It’s easy, for anyone thinking these days, to start wondering about what is happening in America. On the surface, we seem more divided than ever. After years of decline, violent crime is on the rise. There’s a real-enough conversation going on about whether or not our democracy will survive its current set of turmoil. Our…
Book Review The Road to Unfreedom by Timothy Snyder
A few weeks ago, I decided to learn more about Russia and Ukraine. In part because I listened to a zoom call sponsored by a non-profit with Ukraine’s Foreign Minister, Dmytro Kuleba. it’s impossible not to be moved by the courage of the Ukrainians these days, especially given the haunting images of destruction on cable…
Book Review- Mission Economy: A Moonshot Guide to Changing Capitalism
by Mariana Mazzucato We spend a lot of time, at least in America, debating whether free-market capitalism is better than socialism. It’s an argument than never ends, and everyone brings their baggage – and politics – to the table. It’s looking more and more, especially as we attempt to extricate ourselves from a global pandemic,…
Joe Biden’s America
2020 certainly has been a year and it’s not over yet. I spent most of last week glued to CNN. Mostly watching John King at The Magic Wall talk about the last 5 or 10 votes coming in from Pennsylvania, Arizona, Georgia or Nevada. Yes, there were probably better ways to spend my time but,…
Can We Still Count on America to Do The Right Thing?
There’s a quote often attributed to Winston Churchill – “Americans can always be counted on to do the right thing…after they have exhausted all other possibilities.” Unfortunately, in all of Churchill’s voluminous writings and speeches, no one can find the quote. But, if Churchill didn’t say this, he should have. Because, in many ways, it…
What Can We Learn from the Pandemic?
What Can We Learn from the Pandemic? The last three months have been hard for everyone. I’m fortunate to not be a front-line worker; nor am I an essential worker. I can stay home whenever I want and, aside from running and a few trips to coffee shops and grocery stores, that’s mostly what I’ve…
Feeling Stuck? Ten Ways to Pivot Your Career
Learn more about my writing- on life, work, and running – and my new book Ten Marathons: Finding the Soft Ground in a Hard World at http://www.dougschneider.net. I’m also co-hosting The Big Life Questions Show podcast, with Chris Nerney. Are you feeling stuck in your career? Are you unsure how to get ahead? Are you torn…
How to Make Grit Work for You
I just read Angela Duckworth’s excellent book Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance. The book makes a very compelling, evidence-based case that grit- the combination of passion and perseverance – is a more likely determinant of your success than talent. And Angela Duckworth makes it clear that, while she is talking about your career, she’s…
How Innovation Happens: Six Keys to Making Innovation Work in Your Organization
I spent several years focused on innovation inside technology companies, small and large. Every organization I worked in grappled with the question, “how do we really make innovation happen?” These questions undoubtedly apply to all business, but especially in software companies you get either grow (innovate) or die. There is no such thing as a…
How is Working Like March Madness?
I’m a big college basketball fanatic. This time of year, I watch WAY TOO MUCH sports on TV. This isn’t so much a choice, it’s more of an annualized addictive habit. Watching college basketball on TV seems to get in the way of everything else that I might be doing this time of year, of…