Culture

4

We Want to Work for People Who Create, Not Tear Down

Wednesday, March 3rd, 2010

It is forbidden to kill; therefore all murderers are punished unless they kill in large numbers and to the sound of trumpets. — Voltaire
Using layoffs as a business strategy is no strategy at all. Layoffs don’t work. They don’t create value.
We want to work for managers who create things. That’s a responsibility of CEOs. I’m [...]

5

Lost Generation? Really?

Friday, February 12th, 2010

This video, called Lost Generation, with worth watching. And thinking about. Time to calibrate, friends.

8

What Would You Do If You Could Start From Scratch?

Tuesday, February 2nd, 2010

If you had to design your company (and HR) from scratch, would you:
–have performance reviews?
–build walls in your offices?
–ever use the word “boss” in a non-ironic way?
–hire average employees?
–keep a slacker?
–write a bereavement policy?
–pay women less than men?
–pay anyone unfairly?
–conduct “warm body” recruiting?
–hire more HR people to make up for bad managers?
–keep bad managers?
–use the [...]

9

Where Are the Old People in Your Diversity Program?

Thursday, January 21st, 2010

My son, Matt, has a 98-year-old statistics professor this semester. Professor Ernest Kurnow has been teaching in NYU’s business school since 1948. Matt’s delighted to have him as a teacher. We should all be so lucky.
Where do old people fit in your diversity program? Do you even talk about them? In the next two decades, [...]

16

Are You Willing to Lose Your Best and Brightest Over a Bag of Pretzels?

Monday, December 28th, 2009

The Multi-Million Dollar Soda Venturebeat gives us something to think about today.
“Do you know how much our company is spending on free sodas and snacks?” And to answer her own question she presented the spreadsheet totaling it all up. There were some experienced VC’s in the room and I was waiting for them to educate [...]