Blog / ChangeThis

Against the Odds: Startups that Make It

By Derek Lidow

"It is one of our saddest economic statistics: More than half small businesses fail within a few years of startup. Unlike the cheery pictures presented in advertising or the success stories showcased on Shark Tank, a significant percentage of fledgling enterprises sputter and eventually die. Only 1 in 43 has any employees after 10 years. These startups don't create much economic value. The vast majority don't even earn as much for their founders as those people could have earned working for someone else. Dreams die, jobs are lost, and communities lose their vitality. It does not have to be this way. In fact, if we want a robust economy with job growth, we must do something about it. I think that the solution is deceptively simple: entrepreneurs should stop thinking so much about the idea behind the business and focus instead on how to lead it."

Blog / ChangeThis

Repairing the Hole in the Boat: How the Poor Can Save Capitalism

By John Hope Bryant

"What if there was a way to use the power of free market enterprise to lift every American and indeed every human being on the planet to a level of dignity, inclusion, fulfillment, engagement, economic security and stability? Wouldn't that be a truly noble cause? I think we are sitting at a rare moment in history where we have an opportunity to change our nation and our world. Everything seems to be broken economically, socially, and politically. All the numbers are headed in the wrong direction. But the Bible says, where there is no vision, the people perish. We've got to have a vision that's larger than ourselves. We've got to be about we, and not about me; what we have to give, not just what we have to get. We need to turn traditional thinking on its head, and present a new vision for America. We need to deliver "The Memo" to a new generation of BUILDERS of the American Dream."

Blog / News & Opinion

A Covert Departure

By 800-CEO-READ

Today is officially the last day of Jack Covert's tenure as President of 800-CEO-READ, a company he founded and has led since 1984. If it were up to us as a staff, we would find some grand gesture to mark the occasion. We would release a flock of exquisite birds in his honor, or etch "Thanks, Jack" onto the face of the moon.

Blog / News & Opinion

The Financial Times and McKinsey & Company 2014 Business Book of the Year Award

By 800-CEO-READ

There has been a shake up around one of the major business book awards given every year, with McKinsey & Company taking the place of Goldman Sachs as the partner of the Financial Times for the tenth year of their prestigious award. Submissions have been open since last month, and they officially announced the launch of the 2014 Business Book of the Year Award yesterday. Also a first this year, they have announced an additional award—the Bracken Bower Prize—which "will be given to a promising young writer with the best proposal for a book about an emerging business theme.

Blog / News & Opinion

ChangeThis: Issue 117

By 800-CEO-READ

The Magic Triangle of Company and Career Health by Rich Karlgaard “The soft edge of business is the side of deeper human longings and values. . .

Blog / Staff Picks

Greg McKeown's Essentialism

Book Review by 800-CEO-READ

Greg McKeown has a stomach-sinking story to tell near the beginning of his new book, Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less, about the day after his daughter was born. Fortunately, the little lady was okay, "healthy and happy at 7 pounds, 3 ounces. " But not everything was well with Daddy.

Blog / News & Opinion

A New KB Giveaway: Six Simple Rules

By Sally Haldorson

Six Simple Rules: How to Manage Complexity Without Getting Complicated by Yves Morieux and Peter Tollman is one of those books that comes into your life at the exact time you need it. And you'll know immediately whether you need it now or not. And if you do?

Blog / ChangeThis

How to Ignite Innovation with F.I.R.E.

By Dan Ward

"Solving a difficult technical challenge requires imagination, focus, endurance, and a tolerance for failure, to name but a few key ingredients. However, the real secret behind delivering world-class innovation actually depends on what we lack rather than what we have. [...] In fact, the pattern of rapid, thrifty innovation shows up across a large range of technical contexts and genres. Whether we are talking about submarines or software, medical or military technology, the most impactful and successful innovations tend to be produced by small teams with short schedules, tight budgets, and strong commitments to simplicity."

Blog / ChangeThis

Flowing to the River of Ultimate Performance: The Science of Productivity

By Steven Kotler

"Researchers define flow as an 'optimal state of consciousness,' a peak state where we feel our best and perform our best. . . . If you've ever lost an afternoon to a great conversation or become so involved in a work project that all else was forgotten, then you've tasted this experience. In flow, we are so focused on the task at hand that everything else falls away. Action and awareness merge. Time flies. Self vanishes. All aspects of performance—mental and physical—go through the roof. We call this experience flow because that is the sensation conferred. In the state, every action, each decision, leads effortlessly, fluidly, seamlessly to the next. It's high-speed problem solving; it's being swept away by the river of ultimate performance. This last bit is no exaggeration. Over 100 years of research shows that flow sits at the heart of almost every athletic championship; underpins major scientific breakthroughs; and accounts for significant progress in the arts. . . . In recent years, flow has also become exceptionally critical to business.

Blog / ChangeThis

The 3 Stoic Disciplines: How to Turn Your Trials Into Triumphs

By Ryan Holiday

"On a dark night at the front in the year 170 Marcus Aurelius, the most powerful man in the world, wrote the following prescription to himself: 'The impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way.' Great individuals, like great companies, find a way to transform weakness into strength. It's a rather amazing and even touching feat. They took what should have held them back—what in fact might be holding you back right this very second—and used it to move forward. Like these great individuals we can also flip our obstacles and turn adversity into advantage."