How To Solve A Problem Like Wearables

This year’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas was the equivalent in size to 50 American football pitches so walking the expansive halls took both endurance and shoe leather. 
More than once, I overheard people say that they wish they had a pedometer so that they could see just how far they’ve walked. The reason that more people aren’t strapping fitness wearables to their wrists, despite their mass availability and low price points is, I believe, two-fold. Continue...

Taming Cancer

There’s no getting around it. Cancer is a formidable foe. Every new discovery reveals new complexities. We now know that cancer is no single disease, but many diseases. Lung cancer is different from prostate cancer, which is unlike leukemias and sarcomas.
We have every reason to be grateful for President Barack Obama’s recent pledge of more money for cancer research. It’s welcome news to the thousands of scientists worldwide whose tireless search for answers is finally making progress against this ancient nemesis. Continue...

10 Top Reasons Why You Should Work For Yourself?

It’s true: starting a business can be a risky proposition. There are plenty of things that can go wrong and when they do, you’ve got no one to blame except yourself.
But for me, and for many people like me, the benefits of working for yourself far outweigh the risks. It’s true that you’re doing it alone, but you’re also making your own future.
Anyone can spell out the many reasons why starting a business is risky, but I want to tell you my top 10 reasons why it’s absolutely worth it: Continue...

10 essentials for entrepreneurs looking to build a successful brand

Here's what we can learn from the failures and successes of some global brands and entrepreneurs behind them.

1. Innovation is different from invention

What's common between Ferrari, Gmail, Walmart, Ola cabs, and FedEx? None of the founders invented the product or service they are offering. Most did not even move their second, but they managed to innovate and delight customers that resulted in billion dollar businesses. Continue..

10 Things You Need To Know About A Special Needs Family

1. GET TO KNOW US

I'm starting with this to point out that just because a family may be raising a child with special needs doesn't mean they are any different than any other family, so take time to get to know more about them. With that, and before I get into the basis of this post I am going to share a little about my family so that you have a better understanding on how blessed we have been with four intelligent young men and how I have been blessed with an amazing and supporting wife who continues to astound me with her warm heart, patience, dedication, love, and daily sacrifices for her family.  I know that I would not be able to carry the load alone so I thank God for her every day.  Continue...

Do This If You're Looking for A New Job

2016 is finally here and with the start of the new year many workers are thinking about taking the time to look for a new job. In some ways, they're at an advantage. The beginning of the year is a great time to look for a new position. The holiday slump is over, everyone is more relaxed after a winter vacation, and companies are thinking ahead to the coming year, armed with a brand new budget.
But what is the best way to go about finding that perfect new position? Continue...

Build & fund a startup in 48 hours with this simple hack

Startups really need five things in their first year:

1. Investment (or revenue!)
2. Talent
3. Feedback from investors
4. An MVP
5. Attention (press, buzz, users, etc.) Continue... 

Be Assertive, But Not Too Much

Quick: what’s the #1 quality of a good leader?
If you’re like most people, you probably think of intelligence, charisma, and self-discipline. In a study by Daniel Ames, a Columbia Business School professor, and Francis Flynn, a professor at Stanford Business School, these were the strengths mentioned most frequently by employees asked to describe their colleagues’ leadership abilities. Continue...

The problem with creativity is that it’s free.

 

It's weird to me that larger companies are routinely being threatened by startups.
How is it that Tesla's first car, is generally considered to be the best car ever made? Why didn't Hertz create Uber or Zipcar? or Nokia the iPhone? Continue...

Let’s not wait a century: 3 ways to close the gender gap now

 
Last year, the World Economic Forum released an unsettling report: based on current trends, it would be another 81 years before women achieved economic equality in the workplace. Like most people, I was very troubled by these findings. After all, four decades means four more generations of unequal paychecks and unequal boardrooms. It means my college-aged daughter – and the women of her generation – would spend their entire lives working at a disadvantage. Continue...

Why We Snap at Work

 We’ve all seen it. A coworker flips out over a trivial incident and unloads an angry verbal assault on a stunned co-worker. The consequences of suddenly “losing it” in the workplace can be career changing. It is important to understand what happens in the brain when someone breaks abruptly from rational, peaceful, behavior and explodes in a blind rage as if bent on physical violence, and to appreciate why the workplace can become a common arena for snapping. Continue...

Why the Future Is Bright for the World’s Poorest Farmers

 
I have probably learned more about farming in Africa from Sam Dryden than from any other person. Sam has spent decades working in agriculture, including a stint at the Gates Foundation, and he is passionate about improving the lives of the poorest. So when he asked me to contribute to a series of articles in Foreign Affairs on the future of farming and its role in fighting poverty, I was happy to do it. My essay is below. You can download the whole series—which includes authors like Kofi Annan and Sir Gordon Conway. Continue...