Acts of Random Kindness
"I was in this cafe the other week," says Cameron Stewart, "and I was buying an ice-cream. So I gave the guy at the desk a fiver and said, the next person who orders an ice cream, tell them it is on the house. Tell them it's free, and this will pay for it." Cameron Stewart is an 18-year-old from Holywood, near Belfast, and this sort of thing is exactly his forte. He is the proprietor of Ark cloth... posted on Mar 29 2009, 4,615 reads

An Empire of Women-Run Cooperatives
Thirty-five years ago in this once thriving textile town, Ela Bhatt fought for higher wages for women who ferried bolts of cloth on their heads. Today, at 76, she is still keen to see the poorest of Indian workers get a stake in the country's swelling and swiftly globalizing economy. She has built a formidable empire of women-run, Gandhian-style cooperatives -- 100 at last count -- some providing... posted on Mar 17 2009, 2,412 reads

The Free Store
The policy of The Free Store in New York reads like this: "If you find something you like and you think you need it, feel free to take it." That's right. At first they were worried they might run out of free items, but it turns out people are likely to give as much -- if not more than they take. So how do they make money? They don't. It's an art project whose mission is to "reinforce and buil... posted on Mar 16 2009, 4,885 reads

Seven Sisters with 80 Rupees in 1959
The "seven sisters", as they are fondly remembered, gathered on the terrace of an old building in a crowded South Mumbai locality and rolled out four packets of "papads" (crisp, traditional Indian meal starters) to sell. It was 1959. They had borrowed 80 Rupees (today's $1.50), to cook and sell papad as a way to supplement the household income. Three months later, they had 25 women. Just recen... posted on Mar 13 2009, 5,378 reads

The Gift of Creative Confidence
Until about a year ago, David Kelley was on a roll. He had received a National Design Award, been inducted into the National Academy of Engineering, held an endowed chair at the Stanford School of Engineering, and even won the Sir Misha Black Medal for his "distinguished contribution to design education." He also had a loving wife, a daughter to whom he was devoted, and a vast circle of friends t... posted on Feb 28 2009, 5,479 reads

CEO of the People
There's a lot of resentment these days against executive compensation and all the perks taken by corporate heads. Maybe there's something to be learned from the boss of Japan Airlines, Haruka Nishimatsu, who takes the bus to work. Nishimatsu knocked down his office walls so people can walk up and talk to him, and he works from a desk with an old-fashioned wooden in-and-out box. Got an idea? Tell h... posted on Feb 25 2009, 4,717 reads

Creating Knowledge More Consciously
The coauthor of 'Managing Flow: A Process Theory of the Knowledge-Based Firm', Tokyo-based business scholar Ikujiro Nonaka strives to help organizations create knowledge more consciously, drawing on Western and Eastern philosophic traditions. Nonaka summarizes and extends a body of work that could change the prevailing view of knowledge management to that of an enabler of in-depth learning. "Compa... posted on Feb 17 2009, 3,300 reads

Financial Literacy for the Masses
For years John Bryant has been telling anyone who will listen about the problems caused by widespread ignorance of finance. In 1992, in the aftermath of the Los Angeles riots, he founded Operation HOPE, a non-profit organization, to give poor people in the worst-hit parts of the city "a hand-up, not a handout" through a mixture of financial education, advice and basic banking. Among other things, ... posted on Feb 09 2009, 4,455 reads

Six Ways to Manage Leadership Stress
Effective leaders know that stress can be a good thing. It keeps you focused. It makes you competitive. It prompts action. But stress, as many of us know, can also turn toxic. John R. Ryan, the president of the Center for Creative Leadership, maintains that managing leadership stress comes down to a handful of critical elements: maintaining perspective, exercising, opening up, welcoming feedback, ... posted on Jan 25 2009, 7,735 reads

Are You a Servant Leader?
Servant leadership is one of the most talked about yet least critically examined leadership philosophies. While many people identify with this leadership approach, an equal number are cynical and question whether such expectations of leaders are realistic. The following article provides a fascinating introduction to the concept based on the work of Robert Greenleaf and Larry Spears, and illuminate... posted on Jan 21 2009, 7,914 reads