The “Gifts” of the Gulf Oil Spill? – Six Years Later
Six years ago, on April 20th 2010, the U.S. (and the world) got a huge wake-up call when BP and Transocean's Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded, killing 11 people and spewing ~5 million gallons of oil over 600 square miles of the Gulf of Mexico. Watching images of the...
What Thing or Object Most Exemplifies the Role Women Play in Business Today, and Why
by Joan Bryna Michelson Answer: Electricity Because both: · Are necessities, not luxuries. · Are catalysts for change, facilitators, breaking old things down to make better things. · Can be constructive or destructive if not managed well. · Help tread new...
Circumventing Uncertainty – ARPA-E 2016 Energy Innovators
Everybody knows how hard it is to make intelligent decisions based on fluctuating circumstances and priorities, as well as indecision on the part of those who can affect us. Yet innovation, entrepreneurship and leadership require mastering the art of managing...
“The Force Awakens” in the C-Suite: As 2015 Becomes 2016, “Nice to Haves” Become “Must Haves”
As 2015 becomes 2016, it is striking how many issues that were once dismissed as "just a public relations issue" or "nice to haves," underfunded and relegated to departments deemed less influential, are now high priorities in the C-suite. (Photo credit: Doug Mills)...
The Lost Art of Follow Up
The world runs on relationships. Even with more ways to connect than ever before, we’ve lost the art of following up – and we pay a huge price for it. We lose influence, thereby diminishing our results. Do you go to conferences or events, or even meetings or dinner...
You Never Know: 10 Lessons from an Unexpected Career Journey
Read Joan's blog over at Career 2.0, a site dedicated to "inspire readers to pursue their passions by showing how others have successfully made the move." A great place to find inspiration, Joan adds her story to the many who refuse to let go of their dreams. You...
Leadership (and Life) Lessons from Pope Francis in the U.S. – Leading Change with Grace
"Now is the time for courageous actions and strategies, aimed at implementing a 'culture of care' and an integrated approach to combating poverty, restoring dignity to the excluded, and at the same time protecting nature." Pope Francis, Address to the U.S. Congress...
Power Tips from the 50 Most Powerful Women of Crain’s New York
What is "power"? Alina Okun of Analytic Partners captured it perfectly when she said, "Power is the ability to impact outcomes," at the recent event at New York City's Cipriani celebrating women's rising power produced by Crain's New York business journal. Here are...
Protecting Your Innovation: Technology and Intellectual Property Protection, including Patents
Guest blog by Mary Juetten, Founder and CEO of Traklight In the world of clean technology innovation, how to protect your technology is a key issues that can make or break your success. While many companies are driven to be “first to market” in their industry or use,...
Having ‘Influence:’ Top 10 Takeaways From the National Speakers Assn. Conference
The 2015 annual conference of the 42-year-old National Speakers Association focused on "influence," made me reflect on the fact that we are "influencing" people in every conversation no matter how small, and how important influence is to achieving our goals. We...