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Blog / Editor's Choice

Leadership in the Headlines: Insider Insights Into How Leaders Lead

Book Review by Dylan Schleicher

Andrew Hill's new book is a great blend of perspective and prescription that ends up much more than a sum of its parts.

Categories: editors-choice

August 11, 2016

Blog / ChangeThis

Leadership Lessons from Poetry and Prose

By Bob Vanourek

"I have a life-long love of leadership, literature, and poetry, and I've realized over time that literature and poetry have a lot to teach us about leadership. These timeless gems of wisdom fell into three broad categories: Leading yourself well first. Leading others. Leaving a lasting leadership legacy. Here's a taste of the leadership wisdom I found in each category, along with some commentary and practical applications that have occurred to me."

Categories: changethis

August 10, 2016

Blog / ChangeThis

Hollywood's 'Moneyball' Moment: Why Entertainment Leaders Need Big Data Now

By Michael D. Smith, Rahul Telang

"For nearly a century, industry executives have relied on the same script: use industry experience and gut feel to pick the right products; sell these products to customers in a series of staggered release windows; and hope to win by creating blockbusters. For movies, this meant first selling high-priced tickets for single viewings of films in the theaters; then selling DVDs three months later that could be watched repeatedly at home; and then, six months to two years after that, licensing films to cable TV, where they could seemingly be watched for free. This method of selling content wasn't arbitrary. In an analog world it represented the most profitable way of make money from consumers who placed very different values on the movie. [. . . ] In recent years, however, a perfect storm of technological change has hit the entertainment industries. It involves the convergence of user-generated content, long-tail markets, and digital piracy, and it has diminished the profitability of the industries' traditional business model.

Categories: changethis

August 10, 2016

Blog / ChangeThis

It's Your Turn

By Jill Griffin

"Diversity is not currently the norm on most corporate boards, though all the evidence says that the trend is moving in the right direction, however slowly. Along with the regulatory climate, there has been a seismic societal shift. Women are cracking the glass ceiling at an increasing rate, and we even have our first female Presidential candidate. New research says that having women on boards changes the way decisions are made, and it changes it for the better. Women should be on boards, and they are needed there. That pressure is also opening previously closed doors to allow more women on boards."

Categories: changethis

August 10, 2016

Blog / ChangeThis

Advertising Isn't Dead, It's Just Woefully Overfunded

By Chris Kneeland

"Brands will always need ways to communicate compelling messages to their target audiences, and consumers will always accept a certain amount of ad interruption if it means they can get free, or lower cost, access to content they want to consume. Also, believe it or not, consumers sometimes even enjoy advertisements. I know people who requested Ikea's catalog, opted in for Victoria Secret's emails, watched the Super Bowl solely because of the commercials, and I even admit to once voluntarily clicking on a Facebook ad. BUT, rest assured all is not well in ad-land. An awakening of sorts is happening amongst enlightened brand leaders who are starting to ask a different question. Rather than debate the viability of the craft, many are now wondering, "How little advertising can my brand get away with. " This is perhaps a bit scary for those who make their living in ad-related disciplines, but this is truly a better question. No business owner started a company because they wanted to advertise. Rather, they wanted to manufacture or sell a great product or service, and engage customers in meaningful ways.

Categories: changethis

August 10, 2016

Blog / ChangeThis

Why a Business Education? A Business School Dean's Manifesto

By Jim Dewald

"Why a business education? Why do students enter into business school, and what are their expectations? [...] I was surprised and pleased to see in the very first survey that the number one reason why students choose a business school education was that they wanted to make a difference in the world. 83% of respondents either agreed or strongly agreed with making a difference as a reason for entering business school. The "make a difference" response even beat out "I want to make a lot of money" (76%). Now we have something to work with—students who want to learn the skills and knowledge that will help them change our world. Wow."

Categories: changethis

August 10, 2016

Blog / ChangeThis

The Midlife Gap Year: Why More Companies Should Offer Employee Sabbaticals

By Phyllis Korkki

"It's time to make a midcareer gap year an accepted part of people's working lives. The academic world has long recognized the importance of sabbaticals as a way to press the refresh button on one's life and work. Some companies (including Deloitte, Genentech, General Mills and Kimpton and PriceWaterhouseCoopers) offer sabbaticals to their employees, but these tend to last a few weeks to a few months—not enough time for a complete break from the daily grind. Rather than call a break from a nonacademic job a sabbatical, I think we need to call it a gap year—so that it is modeled after the year that some students take off between high school and college. For these young people just starting out in life, taking a gap year is a time to explore new interests and develop of sense of independence. For middle-age aged people, it can be a similar journey, but with more of the richness of the past to inform it. A midcareer gap year is an important step to incorporate into people's professional and personal lives because of two major societal changes: extended longevity and a transformed work world.

Categories: changethis

August 10, 2016