Where’s the heat?
Is that your goal? To find the next hot thing? Do you want to buy it, sell it, use it, eat it? In every industry where there’s fashion (which is every industry), people spend an enormous amount of time looking…
Boringness: The Secret to Great Leadership
Until recently, I hadn’t really known any great leaders. As a writer, the highest-ranking people I deal with are editors,…
Do You Know What You Are Feeling?
Over the 23 years since we met, my wife Eleanor and I have spent considerable time, money, and energy on…
How to Market to Someone Who Knows Everything
People talk about Francis Bacon as the last person to know everything. Apparently, these people don’t know any 15-year-old girls….
Are You a Closer? Take the Test
My last HBR blog post, How to Close a Sales Call, reviewed sales call closing techniques. Now let’s analyze whether…
Mark Zuckerberg’s Magic Touch
Facebook’s shares open for trading today. Chances are, you’re holding your breath or rolling your eyes. Whether you’re inspired or…
Your Brain on Facebook
While Facebook’s rise took many by surprise, its success was little surprise to the hundreds of researchers who study social…
In Defense of Polymaths
Polymath is one of those words more likely to show up on the SAT than in everyday conversation. But the…
Not everyone
If you’re marketing a bass guitar or an orchid or an electric SUV, why are you concerned with what everyone thinks about it? It seems to me that you should only care about the opinion of those that are actually…
To Be a Fly on the Wall at Facebook on IPO Day
Facebook "goes public" Friday, May 18th. Imagine what it might be like inside the company right now. Soon, paper stock…
