Uncategorized Posts
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Blog / ChangeThis
Go Do: How Hard Can It Be?
By Porchlight
"It's important to realize that the only true barrier in life is you. Sure, there can be obstacles that you face every day and people who are impediments to achieving your goals, but ultimately, you will be the reason that you achieve or fail. I quite often tell folks that they have to "Go Do." Frequently, on social media, you will see that two-word charge from me because I hope it will click with folks in need of motivation. There are so many people out there with the "woe is me" attitude; what they must realize is that they are causing the woe and they are the only conduit for change."
Categories: changethis
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Blog / ChangeThis
Guarding the Guards: Crushing the Bureaucratic Rules that Limit Success
By Tom Rieger
"Fear is destroying companies. Or more specifically, fear of loss is causing companies to destroy themselves. As managers are forced to do more with less, contend with limited resources, or battle for headcount and budget, many will begin to build walls to help protect their ability to meet their own local goals. Unfortunately, sometimes those walls become so high that those inside lose sight of the ultimate outcome. Their world becomes defined by the piece, and not the puzzle. With the best of intentions, barriers are born, particularly if the rules that are created make it difficult for others outside of the silo to succeed."
Categories: changethis
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Blog / Staff Picks
The Coming Jobs War
Book Review by Porchlight
Right now, some of us are sitting in positions we've held for years, and looking forward to staying that way. Others are scrambling to prove their worth in a highly competitive market. Yet others still may have given up, after years of trying to find work, with no hope in site.
Categories: staff-picks
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Blog / Staff Picks
Talk Normal
Book Review by Porchlight
Jack reviewed a great book a few years ago called The Management Myth: Why the “Experts” Keep Getting It Wrong. It is a serious book critiquing what the author calls "the pseudoscience of management theory," a call for us to look at management theory not as a science, but as a philosophy. A question at the heart of that book is the efficacy of business jargon—that is, does the language we invent around business topics really produce a better understanding of those topics, or simply make the speaker of that language sound more clever, studied and imbued with expertise.
Categories: staff-picks
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Blog / New Releases
Uncertainty
By Porchlight
I remember taking swimming lessons when I was a kid. I hated them. They were early in the morning so the water was a bit colder than usual, and besides, it was swimming - something I couldn't really do, and worst case scenario, if I really screwed up, could drown from it.
Categories: new-releases
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Blog / Excerpts
Is Your Idea Crazy Enough? An Excerpt from Creative Thinkering
By Sally Haldorson
IS YOUR IDEA CRAZY ENOUGH? An Excerpt from Creative Thinkering: Putting Your Imagination to Work by Michael Michalko The playful openness of creative geniuses is what allows them to explore unthinkable ideas. Once Wolfgang Pauli, the discoverer of electron spin, was presenting a new theory of elementary particles before a professional audience.
Categories: excerpts
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Blog / News & Opinion
Marshall Goldsmith at G5
By Porchlight
Our friends at G5 Leadership are gearing up for their October 12th online event, this time featuring Marshall Goldsmith and his fantastic book, Mojo. Here are some of the things you’ll learn from this workshop: • Learn the 5 factors of optimum personal performance. • Know the 3 core elements that effect self-confidence.
Categories: news-opinion
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Blog / Excerpts
The Flaw and the Preface to Lost Decades
By Porchlight
This will be the second year that 800-CEO-READ sponsors a film at the Milwaukee Film Festival. Last year it was the David Hillman Curtis directed concert film of David Byrnes's 2008/2009 tour, Ride, Rise, Roar. As a company full of musicians and music lovers, sponsoring the film seemed to fit our personality and culture.
Categories: excerpts
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Blog / News & Opinion
Joe Nocera Interview
By Porchlight
The following post and Q&A was written and submitted by Tom Ehrenfeld. Joe Nocera is one of the best business journalists working today. He combines a deep knowledge of business with a healthy dose of skepticism, not to mention a good journalist’s passion for poking the powerful in the eye when they need it.
Categories: news-opinion
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Blog / Staff Picks
The Future of Value
Book Review by Porchlight
According to Eric Lowitt, author of the new book, The Future of Value, sustainability and outperforming your competition at the same time, is a choice, not an impossibility. The first part of the book describes how sustainability creates value. And in this case, sustainability refers to "a continuous, unwavering commitment that companies make to balance their financial returns with environmental impact and social equity investments.
Categories: staff-picks