Stranger in a Strange Land

I landed last week in a somewhat unusual place for someone like me: the annual meeting of the American Economics Association (AEA) in Denver. While en route to the event, I realized it was the first time that I can remember that I was attending a conference as a...

Five Predictions for 2011

This is the time of year when all the pundits, journalists, forecasters and owners of crystal globes issues their predictions. Mine are not very rosy! We’ll spend most of our time playing defense. The Republican majority in the House together with Obama and the...

Of the people, by the people, for the people

I believe in an America committed to the democratic ideal of government of the people, by the people and for the people. That’s why, on Friday, January 21, 2011, I was proud to be among the business leaders who announced the launch of Business for Democracy, a...

Biomimicry:

Innovation Inspired by Nature. Janine Benyus one of sustainability’s most brilliant minds developed the idea of Biomimicry. Biomimicry is the rather simple idea that if we can understand the way in which nature works to acquire and store energy, build bridges and...

The Real Wealth of Nations

Creating a Caring Economics Riane Eisler Berrett-Koehler Publishers, 2007 Great books are few and far between, but go out and get this one. A review from The Baltimore Chronicle gives a better overview than I can! Do you ever open your eyes in the morning and think,...

Synchronicity

The Inner Path of Leadership Joseph Jaworski and Betty S. Flowers Berrett-Koehler Publishers, 1998 “One of the most important roles we can play individually or collectively is to create an opening, or to ‘listen’ to the implicate order unfolding, and then to create...

Presence

Peter M. Senge, C. Otto Scharmer, Joseph Jaworski, Betty S. Flowers Bantam Dell Publishing Group, 2008 This is probably the best and most important book I’ve read in the last 10 years! Over the past month I’ve been reading Presence by Peter M. Senge, C. Otto Scharmer,...

Revolutionary Wealth

How It Will Be Created and How It Will Change Our Lives Alvin and Heidi Toffler Currency/Doubleday, 2007 In their most recent book, the Tofflers describe a huge new and uncharted part of our economy as “prosuming.”  Prosuming has two primary features.  The creation of...

The Support Economy

Why Corporations Are Failing Individuals And The Next Episode Of Capitalism Shoshana Zuboff and James Maxmin Viking, 2002 This book articulates the growing divide between our aspirations and needs as individuals and the products and services most companies provide....