Why We Hate HR
In a knowledge economy, companies with the best talent win. And finding, nurturing, and developing that talent should be one of the most important tasks in a corporation. So why does human resources do such a bad job — and how can we fix it?
Content: Article | Author: Keith H. Hammonds | Source: Fast Company | Subject: Human Resources
Bill Drayton
Social visionary Bill Drayton is creating a network of incalculable problem-solving power. Ashoka, named for a peace-minded third century BC Indian emperor, has identified and supported 1,500-plus Fellows, as it calls them, in 53 nations since Drayton founded it in 1980. (Five of them are winners of our 2005 Social Capitalist Awards.) It seeks out social entrepreneurs with enormous ideas — solutions of such ambition … [ Read more ]
Content: Thought Leader | Author: Keith H. Hammonds | Source: Fast Company | Subject: Management
You Can Do Anything – But Not Everything
David Allen, one of the world’s most influential thinkers on personal productivity, offers his unique advice on how to keep up the pace — without wearing yourself down.
Content: Article | Author: Keith H. Hammonds | Source: Fast Company | Subjects: Career, Personal Development
The Monroe Doctrine
When Lorraine Monroe became principal of Harlem’s Frederick Douglass School, it was well known for violence, poor attendance, and a low level of academic achievement. Five years later, student test scores ranked it among New York City’s best high schools.
Content: Article | Author: Keith H. Hammonds | Source: Fast Company | Subject: Leadership
Size is Not a Strategy
The faster big business cleans up its ethical mess, the sooner we can address the real crisis of capitalism. Giant companies dominate the landscape — from media to medicine, banking to broadband. But talented people don’t want to work for them, customers hate doing business with them, and Wall Street doesn’t want to invest in them. A candid appraisal of why so many big companies … [ Read more ]
Content: Article | Author: Keith H. Hammonds | Source: Fast Company | Subject: Strategy
How to Design the Perfect Product
Start with Craig Vogel and Jonathan Cagan. Integrate style and technology with a dash of fantasy. Apply to everything from toasters to cars.
Also see Vogel and Cagan’s list of the top-15 best-designed consumer products of the past 100 years at:
Content: Article | Author: Keith H. Hammonds | Source: Fast Company | Subjects: Marketing / Sales, Miscellaneous
5 Habits of Highly Reliable Organizations
The worst thing about recent business scandals is their lingering aftereffect: How can you move forward when you don’t know who you can depend on? Karl E. Weick says the answer is inside highly reliable organizations. For them, uncertainty is the “good stuff.”
Content: Article | Author: Keith H. Hammonds | Source: Fast Company | Subject: Organizational Behavior
Do You See What I See?
Each of us sees the world through our own lens, says one diversity consultant. You can’t move beyond your own biases if you don’t recognize them. Take this test to see how your belief systems compare with others’.
Content: Article | Author: Keith H. Hammonds | Source: Fast Company | Subject: Organizational Behavior
Beware of These Blunders
Christopher Lochhead, former chief marketing officer at Scient, knows a bit about delivering bad news. So listen up when he recounts the 13 biggest marketing blunders a battered company can make. Ignore them at your peril.
Content: Article | Author: Keith H. Hammonds | Source: Fast Company | Subject: Marketing / Sales
No Risk, No Reward
This article claims to offer “Nine amazing and instructive lessons on the power of breaking the mold, the genius of the unexpected move, the thrill of standing out from the crowd, and the virtues — yes, virtues — of conservatism.” Personally, I found it of little value but the following excerpt makes it worthwhile…
*Economics primer: Frank H. Knight was cochair of the department of … [ Read more ]
Content: Article | Author: Keith H. Hammonds | Source: Fast Company | Subject: Economics
How Do Fast Companies Work Now?
Imagine a company (iFormation) started by the best-connected investment bank in the world, by a leading management-consulting firm, and by one of the top venture-capital firms. Give it $300 million — and set it loose to reinvent big business.
Content: Article | Author: Keith H. Hammonds | Source: Fast Company | Subjects: General, Strategy
Leaders for the Long Haul
Article discusses “appreciative inquiry,” a management tool developed by David Cooperrider, an associate professor at Case Western Reserve University. Highlighted is its application at Roadway Express.
Content: Article | Author: Keith H. Hammonds | Source: Fast Company | Subjects: Consulting / Analytical Tools, Management
Big Bets, Fast Failures
Fast Company speaks with David Nadler, who has advised the CEOs of some of the biggest and best-known companies in the world through the consulting company he started, Delta Consulting Group. Topics discussed include:
At 70 MPH, Failure Comes Faster
Beware: Balance Sheets Can Kill
Ask Yourself: How Elastic Is My Enterprise?
Understand What It Really Is That You Do … [ Read more ]
Content: Article | Author: Keith H. Hammonds | Source: Fast Company | Subjects: Management, People
Grassroots Leadership: U.S. Military Academy
If Harvard Business School is the West Point of capitalism, then where is the West Point of leadership? It’s in West Point, New York. Here’s how raw cadets become resilient commanders.
Content: Article | Author: Keith H. Hammonds | Source: Fast Company | Subject: Leadership | Industry: Military
Michael Porter’s Big Ideas
The world’s most famous business-school professor is fed up with CEOs who claim that the world changes too fast for their companies to have a long-term strategy. If you want to make a difference as a leader, you’ve got to make time for strategy.
Content: Article | Author: Keith H. Hammonds | Source: Fast Company | Subject: Strategy
How Do We Break Out of the Box We’re Stuck In?
Donald Winkler is profoundly dyslexic. He is also a startlingly effective leader at one of the world’s biggest companies. The two are related. He sees the world in ways that we can’t or won’t. Read about his ideas on “breakthrough leadership” and his 10 principles for effective leadership.
Content: Article | Author: Keith H. Hammonds | Source: Fast Company | Subjects: Leadership, People
Soul Proprietor
What drives Troy Tylers grinding battle to keep his startup dream alive? Passion. Purpose. A hunger for revenge. In the midst of the Internet-driven startup boom, the saga of smartRay Network Inc. offers a powerful reminder of what real entrepreneurship is all about.
Content: Article | Author: Keith H. Hammonds | Source: Fast Company | Subject: Entrepreneurship