iffect

Staring at us. Benedictine monks never imagined that their new technology, designed to help workers unwind, would eventually wrap workers around the axle. William Farish never imagined that his technological innovation would make his profession meaningless. New technologies are wonderful in what they promise to do, yet we are often “incapable of imagining what they…

Pit Stops

In the pits. Mentoring is making a comeback in business circles. The results, however, are uneven. For thousands of years, mentors transformed protégés (butchers, bankers and candlestick makers) into professionals. In the nineteenth century, a “modern” view of business reduced mentoring to a pit stop. And therein lies the problem… and the opportunity for people…

Is Abstinence Impossible?

A pointless exercise? The ongoing debate about the efficacy of abstinence-education programs underscores one point: we love sex. Duh. It’s important to remember this intense pleasure as we read yet another study – conducted by the Mathematica Policy Research Institute – reporting that abstinence-education programs do not delay the age when teens first have sex….

The Weightiest Question

What do you love? Neil Postman says students enter school as question marks and graduate as periods. This means America’s 1.3 million graduating college seniors are lightweights when it comes to raising the weightiest question as they look for work. They’re not alone. Human resource directors also overlook it. Engaged couples rarely resolve this question…