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The glue that holds all of our relationships together
We all have the desire to be seen, heard, listened to, and treated fairly; to be recognized, understood, and feel safe in the world. Some time ago I worked with a company to help build a narrative to diminish turnover and create lasting impact. It’s the kind of work I love to do—help a team…
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The economic value of culture and creativity
Arts and culture add value beyond economics—how do we value those benefits? With all this talk and excitement around AI, we overlook the role of the arts and creative industries and their positive impact to human health and well-being. Two decades of research found that the arts and creative activities provide direct and indirect benefits…
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How seemingly senseless acts make life worth living
The value of rituals in life… and in commerce. Carrie walked into her mother’s home to find her sitting on the floor, surrounded by relatives and friends. She was wailing after having just buried her son. Nobody seemed to be able to offer any consolation—in fact, any attempt had her cry harder. “Why don’t you…
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Humans’ tool to make the infinite comprehensible
Saints, armies, medicinal plants, treasures, book titles, nature collections, survival kits—the essential nature of lists. Swiss businessman Jean Henri Dunant was traveling in northern Italy when he spotted the aftermath of what became the decisive battle between Franco-Sardinian and Austrian forces. 40,000 troops dead, wounded or missing near the small village of Solferino. On June…
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Between us…
How emotions are “stories in the world.” I ordered a couple of items from Amazon. It’s an option of last resort when I cannot find something going direct to companies. Sometimes Amazon is the only way to order a product. Free shipping is another reason why I might order from Amazon. Since I’m not a…
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Living closer to your friends would make you happier. Why don’t you?
Three ideas why. We change. Life changes us. When I moved to America many years ago, I was thinking expansively—it would be great to immerse myself in a new culture. And that it was. I thought I could make new lifelong friends. What I didn’t understand is that beyond growing up together, lifelong friends in…
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Love: the Most Fundamental Market Principle
How duty, learning, and friendship contributed to the foundation of trust. You’ll forgive the Franciscan for owning only one tunic. Clothing was a sign of wealth in Italy’s flourishing economy of the 13th Century. Even expensive vellum manuscripts were frowned upon. Books were alright, but purely as tools for learning. Though it was alright to…
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A Renewal of Pleasure
Our lives are enriched when we join artists in taking glorious risks. I became a Beatles connoisseur and fan both early and late—early in my life, late in their success. It was the summer I drove with my parents and a couple of their friends to (the former) Yugoslavia. We drove from Modena all the…
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Whatever it Takes
From the dark side of business and the growing imbalance of power to making a difference with naming and words. Lehman Brothers Inc. was an American global financial services firm and the fourth-largest investment bank in the United States. Its founding dates back to 1847. Before filing for bankruptcy in 2008, the firm employed 25,000 people.…
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Life’s too Short…
to be a copycat of someone else. If machines have personalities, it’s our doing. ChatGPT sure has been in the news lately. I’m not surprised to see it all over social media feeds, given how monolithic those feeds tend to be. “ChatGPT this, ChatGPT that” say the marketers like proud parents of a new toddler to…