If You’re Not Facing Reality, You’re Engaging in Fantasy
We’re supposed to learn from the past, live in the present and plan for the future. At least that’s the theory. But we all know that’s not really how it works in practice. We’re becoming more...
View ArticleFacebook Envy
Facebook envy: Jealousy resulting from the misperception that everyone has a great life but you. It’s actually not Facebook’s fault that we tend to portray ourselves in the best possible light online....
View ArticleThis is How iRoll
Twelve-hour workday. Feed the dogs. Chicken tacos with black beans and guac (for us, not the dogs). Hornitos margaritas. Marvell’s Agents of Shield and iZombie on TV. Typical Tuesday at the Tobaks. And...
View ArticleYour Ego Doesn’t Need a Global Footprint
As executives and business leaders, we used to be very clear on who our stakeholders were: customers, investors, and employees. Maybe a few strategic partners in the channel or supply chain too, but...
View ArticleSocial Media Engagement Is So Overrated
“Everybody’s talking and no one says a word.” – John Lennon, from Nobody Told Me It was a sad day when LinkedIn opened its Pulse publishing platform to everyone. Not that I ever read what influencers...
View ArticleOn Being Open Minded
I’ll never forget the first time I had a to manage a religious nut. I’m not trying to be critical or facetious; he really was a zealot. Religion was all he talked about. And he pushed it on others...
View ArticleHarvard Law’s Smellygate: I’ve Got to Ask, WTF?
Every morning I wake up, check out what’s going on in the world, scan my inbox, and start pondering what to write about. That’s the process. ICYDK, you can send me tips, ideas, articles you think I...
View ArticleAll’s Fair in Love, War and Botox
I’m sitting in a dermatology clinic and I’ve got to tell you, this place is booming. The waiting room is huge and close to full. There are almost as many pharma sales reps as patients, but still. If...
View ArticleWhat Really Ticks Me Off
It’s Mother’s Day. I did all my wife’s chores and let her sleep in this morning. Does anyone ever do my chores on Father’s Day? Nope. I still have to do pool maintenance, weed whack, fertilize the...
View ArticleBehave Like an Adult — Somebody Has To
I suppose there have always been self-important, thin-skinned people who take themselves too seriously. I never really paid them much attention. After all, that’s what they want, right? Attention. My...
View ArticleKool-Aid Culture: Why Do So Many Drink It?
They say a sucker is born every minute. According to my math, over the course of a lifetime, that formula would account for about 40 million suckers or roughly ten percent of the U.S. population. I...
View ArticleI Hugged a Liberal, and I Liked It
Had lunch with a very impressive business associate yesterday. She’s a flaming liberal. I’m not. She loves Hillary. I don’t. She’s also smart, kind and funny. She has a strong work ethic and a good...
View ArticleOn Taking the Road Less Travelled
There’s nothing more annoying than a contrarian who revels in taking the opposing view just to get a rise out of people and feel important. But that’s very different from questioning the status quo and...
View ArticleQuit Trying to Be Liked. It’s Phony … and Dumb.
I just came across what’s got to be the hundredth article this year alone on why you should be likable. The author, yet another leadership coach (don’t even get me started), cited politics as the basis...
View ArticleThe Gun Debate: Clear Thinking vs. Partisan Politicking
There’s a startling lack of nuance in today’s culture. Folks pick a side — left or right — and use data, studies, articles, posts and opinions, whether they’re legitimate or not, to support their...
View ArticleBan Phones in Meetings? You’re Kidding
I’m reading this dopy article about phone etiquette in meetings and the only thing I can think of is that I can’t believe a business school like USC does research on this nonsense … and that the WSJ...
View ArticleRemembering Summers at the Beach
Summers have always been special to me. After all, I grew up by the beach. We may have lived in a tiny apartment in a rent-controlled high-rise across the train tracks from a violent slum, but just a...
View ArticleWhat Makes You Click?
The most important question in business used to be “What price will make customers buy?” But pricing decisions are quickly becoming a dynamic function of big data analytics that takes place way up in...
View ArticleWhy ‘Pokémon Go’ Scares the Crap Out of Me
There’s no doubt that gamers obsessed with playing Pokémon Go will end up walking into trees, stepping off curbs into traffic, and getting mugged at PokéStops in shady locations. And some moron will...
View ArticleCan We Quit Idolizing Rock Star CEOs Now?
The other day, a friend asked what I thought of Elon Musk. That sort of threw me for a loop. My friend’s not a tech industry guy; he’s actually in construction. I told him pretty much what I write in...
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