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I read the so-called "Google Manifesto."  It forced me to think about the case for diversity and equal opportunity for historically underrepresented groups.  I thought about my own straight, white, American male "privilege." And I thought about my dad. I love my dad. And we differ in our political opinions. I'm a lifelong Progressive. He's voted ... [Continue Reading]

Girls in Tech is a phenomenal organization, dedicated to helping girls and women who are passionate about technology. More than ever, our world needs this global non-profit organization to empower women in STEM fields. Last year Adriana Gascoigne, Girls in Tech's amazing founder and CEO, asked me to give a talk at GIT's annual Catalyst Conference. ... [Continue Reading]

Research tells us that a typical human being’s thoughts are roughly 80% negative. A person’s “negativity bias” is bad for their relationships, their career, and their health. I addressed this challenge recently with Ms. Sonali Mangal, who is a Product Strategist at a leading Silicon Valley company. She also runs an outstanding podcast called “Learn ... [Continue Reading]

When you hear the name "Chuck Berry", do you normally think about innovation and entrepreneurship? Or do you simply hear the unmistakable guitar licks in his foundational rock and roll songs such as ""Johnny B. Goode", "Roll Over Beethoven", or  "Maybellene"? If you're too young to know who Chuck Berry was, it doesn't matter --you've been ... [Continue Reading]

Does the world sometimes feel dark, scary, and turbulent?  In spite of that (or because of that!), I'd love to share with you some of the best ideas and practices on how to increase your happiness and career success. 1. Happiness through writing  In almost all of my workshops, I ask participants to take a few minutes to write out answers to ... [Continue Reading]

How would you live your life, if you truly felt your own mortality? I addressed this topic recently with Ms. Sonali Mangal, who is a Product Strategist at Google. She also runs a podcast called "Learn Educate Discover" (LED), whose purpose is to "Discover what you were meant to do." In the first 11 minutes of this LED podcast, I talk about the ... [Continue Reading]

During the six years that I lived in Austria, Germany and Spain, Thanksgiving was the holiday that I missed the most. The only one that really made me homesick. It's easy to take issue with many aspects of the holiday, but if you look at the true spirit of sharing and being grateful, it's simply wonderful. For many of us Americans, Thanksgiving ... [Continue Reading]

Last weekend I attended my 20-year reunion for the Stanford Graduate School of Business. It was a tremendous experience, in part because I was honored to give a 15-minute TED-style talk to my classmates, entitled “Live AS IF You Had Cancer.” At the reunion, I noticed a few major themes: 1). As the Class of 1996 gets older and enters ... [Continue Reading]