Succeed by Doing Nothing?     The year was 1665, and the Great Plague was raging through the city of London. Upwards of 15% of the population died from what we now know as the bubonic plague. Experts estimate that over 100,000 people perished.    Knowing this, who in their right mind would refer to these as the years of wonder? The answer is historians, specifically, biographers of Isaac Newton. Working from his home in Cambridge, to avoid the plague, Newton took the summer of 1665 through the spring of 1667 off from his studies and responsibilities at Trinity College. That’s right – Isaac was...

Success Through Deconstruction     The philosophy of deconstruction was developed in the 1960s by French philosopher Jacques Derrida, mainly for the examination and understanding of the relationship between text and meaning, and the fluidity of language.   And if you don’t understand that, neither do I. However, the act of deconstruction, whether in the physical realm or in our thoughts, ideas and imaginations, is a tool that can be applied to your business.   How often have we attempted to design a new product or service and run up against a brick wall? How often have we given this type of task to an employee or...

The Pursuit of Ignorance     As any business is aware, the more you know, and the more your employees know the better resource you can be to your clients and your fellow employees. In a 2013 TED TALK, a Neuroscientist at Columbia University, Stuart Firestein, praised the pursuit of ignorance. This probably goes against everything you were taught at school. Most likely all of you have spent a great deal of your life in the pursuit of knowledge. Always trying to know more. In his TED TALK, Dr. Firestein turned this on its head very succinctly by explaining that what it is we...

The IRS is Stuck in the 60s and it's not good for business     JFK would feel right at home in an IRS computer room   Some of the critical technology and software that the IRS depends on is over 50 years old. It would be hard to find any business in the U.S. that is reliant on equipment that dates back to the Vietnam era. Although the IRS states that it constantly updates its technology infrastructure, its core, antiquated tax-processing system was created in the 1960s. In fact, the IRS still uses Cobol, a programming language conceived in 1959 - it's possible that your...

The Russian Invasion of Ukraine and the Impact On Your Business     War is bad for business. Yes, there are those companies in the "war business" that do great. But for the average business, it's lousy. Let's see why.   Financial Markets War is unsettling, especially to financial markets.The market likes certainty and in uncertain times, wild fluctuations are common. Although the immediate damage of the Russian invasion of Ukraine will be to the economy overseas, a strong ripple effect has already began to impact the U.S. Last Thursday, the stock market plunged, with the Dow losing 830 points. Market Watch reported that in the first...