Imagine we are in a movie theater. The people in the row behind us are talking to each other. Or, perhaps the person next to us is sending and reading texts distracting us from being able to focus on the big screen.
What are our options? We can attempt to ignore what is happening or say something. Then what? Perhaps the other person stops. Or, maybe an argument ensues, ruining … continue reading
Question: Why do party guests often end up hanging out in the kitchen?
Answer: We humans don’t like big, open spaces. We “instinctively seek out smaller spaces as the group dwindles in order to sustain the level of density,” writes Priya Parker in The Art of Gathering: How We Meet and Why It Matters.
Priya was running a two-day gathering to brainstorm ideas for the future use for the … continue reading
1: The famed photographer Platon’s signature style is to shoot his subjects so close we can see their pores.
“Platon has photographed every sitting U.S. president from Jimmy Carter through Barack Obama. He has done multiple portraits of Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, well before they were presidential candidates,” writes Priya Parker in The Art of Gathering: How We Meet and Why It Matters.
“He has photographed world … continue reading
1: The two companies had been negotiating for more than a year. The issues were complex, but the $20 billion merger between Alcatel and Lucent finally seemed to be lining up.
There was one final step in the process: a face-to-face meeting between the executives, writes Priya Parker in The Art of Gathering: How We Meet and Why It Matters.
“This deal was supposed to be a marriage of equals,” … continue reading
1: Getting better at getting better is what RiseWithDrew is all about.
Monday through Thursday, we explore ideas from authors, thought leaders, and exemplary organizations. On Friday, I share something we are doing at PCI in our quest to earn a spot on Fortune magazine’s 100 Best Companies to Work For.
NEW FRONTIERS. That is our theme this year at PCI. As we answer this call to adventure, we’ve identified … continue reading
1: Imagine a brand new manager. Someone has just been promoted and is now someone else’s boss.
The person may look the same, but the universe has shifted. Three things have magically happened, writes acclaimed New York City restauranteur Danny Meyer in Setting the Table.
First: “An imaginary megaphone has been stitched to their lips, so that everything they say can now be heard by twenty times more people … continue reading
1: “Opening this new restaurant might be the worst mistake I’ve ever made,” Danny Meyer confessed to Stanley Marcus, the legendary long-time leader of Neiman Marcus, the high-end retailer known for extraordinary service.
The year was 1994. Danny was in Dallas on a book tour. At dinner, he had been seated next to Stanley. Today, Danny owns 18 uber-successful restaurants in New York. But at that moment, he was … continue reading
1: Danny Meyer was struggling.
Twenty-seven years old, he had just opened his first restaurant in New York City. He sensed he was making the biggest mistake a manager can make: neglecting to set high standards and hold others accountable. Most of his waiters and managers were older than he was. They were testing him and pushing his buttons.
“This was driving me crazy,” he recalls in his book … continue reading
1: Getting better at getting better is what RiseWithDrew is all about.
Monday through Thursday, we explore ideas from authors, thought leaders, and exemplary organizations. On Friday, I share something we are doing at PCI in our quest to earn a spot on Fortune magazine’s 100 Best Companies to Work For.
Last week, we explored the idea of failure. If we want to innovate, we can expect challenges and … continue reading
1: According to legend, a Nordstrom salesperson gladly gave a customer a refund on a set of automobile tires, even though Nordstrom has never sold tires.
The legend is true, write Robert Spector and breAnne Reeves in The Nordstrom Way.
In 1975, Nordstrom acquired three stores in Alaska from the Northern Commercial Company, a full‐line department store that sold many products, including tires. After the acquisition, many product lines … continue reading
