Plural Investments*, a hedge fund started several years ago, had a problem. They needed art on the walls of their New York City offices. It was a small problem of no strategic importance, one that could be solved quickly and effortlessly by simply … [Read more...]
Flexing Your “No Thanks” Muscle
July 19, 2011 By 1 Comment
"Would you like to save 10% on your purchase by signing up for a Bloomingdales' credit card?" asked the sales person who had helped me pick out several new suits. "It will only take a few minutes." "Why not?" I thought to myself; the savings would … [Read more...]
Three Steps to Handling the Unexpected
July 6, 2011 By Leave a Comment
When my friend Sam invited his new girlfriend Robyn to join him for a sailing trip, he was relatively new to the sport. He had pretty strong skills but not a lot of experience. She had neither. They were expecting it to be a long sail — about … [Read more...]
A Life-or-Death Question to Start Your Day
January 11, 2011 By
My wife Eleanor and I were alone on a three-week kayak expedition in Prince William Sound in Alaska. Eleanor was in college; I had just graduated. We had spent plenty of time in the wilderness but never just the two of us, and never this kind of … [Read more...]
Why Not Having a Plan Can Be the Best Plan of All
April 28, 2010 By
This weekend I went back to Princeton University, where I was a student over twenty years ago, to give a speech. As I traveled to the campus I remembered a single question that haunted my last few months of schooling: now what? I had no good … [Read more...]
Why the Wrong People Get Laid Off — And How to Prevent It
September 29, 2009 By
Lisa (names have been changed) held a mid-level position in Human Resources at a large bank and received stellar performance reviews every year for five years. Conscientious, she delivered projects on time and communicated clearly with her manager. … [Read more...]
