I will never forget Bowling Alone (Simon & Schuster, 2001). It remains the most depressing book we have presented at the First Friday Book Synopsis in Dallas. It contained chart after chart, page after page, of the demise of civic, social, religious, and fraternal groups in America. All of it was true. If you were… Read More Putnam’s Newest is a Certain Presentation For Us at the First Friday Book Synopsis
Once a lender sold a mortgage, it no longer had a stake in whether the borrower could make his or her payments. McLean and Nocera, All The Devils are Here, on one unintended consequence of modern mortgage practices. ————— “No one is left from the Glenn Valley, Pennsylvania Bridge Club who can tell us precisely… Read More A Nation, A World, Of Disconnected Voices – We Are Not Just Bowling Alone, We Are Living Alone
Let’s begin with the obvious. It is possible to treat someone in a belittling manner. Let’s acknowledge that we can speak with a tone, and words, of ridicule. And let’s acknowledge this: there is nothing positive about these practices. Nothing. It does not build anyone up, it does not bring out the best in people,… Read More An Epidemic Of Belittling And Ridicule – Time To Stop!
For book lovers, here is a list of a different kind: The Best Magazine Articles Ever. Andrew Sullivan linked to it on his blog. Here is the article, up to the list of the top seven. The article lists many others, by decade. Admittedly it is, as all lists, subjective. Kevin Kelly posted it on… Read More The Best Magazine Articles Ever (from CoolTools)
Now, here is something strange. When people need to find work, which a whole lot of people need to find right now, they need to absolutely become world-class net-workers. They need to be the networking energizer bunny. They need to “Never Eat Alone” (Keith Ferrazzi’s book), they need to meet new people every week, and… Read More You Can’t Go To Networking Events In Your Pajamas –Thoughts on the Problem of Disengagement
Call it what you will. Networking; schmoozing; conversation; customer cultivation. Whatever you call it, it’s still the same basic truth — you make money, you build success, one relationship at a time. This truth came through loud and clear in a conversation with an innovative CEO from a premier Austin recruitment firm. The conversation took… Read More “I Make Money by Making Friends” — why people network
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