Elmore Leonard, master of the crime novel, was asked once about the key to his success as a writer. He replied, "I leave out the parts that people skip." So in honor of Elmore...

I just finished reading a great book today, How Google Works. One part of the book talks about innovation, and notes that while most organizations spend a lot of time encouraging people to be innovators, little time, if any, is spent on identifying followers, and the critical role they play in helping new ideas get … Continue reading The First Follower Is What Transforms a Lone Nut into a Leader →

Today I went to the ceremony for the latest group of students to be inducted into Beta Alpha Psi, the national honor society for liberal arts and sciences majors. Here's a brief description of Phi Beta Kappa, from Villanova's web site: Phi Beta Kappa was founded at the College of William and Mary in 1776. Since … Continue reading Phi Beta Kappa – A Celebration of the Liberal Arts and Sciences →

I was at the funeral today of a former colleague, a wonderful man who devoted his life to helping others. During the service, the priest read a poem by Linda Ellis. The poem is titled "Dash", and talks about the line that separates the date a person is born from the date a person dies. … Continue reading The Dash – A Story of a Life →

Yesterday was the day Montgomery County Community College (Montco) distributed caps and gowns to its graduating students, with commencement set to be held this Thursday evening. As part of the cap and gown distribution, the College was having a picnic for the students as well. In addition to the food tables, there were several tables … Continue reading Another Enlightening Day at the Community College →

Because of something that happened 20 years ago today. On May 15, 1997, Amazon's stock went public, at an initial price of $1.50 per share (adjusted for future stock splits). IF  (and I know that's a big IF) I had used my extra earnings from teaching a couple of courses the previous summer and bought 6,000 … Continue reading This Is Why I’m Not Living in a Beachfront in Sarasota →

Here's the opening to a post I wrote about six months ago: I’ve mentioned Dan Ariely several times before in my posts (here, here, here, here, here, and here). He’s one of my favorite behavioral economists, and has written a couple of best-selling books on decision making, including Predictably Irrational and The Upside of Irrationality. … Continue reading Sorry, Dan, but I’ve Got to Disagree with You On This One (Again) →

I have no plans to own a restaurant, now or in the future, but if I did, I know exactly what restaurant I would model mine after - The Pop Shop in Collingswood, NJ. What first attracted me to the Pop Shop was that they had vegan pancakes on the menu. I love pancakes, but … Continue reading If I Owned a Restaurant, This Is What It Would Be Like →

A joint product of  Sustainia, DNV GL, and the UN Global Compact, the Global Opportunity Explorer, details 300 ways companies can engage in "sustainable innovation," leading to better societies as well as new business opportunities. The Global Opportunity Explorer is categorized by 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): SDG 1: End poverty in all its forms … Continue reading A New Online Tool Shows You How to Tackle the World’s Most Pressing Problems →

The words to "Easy to be Hard" came to me while I was reading the comments to an article in today's Philadelphia Inquirer. The article looked at a voter-education effort organized by the ACLU known as the Campaign for Smart Justice, which seeks to reduce incarceration rates and curb racial bias in the justice system. The voter … Continue reading How Can People Be So Heartless? →