The Structure of a Story

The Structure of a Story

February 17, 2014 by Shane Parrish

“Human beings master the basics of storytelling as young children and retain this capability throughout their lives.” — Stephen Denning

When psychologist T. A. Harley researched the academic literature on the structure of stories, he concluded, “There is no agreement on story structure: virtually every story grammatician has proposed a different grammar.” Read more of this post

The Dangers of Planning: Goals Gone Wild

The Dangers of Planning: Goals Gone Wild

February 18, 2014 by Shane Parrish

In 1996 a disaster of historic proportion happened on the peak of Mount Everest. In the entire climbing season of 1996 fifteen climbers died. Eight of those deaths took place  on a single day. Journalist and mountain climber Jon Krakauer captured this story in his breathtaking book Into Thin Air. Krakauer didn’t just uncover the story after the fact, he was on the mountain that day. Read more of this post

Accountability

Accountability

February 21, 2014 by Shane Parrish

“There are always three speeches for every one you actually gave: the one you practiced, the one you gave, and the one you wish you gave.” — Dale Carnegie

I thought I’d post some excerpts from a recent talk I gave to student athletes at Bradley University on accountability. Read more of this post

How Using a Decision Journal can Help you Make Better Decisions

How Using a Decision Journal can Help you Make Better Decisions

February 20, 2014 by Shane Parrish

“Odds are you’re going to discover two things. First, you’re right a lot of the time. Second, it’s often for the wrong reasons.”

We’ve talked quite a bit about decision journals and the one question I get asked more than any other is what should my decision journal look like? Read more of this post

How To Think

How To Think

February 19, 2014 by Shane Parrish

Sebastian Garcia made a mistake but he couldn’t figure it out. At the 2011 National Junior High Chess Championship he was looking strong and heading towards a victory. Then he made a mistake, squandering his advantage. A few moves later the collapse was complete. Sebastian shook hands with the boy who had beaten him and walked back to Union B, the conference room down the hall. Union B was the makeshift home for his chess team from Intermediate School 318 in Brooklyn. Read more of this post

Steven Spielberg got rejected from film school … three times. Oprah Winfrey was told she was “unfit for TV.” Stephen King received 30 rejections for “Carrie.” Walt Disney was told a mouse would never work.

14 people who failed before becoming super successful stars

Aly Weisman, Business Insider | February 22, 2014 7:00 AM ET
More from Business Insider

The names Oprah Winfrey, Walt Disney, and Steven Spielberg aren’t usually associated with failure.

But before these super successful stars made it big in Hollywood, they first failed, were fired, or heard the word “no” countless times. Read more of this post

‘Brands must personify themselves’; In the past, we used to focus on how brands came to life through identity, which is relatively simple. Now, we have brands having conversations with people across digital media, so the brand actually has a voice

2014-02-23 14:15

‘Brands must personify themselves’

By Kim Bo-eun
Korean companies do not dare to voice out opinions on social or political issues for fear of offending the government, businesses or customers.
However, branding consultancy Interbrand’s chief marketing officer (CMO) says more global brands are developing human personalities that voice their stance on various issues, and these personalities can help brands stand out and succeed. Read more of this post

The Curse of Productivity: When ‘Optimization’ Holds You Back

The Curse of Productivity: When ‘Optimization’ Holds You Back

It’s possible to be too productive.

By Shane Parrish 2/21 8:16am

You’re a rational person right? You want to get better at what you do. You want to be a productivity Ninja. You’ve read all the articles you can find online promising productivity tips. You know all 66 personal development habits for smart people. You know how to send emails while on a Skype conference call while texting! In short, you’re basically a productivity machine. And you spend a lot of time, energy, and money becoming more efficient. But for what? Read more of this post

The Powerlessness of Positive Thinking

February 19, 2014

The Powerlessness of Positive Thinking

Posted by Adam Alter

Since publishing “The Secret,” in 2006, the Australian author Rhonda Byrne has been writing self-help manifestos based on the idea that people who think positive thoughts are rewarded with happiness, wealth, influence, wisdom, and success. In November, 2013, she published “Hero,” the fourth book in the series. The book showcases the wisdom of twelve heroes—businesspeople, sports stars, writers, and philanthropists. Byrne’s idea isn’t new—it’s been a mainstay among greeting-card companies, motivational speakers, and school teachers for decades—but she’s become one of its most visible prophets. “The way to change a lack of belief is very simple,” Byrne writes. “Begin thinking the opposite thoughts to what you’ve been thinking about yourself: that you can do it, and that you have everything within you to do it.” Read more of this post

Master of Influence Robert Cialdini Recommends Five Books

Master of Influence Robert Cialdini Recommends Five Books

February 12, 2012 by Shane Parrish

Psychologist Robert Cialdini wrote two of the the most important books on influence: Yes!: 50 Scientifically Proven Ways to be Persuasive and The Psychology of Persuasion.

Now he recommends five books for you: Read more of this post

The art of practical leadership

The art of practical leadership

Sunday, February 23, 2014 – 09:00

Han Fook Kwang

Managing Editor

The Straits Times

FORMER head of civil service Lim Siong Guan’s new book on leadership contains a passage that made me cast my mind back to my first boss at work.

In The Leader, The Teacher And You, the retired civil servant recounted a conversation he had with then Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew at their first meeting. Mr Lee had told him: “Always look at the foreigner in his eyes. Never look down. You are dealing with him as a representative of Singapore. Conduct yourself as his equal.” Read more of this post

A world of robber barons: The relationship between business and government is becoming increasingly antagonistic, says Philip Coggan. But the two sides should not overdo it: they need each other

Companies and the state

A world of robber barons: The relationship between business and government is becoming increasingly antagonistic, says Philip Coggan. But the two sides should not overdo it: they need each other

Feb 22nd 2014 | From the print edition

IN THE MIDDLE AGES the Rhine was Europe’s most important commercial waterway. Like many modern highways, it was a toll route. Toll points were meant to be approved by the Holy Roman Emperor, but local landowners often charged river traffic for passing through. These “robber barons”, as they became known, were a serious impediment to trade, and imperial forces had to take costly punitive action to remove them. Read more of this post

Plucking the geese: Traditional ways of raising tax do not work well in a globalised world

Plucking the geese: Traditional ways of raising tax do not work well in a globalised world

Feb 22nd 2014 | From the print edition

LOUIS XIV’S FINANCE minister, Jean-Baptiste Colbert, famously declared that “the art of taxation consists in so plucking the goose as to obtain the largest possible amount of feathers with the smallest possible amount of hissing.” When it comes to taxing companies, a modern finance minister might rephrase this as “the largest possible amount of revenue with the smallest possible amount of economic and political damage.” Read more of this post