Linda Gratton’s future of work and careers

In Linda Gratton’s new book, The Shift: the future of work is already here, she talks about the forces that will shape work and careers in the future and what we should do to build a career that will stand the test of time. Her ten top tips are here: 1. Don’t be fooled into walking … Continued

Happiness – lessons from an economist

This was filmed in April 2011 and talks about some of the issues that are being talked about after the riots. It seems we have the answers available to us. We just need to implement them.

Can you spot the difference between a fake smile and a real one?

According to research most people are very bad at this. I scored 13/20 on this BBC test. http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/humanbody/mind/surveys/smiles/ Smiling is so important in making the world go round that people learn how to fake a smile well.  It makes their life easier. I would never do that!

Can anyone truly understand and empathize with another?

Another video from TED.com my favourite site for thought provoking ideas By leading the Americans in his audience  step by step through the thought process, sociologist Sam Richards sets an extraordinary challenge: can they understand — not approve of, but understand — the motivations of an Iraqi insurgent? And by extension, can anyone truly understand … Continued

1 Smile is worth 2,000 bars of chocolate

From TED.com Ron Gutman reviews a raft of studies about smiling, and reveals some surprising results. Did you know your smile can be a predictor of how long you’ll live — and that a simple smile has a measurable effect on your overall well-being? Prepare to flex a few facial muscles as you learn more … Continued

The Science of Motivation

I know a few sales managers who will not like this, but having worked in traditional models and entrepreneurial models I know what motivates me. I wonder how long it will take for this to catch on.  Of course, some companies have operated this way for years, 3M is a great example. http://www.ted.com/talks/dan_pink_on_motivation.html

TED – Ideas worth talking about

We like this organisation – it has many fabulous speakers. They are holding their conference in Oxford this week. TED is a small nonprofit devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading. It started out (in 1984) as a conference bringing together people from three worlds: Technology, Entertainment, Design. Since then its scope has become ever broader. Along … Continued