August, 2013 - The Right Way to Flourish

My First Commencement Address

August 27, 20133 Comments

On August 24th, I delivered my first (and probably only) commencement address to the graduates of the Marlboro College Graduate School in Brattleboro, VT. I had been teaching in their MBA for Managing Sustainability until last January. I had a chance to watch with great pride a handful of those I taught among the graduates from other programs. I am attaching my address should anyone be interested in reading it. It was very well received. 2013 Commencement Address.pdf

Taking a Break

August 21, 2013No Comments

I am off the grid under about Labor Day. Please come back later. In the meaantime buy and read my new book.

Misery Loves Company

August 12, 20132 Comments

I read an interesting [piece](https://secure.pqarchiver.com/boston-sub/doc/1419117067.html?FMT=FT&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Aug+11%2C+2013&author=Graham%2C+Ruth&pub=Boston+Globe&edition=&startpage=&desc=The+triumph+of+coping) (subscription only) in the Sunday Globe *Ideas* section yesterday. With a headline of “The Triumph of Coping,” the article is a conversation with Jennifer Silva, who finds that, “the American Dream is being replaced by a new kind of story.” In a series of 100 interviews with working class people, she found that, in place of the old story of unlimited opportunity for upward mobility (The American Dream), a new tale of struggle against “emotional problems, mental illness, family chaos, and addiction. . . To her surprise, hard-won emotional self-management was often viewed with as… Read More

The Timeless Wisdom of Confucius

August 10, 2013No Comments

I was reading a review of a set of essays by Simon Leys in the *New York Review of Books* (August 15, 2013) when Confucius jumped right out of the page. Leys is an expert on Chinese history among other interests. Here’s what caught my eye. > When Confucius was asked by one of his disciples what he would do if he were given his own territory to govern, the Master replied that he would “rectify the names,’ that is, make words correspond to reality. He explained (in Leys’s translation): > > > If the names are not correct, if… Read More

Nature Isn’t Such a Good Model

August 4, 2013No Comments

*CSRwire* has always been a good source for information on what is happening in this domain. It has gone from a seemingly random reporting style to a well-designed and clearly displayed format. One added feature is the Talkback columns, presenting the ideas of a wide range of business, academic, and other interested parties. My comments today are directed to a recent article by Giles Hutchins, entitled, “Order Within Chaos: A New Business Paradigm Inspired by Nature.” His principles seemed reasonable, if not a bit generic, but I did not see their connections to nature as clearly as the article suggested.… Read More