Sunday, October 17, 2010 Ask How Are You and Mean It  When asked about her greatest life lessons, artistic director Judith Jameson responds, "It starts with 'Hello, how are you.' And listening." In this humble interview, she shares gems of wisdom, ranging from humble leadership -- "Let people do things. If they do it better than you, let them do it" -- to staying grounded -- "Keep it human. Keep it alive. Don't turn into a robot... You have to listen, and really care, because we're all the same under the skin." -- to advice for business school graduates -- "When you're dealing with numbers, see the people behind those numbers, and understand that they're just like you. You just happen to have a degree in business and you could be very, very smart. But they might be smart in other ways that you aren't. And give people full credit for being who they are. Read More >>
back to top  Saturday, October 16, 2010 Bill Clinton Starts a Vegan Revolution!  Joining the ranks of celebrities who are sort of vegan, Bill Clinton has announced that to lose a bunch of weight and get his ticker in better shape, he's adopted a plant-based diet. Now, instead of snack foods and burgers, he's a sort-of-pescetarian. Specifically, he's dairy and meat-free, "occasionally treating himself to a little fish. He eats lots of plants, drinks almond milk with protein powder, and is a new man because of it. He even weighs what he did in high school. But that's not why he did it. "I did it for my heart," he states, pointing out that 82 percent of the people who have gone on such diets have had a full recovery in heart health. Read More >>
back to top Friday, October 15, 2010 Why Consistent Contributors Count  Ever wonder why some groups, companies, or communities flourish while others flop? Researchers say it's the influence of a 'consistent contributor'- "a person who always contributes, regardless of others' choices." "The consistent contributor looks for the collective good first and personal good second," explains Risk Management Professor J. Keith Murnighan. The consistent contributor can drive the actions of others, acting as a catalyst for cooperation by altering the perceptions and actions of their fellow group members. They initiate cooperation, leading the way for others to follow suit. "Our research results counter what economists predict," says Murnighan. He points out that rational choice theory can actually become a self-fulfilling prophecy when everyone in a group is suspicious of each other's motives. But in a larger group, if someone consistently acts as a friend, it's easier for others to act as friends and everyone benefits." Read More >>
back to top Thursday, October 14, 2010 Beyond the Paycheck  Feeling stressed or overwhelmed? That may be a good thing. In several recent studies, social scientists have zeroed in on why paychecks alone can't explain the link between work and well-being. The findings suggest that, although people often yield to idleness, deep down they seek excuses to stay busy, because busyness is happiness. Even trivial tasks make us far happier than no tasks at all. In one study involving Legos, participants who found their task meaningless demanded about 40 percent higher wages than those who witnessed the fruits of their labor. Read More >>
back to top Wednesday, October 13, 2010 The Secret Powers of Time  Time just passes by, regardless of how we feel about it... right? Not according to Philip Zimbardo. He's been studying how people think of time for decades and has some amazing findings. For instance, did you know your cultural background could determine how fast you walk? Or that children's use of technology makes class pass by more slowly? Here's an animated look at how our time-orientation shapes our families, careers, and happiness. "Many of life's puzzles can be solved by simply understanding our own time perspective and that of others," he states. Read More >>
back to top Tuesday, October 12, 2010 Three Sisters and a Miracle  You might've used Craigslist to sell that old bike, or to look for another job or housing opportunity. But how about using it to save your dad's life? That's just what three sisters from New York did. After Jennifer Flood's dad was diagnosed with kidney disease, she and her sisters posted an ad on Craigslist... for a living donor. One year, four months, and one hundred responses later, a woman from California donated her kidney. Today, both are alive and well. So well, in fact, that the Flood sisters have started their own nonprofit to help other patients find kidney donor matches! Read More >>
