Friday Links: Posts and Resources from the Business World
Every Friday we connect you with some of our recent favourite links. This week:
Posts and resources from mainstream business publications
5 Steps You Must Take Before Becoming an Entrepreneur – Entrepreneur
Starting your own business can reap deep personal and professional rewards, but if you take the leap, your days of punching the clock on a regular schedule will end. If it’s work you love and you crave the freedom of operating under your own steam, starting your own small business will energize your career and make the long hours that await you melt away. But don’t go off half-cocked. Before you quit your day job, here are five steps you should take to ensure you’re ready to go out on your own.
Why Businesses That Are Purpose-Driven Come Out on Top – Inc.
The concept of the purpose-driven business has emerged, finding its way into big business and the startup ecosystem. It’s not just about helping through words either; studies have shown that participation in charitable activities increases employee morale, and entrepreneurs are working hard to create businesses that make societal impact with the work they do.
Bridging Two Kinds of Cultural Differences – Harvard Business Review [Video]
Blythe McGarvie, senior lecturer at Harvard Business School, describes the key areas in which cultures differ and how to diagnose where you and your colleagues are on those continuums.
I am ‘anti-business’, you might be too – Seth Godin
A hundred and fifty years ago, when people finally began organizing to eliminate child labor in American factories, they were called anti-business. There was no way, the owners complained, that they could make a living if they couldn’t employ ultra-cheap labor. In retrospect, I think businesses are glad that kids go to school–educated workers make better consumers (and citizens).
The 15 Diseases of Leadership, According to Pope Francis – Harvard Business Review
Through the years, I’ve heard dozens of management experts enumerate the qualities of great leaders. Seldom, though, do they speak plainly about the “diseases” of leadership. The Pope is more forthright. He understands that as human beings we have certain proclivities — not all of them noble. Nevertheless, leaders should be held to a high standard, since their scope of influence makes their ailments particularly infectious.