Feature Article #1

Why Social Media Is Like a Screwdriver - Think Utility, Not ROI

I hear a lot about the “ROI of Social Media” these days, and every time I do, I cringe.
Over last 27 years I’ve done a ton of ROI calculations determining if an investment of “X” in something (call it “Y“) could, or did,  produce an adequate return on that investment, based on predetermined thresholds.
So, if [...]

Starbucker | June 28th, 2009| 11 comments | Continued

Feature Article #2

The Secret(s) of Work

After doing something for 27 years, you’d think that you could figure it all out and know how to “do” it really, really well, and gain fulfillment too.
That “something” for me is work (aka what we do to make a living).
And nope, I haven’t quite figured it all out yet - which I gather isn’t [...]

Starbucker | June 21st, 2009| 5 comments | Continued

Feature Article #3

You Are What You Earn (or the Secret of Life, Part III)

Remember the old Smith Barney commercial with John Houseman?  In it he uttered one of those unforgettable lines that will forever be emblazoned in my memory:
“Smith Barney - they make money the old-fashioned way - they eaaaaaarn it”
I was thinking about that line a lot lately, and the significance of “earning”.
The dictionary defines earn “to [...]

Starbucker | June 7th, 2009| 3 comments | Continued

Feature Article #4

The New Age of Nice: Right Sentiment, Wrong Word

In case you haven’t heard , we have entered into yet another new phase in human development  - the “New Age of Nice“.
It was declared as front page news (with a big smiley face) in this past Sunday’s New York Times.
The article made its case by citing the recent popularity of Judd Apatow’s movies and [...]

Starbucker | May 31st, 2009| 16 comments | Continued

Feature Article #5

If We Know HOW to be Happy, How Come We Still Can’t BE Happy?

“Even though you’ve grasped the bar,
you still need to pull yourself over it”
Picture you are a researcher, looking over one of the most comprehensive long-term studies of human behavior.  You spend 42 years with nearly 270 men, studying their lives.
While the human mystery generates 270 different stories that, on the surface, defy any explanation, [...]

Starbucker | May 25th, 2009| 3 comments | Continued

About this Site

I’m a native Midwesterner now living on the East Coast, spreading “realistic optimism” through a philosophy I call “Half-Fullism“. I’ve been in the business world for over 25 years in various leadership positions, most recently as a senior operations executive for a service business based in the Rocky Mountain west.
I am a [...]