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I’ve always felt that teamwork was overrated. Not unimportant, just overrated. Most companies agree that it sounds meaningful from a cultural standpoint, and no organization is naive enough to build their employer brand around not working together. But too much needless collaboration can have an adverse effect. If all people do is attend meetings and send instant messages to each other all day, it leaves them little time for…

As startups scale, connectivity suffers. When a growth stage company expands in headcount, say, from single to double digits, the complexion of the culture can’t help but change. The more people there are, the less connected employees will feel to each other. You simply won’t be able to know who everybody is anymore. It’s harder to keep track of each other and the sense of community diminish. Even if…

Seinfeld did a number of episodes about illogical social obligations and the unwritten rules of human interaction. The one that stands out is when the gang spends their entire evening preparing to attend a dinner party of a couple they don’t even really like. They schlep their way around the city through the freezing cold night, searching for a coveted, overpriced cake, annoying store owners by accidentally breaking wine…

Religion has been telling us for thousands of years that sin begins in the heart long before it manifests in the body. Coveting, or the mere wanting or thinking about doing something, is already wrong. And our intent to commit that wrong is as sinful as the deed itself. Seek the holy spirit to keep our hearts pure. Amen. It’s a nice idea in theory. But from a practical…

Skepticism can be a slippery slope. It’s a popular and powerful mindset in the startup world, specifically when it comes to tech companies. Founders pride themselves on never putting up with any bullshit. That gives team members, customers, investors and other partners the impression that they’re worldly and savvy and challenging the status quo on the way to greatness. Now, when it comes to keeping people accountable and getting…

One instance where strangers are more likely to notice and respond to my nametag is when I stick a newly written, fresh sticker on my shirt. Like clockwork, the response rate increases. Even people walking past me down a crowded street during rush hour will say hello or, better yet, stop to remind me that the nametag is still on. The most common warning people give me is, just…

Fitbit, the leading wearable technology brand, recently launched a historic initiative. Users can now choose to sync their accounts to help researchers unlock deeper insights into the relationships between health indicators such as physical activity, heart rate, sleep and health outcomes. By consenting to sync their personal data, people now have the opportunity to contribute to one of the world’s largest precision medicine studies and help build one of…

Loglines are fascinating to me. If you’re not familiar with this term, it’s a brief summary of a television program, film, or book that states the central conflict of the story, synopsis of the plot, not to mention a titillating emotional hook to stimulate interest. Jaws, for example, has the following logline: A police chief, with a phobia for open water, battles a gigantic shark with an appetite for…

One of my friends has an interesting family boundary. No phone calls with mom at the house. Turns out, his mother is an alcoholic and very difficult to engage with, so that’s the rule he made for himself. She doesn’t even know about it, nor does she mind, apparently. It’s nothing dramatic, unkind or vindictive. This boundary comes from a place of love. For my friend, his home is…

ConEdison, one of the largest energy companies in the country, recently launched a sustainability initiative that’s quite the turn on. Residents in family households within eligible neighborhoods can schedule to receive a free lightbulb installation that reduces lighting related energy costs by up to ninety percent. Customers simply schedule their installation, and then a representative contacts them to confirm the date and time of their appointment. Within days, they’ll…