Innovation

On May 6, 1954, Roger Bannister did something that was previously thought to be beyond human capacity.  He ran a mile in less than four minutes (3:59.40). It was the stuff of legend and the biggest sports story in history at the time. Redefining “Possible” Today, as a result of Mr. Bannister’s vision, leadership, and talents, nearly every world-class runner who competes in the classic fifteen hundred meter event has the ...

On Sunday evenings my wife and I can be found catching up on our guilty pleasure—Bravo’s reality TV series “Housewives of NY, NJ, and the OC.” We especially love Bethenny Frankel from the original cast of the Housewives of New York.  She is crazy-driven (in a very good way!).  Bethenny is the kind of person I LOVE to hire and work with.  When Bethenny sinks her teeth into an idea, ...

When laughter echoes throughout your team or enterprise on a daily basis, you know that you have a winning and healthy team or enterprise culture. It makes no difference how “serious” an enterprise or undertaking is perceived – laughter is a test of a healthy culture. It starts with the leader. Does a leader have to be funny?  No.  However, creating an environment where opportunities for laughter are everywhere is up ...

I hired a hitting coach for my eight-year old son, Liam, this week.   The first thing the coach did was to get down on one knee (eye level with Liam) and said “you hit—you play; my job is to teach you how to hit.” You hit—you play.  True in baseball and true in life. There are those who object to this thinking.

The Saddle River School is an exclusive private school a town over from where I live.  It is a beautiful school that provides a wonderful learning environment (lush lawns, classic architecture), along with a seven to one student to teacher ratio.  Seven to one!  Think about how incredibly fortunate those students are to have that level of personalized learning facilitated by master teachers. It is a can’t-miss advantage for life. What ...

In 1991 Albert Brooks and Meryl Streep starred in “Defending Your Life,” a comedy written and directed by Brooks. The characters played by Brooks and Streep pass away on the same day.  They then meet for the first time in a place called Judgment City, where everyone has the opportunity to defend their life before a panel of judges The idea is simple.  Those who led courageous and full lives are ...

Two years ago, I had the occasion to have lunch with one of the world’s most celebrated CEO’s and his wife, a substantial executive, author, and marketer in her own right.  During the course of the conversation, she asked me about my strategy for using Twitter. “I plan to open an account next week.”  I said “Oh.”  She politely replied and then elegantly changed the subject. Oh. At the time I was the Senior ...

If you want spectacular success, here’s the secret recipe. Make no mistake.  It takes courage and leadership to bake and yet it will be the best dish that you will ever serve. 6 cups of hire the right people (winners whose RECORDS tell you exactly who they are) 6 (16 ounce) giant packages of culture (environment where great people have the freedom to accomplish anything!) 6 giant helpings of fresh strategy (do ...

Last Friday I received a call from my sister, Donna. She is a busy executive with three school-aged children and one of my best friends. When we get the chance to talk, it’s never about our jobs. Friday’s conversation was different. Donna read about the McGraw-Hill and Apple partnership that was announced on Thursday and called to talk about education.

“I am NOT going to give you this job, Brian.  However, I will do you a favor.  I will tell you about the person who I AM going to give the job to,”  said the National Sales Manager of a major pharmaceuticals company — 1989. My heart was set on that sales job.  It was to be my first big break post-college.  I had done everything right, or so I ...