Forcing functions
It's easy to procrastinate when tasks are open-ended. Deadlines are good at making something a top priority for a short period of time. In addition to »
Follow the cash
To understand business agreements, you need to follow the cash. This may sound simplistic, but it's often made difficult by design. When agreements are opaque, those »
The power of synergy
Today we discussed NBC Universal's symphony strategy of cross promoting upcoming products/releases across their different properties. While, in theory, this seems like a strategy that »
Saying thank you to AI
I'm excited about AI personal assistants (e.g., Amy, Clara) because I hate scheduling appointments. Recently, I've wondered: when I write emails that I know will »
Trilemmas
A trilemma is a difficult choice between three options, where it is impossible to pick all three options. If you've taken macroeconomics, you're familiar with the »
Saying "no" to find creative space
It's important to recognize the importance of working in flow state. Four half-hour chunks of time isn't equivalent to having one continuous two hour block of »
Making alums feel welcome
Most alumni events that I've been to start with unstructured cocktail hours. I've found that this leads to current students mainly talking amongst themselves. I wonder »
Types of thinkers
In my Board of Directors class, we talked about how employees generally fall into one of three categories in an organization. Mission / Vision Objective / Strategy / Procedures »
Customers and users aren't always the same
For many businesses, the customer and the end user are the same person. When your product makes customers' lives better, they're willing to buy it. But, »
Tensions between stars and publishers
The agents for Maria Sharapova and LeBron James have come to class the last couple days to talk about the power dynamics in endorsement deals. Common »