back to top Monday, October 11, 2010 6 Ways Ants are Good For Business  When one finds food, others immediately gather to help bring it to storage. When one gets wounded, the rest evacuate, re-group, and pull the injured to safety. There's no formal supervision, yet ants somehow accomplish enormous tasks. That's right, ants. Sitting at a highway rest-stop one afternoon, nonprofit founder Ndubuisi Ekekwe discovered that the way ants work together has profound implications on successful team structures and project management. Inspired by these insights, Ekekwe re-evaluated his leadership model, and eventually re-launched a project he had originally given up on. He identifies 6 elements that ants can teach us about leadership and good business: teamwork, trust, openness, diverse skill sets, diligence, and the flexibility to regroup. Read More >>
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By choice, Mark Boyle basically doesn't have a cent- or, more accurately, a pence- to his name. Boyle lives in rural England in a trailer he spotted on Freecycle.org. He feeds himself by growing everything from barley to potatoes, foraging wild edibles like berries and nettles, and occasionally dumpster-diving for luxuries like margarine and bread. He brushes his teeth with homemade toothpaste and barters labor for rent, internet service, and whatever else he can't find, grow, or make. Inspired by watching a film on Gandhi in 2008, Boyle decided to spend a year without money. He liked it so much, he's still doing it. And he even released a book about the experience, entitled, "Moneyless Man: A Year of Freeconomic Living". [ 
Do you suffer from the Sunday night blues five nights a week? In his study at Harvard University, author Shawn Achor found that only 45 percent of workers surveyed were happy at their jobs. From his experience designing a course on happiness, working with Fortune 500 companies across 42 countries, and restarting the world's largest banks after the economic collapse, Achor concludes, "Most people believe that success leads to happiness, but that formula is backwards. The truth is that happiness is the precursor to success. When you raise your happiness, you raise your success rates and increase productivity." He shares four tips to bring happiness to the workplace. [ 
The time has finally come. We can not only create cars and businesses that let out zero-emissions, but airplanes as well. On September 21, 2010, a Swiss company flew its first solar powered plane from Payerne to Geneva. In a pioneering flight lasting almost four and a half hours, the solar plane was powered entirely by four electric motors and 12,000 solar cells. Scheduled to fly internationally by 2011 and trans-Atlantic by 2012, the plane's innovators hope to "promote the pioneering spirit in young people, making them aware of the importance of renewable energy, energy saving and new technologies". [ 
Four years ago, Yelandi Rivero was confined to his bed at home, paralyzed from the waist down. Rivero was seriously injured in an ATV accident. Doctors told him he would never walk again. But Rivero refused to accept that diagnosis, and was determined to return to the racquetball court. Using a walker after a year and a half of rehabilitation, he started showing up again at his outdoor racquetball facility. Now, he is back on the courts with his playing partner of 15 years, Tommy Ale. In a remarkable performance, the duo finished second in the Gearbox 2010 Florida State Outdoor Racquetball Men's Pro Doubles. That match is nothing compared to the battle Rivero waged to recover from the accident. "To look back and to see where I am now, I am very thankful," Rivero reflects. [ 
I thought I took my bike on a ride through New York City's Central Park. But really? My bike took me on one. My experience changed many times as external forces determined my mood. Happiness anticipating a great ride, frustration imagining it would be ruined by the race, relief when it wasn't, fear when people ran in front of me, fear again, followed by guilt and self-criticism, when my distraction nearly led to a crash. All in the course of a few short minutes. Which is how most of us go through our day. An angry comment puts us in a bad mood; an unexpected compliment cheers us up. It all matters, which is why the smallest comment can unhinge us. The solution, though, is simple. All we have to do is nothing. The trick: do it regularly, at least a few minutes a day. [ 
Deb Lejeune had been working in the Foote Hospital billing office in Jackson, Michigan for only five months before she needed to take extensive unpaid leave to care for her husband, who had just received a kidney transplant. When her co-workers learned of her situation, they chipped in to help cover everything from transportation costs to house payments. "I couldn't have gotten through without their support," says Lejeune. "They are like family to me." New research is trying to understand how more workplaces can become like Lejeune's, cultivating compassion and inspiration -- while boosting productivity. [ 
