The man who acquires the ability to take full possession of his own mind may take possession of anything else to which he is justly entitled.

Andrew Carnegie
1835-1919
Founder of the US Steel Industry

The New Downwardly Mobile

An aging Millennial looks at her life and wonders if the “on demand” economy isn’t making her and too many of her peers “asset-less renters. “ Caution: This is a long article but one worth taking a few minutes for if you’re a Millennial or a parent of one. Learn more about what the author calls “the post-ownership” society and how the sharing economy “allows Millennials to cope with downward mobility, and also makes them poor.”  

To Be Different, “Think Different”

When CEOs show up in videos it’s usually a significant public event that is heavily scripted. Steve Jobs has made his share of public appearances but many have not seen this video of his talk to Apple employees shortly after returning to Apple as CEO. As we know, his homecoming to Apple ultimately resulted in the Ipod, Iphone and Ipad; but this 1997 speech had almost nothing to do with technology and very little to do with the Apple product line.

Instead, he reminded the team, and ultimately the world, what Apple was really about at its core, thus paving the way for the incredible products we enjoy today. Take fifteen minutes for his address to his team about why it is important to” Think Different.” What could you say to your team about what’s really important about your business?

From Paradox to Problem

Problems are solvable; paradoxes are not. Which one are you working on? Those who know me know that one of my mantra’s in problem solving is to “solve the problem before we apply the constraints.” Marketing Master Seth Godin has some suggestions along this line that may get you out of the gated community of the paradox  and on to the path to a solution that the marketplace is waiting for.  

“Stranger” on a Train

Two remarkable things: how people in close proximity can ignore each other… and how contagious attitudes are. Here’s a great example of how an advertiser used these facts of human nature to create a great advertisement. Have a good laugh as your week starts! Then take that great contagious attitude through the day with you, and start an epidemic (of great attitudes)!