Work life

Then Listen Once you make it comfortable for people to open up, resist the urge to jump in and help. Instead, show your people you care by listening. “When I was earning my Green Beret, my leader said, ‘Your success here at this unit is going to be determined by your ability to listen,'” says Van Camp. “Instead of solving problems or telling them your thoughts, sit back and just listen. When you do, don’t let your mind wander. Pay attention, and you can feel a relationship building.” … [Read more...] about A Green Beret shares how to deal with uncertainty as a leader

The pandemic, though, means that no one can retreat into the comfort of the status quo. Nothing works as it did in January; nearly everything we do has had to change. That gives companies of all sizes the opportunity to realize all the potential productivity gains they’ve been stockpiling but not taking full advantage of. Companies like Alibaba and Google are expanding the use of drones to make the ultimate in contactless deliveries. Nike is producing online exercise classes to boost demand for its workout gear. In less than a week, Sysco, the big food-distribution firm, built an entirely new supply chain and billing system to serve grocery stores. … [Read more...] about The 5 ways founding a startup prepared me for the pandemic

Soon after protests erupted in May following the killing of George Floyd, Reynolds was forced to grapple with his own complicated personal history. His and Lively’s 2012 wedding took place at Boone Hall, a former plantation in South Carolina. Press coverage at the time focused mostly on the glamour of the event, though some pointed exceptions noted the callousness of holding a celebration in a place where slaves had suffered and died. It wasn’t until 2018 that the story caught on in a significant way, when a tweet Reynolds posted in praise of Black Panther (the first superhero blockbuster featuring a largely African American cast) sparked a viral response accusing him of hypocrisy. The actor is still clearly pained by the hurt the wedding caused, as well as by his own lack of judgment. “It’s something we’ll always be deeply and unreservedly sorry for,” he says. “It’s impossible to reconcile. What we saw at the time was a wedding venue on … [Read more...] about Ryan Reynolds on ‘Deadpool,’ diversity, and the secrets of successful marketing

For hundreds of years, the cause of disease was believed to be miasmas, or foul-smelling air. Eventually, in the 1880s, medical science realized invisible microorganisms were the source of contagion, and that germs could be quietly passed from person to person. Unlike miasmas, which could be identified through smell, germs moved undetected through crowded cities. They were everywhere. … [Read more...] about How creativity can help us navigate COVID-19: Lessons from the 19th century

Plus, there’s a reason Philo might not care so much about wading into the swamp of cable disrupters. By providing a simple way for college kids to access TV, the startup is going after the incredibly valuable 18- to 24-year-old demographic. It’s thus able to gather a huge amount of data, not just on what they’re viewing but what they’re sharing to offer targeted advertising through the Web. “Data and advertising are the business model,” Thorpe says. (The company doesn’t disclose its financials, but it’s also already generating revenue from licensing its technology and servers to universities.) One could imagine an ad for Domino’s would be especially relevant to a college sophomore watching Pineapple Express at 2 a.m. And once Philo bakes social into the experience, the team imagines the ads could become more targeted–not to mention more interactive online. … [Read more...] about Tivli Rebrands As Philo. Is It Harvard’s Next Facebook?