freelance often require prior written consent.… Read the rest

How To Be Happy, According To Professor Srikumar Rao

Our culture and acquired mental models predispose many of us to unhappiness, but things don’t have to be that way. That’s according to Professor Srikumar Rao, the feature guest at the January 28, 2010 Interesting Café, Clickable‘s innovators and culture event series.… Read the rest

Getting Fit And Feeling Better

I used to keep in shape — until my son Julian was born three years ago. I quickly found it impossible to schedule serious exercise into my life while raising an infant, being a husband and working as a marketing executive at a tech start-up. For three years, I’ve averaged six hours of sleep per night (or less), the bare minimum, and a recipe for weight gain and heart problems.… Read the rest

Recession Duress? Work Smarter, Not Harder

Recessions suck. Layoffs suck. And for the “lucky ones” who sustain employment amidst downsizing? Life can suck for them, too.

Being a New Yorker, I’ve talked recently with many of the latter, lucky ones – from industries like media, advertising, banking and the arts.… Read the rest

Passion Flight

Passion is at once one of the most influential, misunderstood and undervalued factors that determine business success. I believe strongly in passion for a host of reasons, including its connection to purpose and competitive advantage.

Passion is not addressed often enough in formal business, which is why I was delighted to read John Hagel’s latest think piece on the subject.… Read the rest