WHY REMOTE WORK THRIVES IN SOME COMPANIES AND FAILS IN OTHERS

Since people began telecommuting decades ago, companies have been excited about the prospects to increase productivity, reduce costs, and gain access to a much larger talent pool.

But has remote work lived up to the hype? In some organizations, yes. Automattic (the creator of WordPress) and the U.S. government are two good — and very different — examples.

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BRING IN OUTSIDE EXPERTS TO MENTOR YOUR TEAM

Organisations depend increasingly on independent, temporary workers, even for mission-critical work. We call this subset of freelancers who do strategic work in companies or nonprofit organisations agile talent. They contribute technical expertise that an organisation does not already have a critical project or initiative. By providing temporary support, they make it possible for organisations to resource their critical activities more cost efficiently.

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3 WAYS TO UNLEASH YOUR CREATIVITY

The Formula 1 season will begin later this month, pitting the most talented drivers in the most finely honed machines against one another.

The image of a car designer sitting at a computer, working on a complex 3D visualization, is consistent with our perception of a ‘creative person’, but you may not immediately think about the act of driving a Formula 1 car as a creative process.

In fact, drivers are continuously finding inspired ways to take full advantage of every opportunity provided by their car, the conditions and their competitors. The world of Formula 1 represents a fascinating laboratory for exploring human creativity through drivers and their teams.

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SEVEN STEPS TOWARD BETTER CRITICAL THINKING

It's been said that the problems you encounter in life stem not so much from what you don't know, but from what you know for sure that isn't so. Who said it? We don't know, although many people are certain that it was Mark Twain. More on that later. For now, why would it be less hazardous—to your health, to productivity, to happiness—to not know a whole bunch of things than to believe things that aren't true? Because if you're sure that you know something, you act on it with the strength of conviction and resolve.

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WHY SUCCESS ALWAYS STARTS WITH FAILURE

I'm half-way through reading Tim Harford's book Adapt: Why Success Always Starts with Failure. So far, the book is brilliant.

Anyone who's wondered why it's so difficult to find leaders who can provide us with solutions to today's problems should read this book.

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