‘Flavor Pairing’: How Roberta and Ken Williams Transformed Computer Games
In 1979, Roberta Williams had no plans to revolutionize the gaming world. Since childhood, she had always been a storyteller, but she had no experience
Sal Khan and the Power of the Flipped Classroom
Sal Khan was tutoring his niece Nadia when he began to see a pattern. Nadia and other students were smart, but they weren’t performing in
Ray Kroc and the Magic of Franchising
When Ray Kroc was opening his first McDonald’s franchise, the first thing he tested was the fries. Of all the great things that the McDonald
The Origins of Ritz-Carlton’s Famous $2,000 Rule
In the early 1980s, renowned hotelier Horst Schulze was brought on to revive the legendary Ritz-Carlton chain. One of the first things he did was
Doing Less to Achieve More
In January 2010, Novak Djokovic was playing in the Australian Open quarterfinals when he nearly collapsed on the court. A rising star in the tennis
The Power of Visual Thinking
In 1966, a Texas pilot drew a triangle on the back of a napkin and changed aviation forever.
The Creativity of Constraints
In 1985, after a string of critical and commercial flops, Disney Animation Studios was all but done for. New CEO Michael Eisner and head of
Harnessing the Zeigarnik Effect for Memory Retention and Motivation
John McEnroe was practicing before his 1984 Wimbledon final and abruptly quit. He said he felt great and didn’t want to leave his best form
The Logic of Imagination
Increasingly, we see right and left-brain thinking as separate and distinct. But for most creative endeavors, we need both.
The Case for Being Human
With the rise of AI and the imminent Singularity, it’s a good time to ask whether human beings matter anymore.
Two Ways to Harness the Power of Analogical Thinking
There’s nothing like a good analogy to drive home a point. Think of some of the most profound analogies in our culture. Who doesn’t instantly
The Essential MBA
Not everyone can afford a $100,000 MBA, but everyone can learn the essentials for under $100 with these nine books.
How to Solve Problems by Starting with the End and Working Backward
By working backward, we are able to gain perspective on the problem and hone in on the direction we want to take from the start.
Defining the Problem—the Essential First Step
When we don’t properly assess the situation and understand what we’re trying to achieve, things can and often do go awry.
How to Ask a Question
In a time of sound bites and hostile Facebook debates, asking good questions has become a lost art.
How to ‘Show, Don’t Tell’ with Meaningful Action
No matter what you have to say, it is always more evocative and interesting if you show it instead of telling it.
The Problem with the Linda Problem
Like most Behavioral Economics work, the experiment is founded on a basic fallacy that, if anything, proves that the researchers are the ones that are irrational.
How the Close of the Frontier Brought About Our Cultural Collapse
The close of the frontier in the 1890s was the undoing of Columbus’ voyage and discovery of the New World in the 1490s.
The Absolute Best Albums for Each Week of the Year According to Science
Music fans know that songs have a season. This is obviously true for Christmas music, Halloween music, and even Fourth of July music, but also for songs and albums that don’t have such clear seasonal affiliation.
How to Rate a Book
Any writer knows the story: You pour your life into what you hope ends up a good piece, you publish it, and then you hold