In companies, there are three activities that should be labeled better. First there is the "CORE" which is the thing the company does that its customers pay it to do. Lewis Schiff More Quotes by Lewis Schiff More Quotes From Lewis Schiff Success doesn’t always look like what we think it looks like. Lewis Schiff looks thinking The bottom line: All of your investing decisions should be grounded in your own investment policy statement. By taking a "top-down" look at your finances and writing out a road map, your policy statement will add an important element of discipline to your approach. Lewis Schiff top-down discipline writing For example, I wear clothes I buy at trendy shops because I don't care much about clothing. If someone wants to create a trend around clothing, I'll happily and blindly follow. Lewis Schiff clothes care example However, there's nothing more inspiring than a company that does solve problems and those problems are captured as part of a larger story. Lewis Schiff problem stories doe As you climb of the organizational ladder, you have to redefine your role in the value chain from player to captain to coach to manager, and for some, to owner. These are different roles and you won't be able to succeed as a manager when you're acting like a player. Lewis Schiff different acting player Apple made tools that helped people express their creativity and Steve Jobs knew that so he told that story well. But Facebook makes tools that help people connect and Mark Zuckerberg is hardly a story-teller. Nevertheless, he's become a leader because his products do such a good job of solving a problem. Lewis Schiff zuckerberg creativity jobs I believe in labeling things. Lewis Schiff i-believe-in i-believe believe Apple makes computers and they have to be great at providing the product they promised every individual who wants to purchase from them. This is where they should spend the bulk of their energy. Lewis Schiff apples energy want If the workers don't keep themselves current - with some assistance and guidance from their employers - then the workers who are in the legacy roles will have to be removed. That's what's so difficult. Lewis Schiff legacy roles guidance MBA programs are underwritten by large companies and they succeed at producing future employees of large companies. In that regard, they are doing exactly what they are supposed to be doing. Lewis Schiff mba-programs employee succeed There are not enough forums where institutions invite their workers to share their failures in a constructive way so the organization can move forward. Lewis Schiff organization way moving If the question is, how do we best produce business people who can succeed in the post-Great Recession era, then I think the MBA programs and their connection to large companies remains intact but it's not the path to a "Business Brilliant" life. It's a path to a middle-class existence marked by large stretches of security and comfort with occasional eruptions that you're probably ill-prepared to handle. Do I sound too cynical? Lewis Schiff mba class thinking The disruption caused by globalization and technology (what Tom Friedman calls hyperconnectedness) will be around for the rest of our professional lives. Lewis Schiff globalization disruption technology I also believe that at a critical point (more than six people?), that collective wisdom turns into group think. Lewis Schiff believe people thinking I did in fact take a couple of classes at my local college here in NYC. But I did it unwillingly and without enthusiasm. That is until a protest broke out in the streets around campus against rising tuition costs. Lewis Schiff couple college class Because my college was a local college, it had a historic role in educating minorities and the tuition increase was viewed as an obstacle in creating more opportunity for minorities. I threw myself info the protests with all my heart. Ultimately, a group of us barricaded ourselves in the school for about 3 weeks so we brought the running of the campus to a halt. Lewis Schiff heart running school While I did complete high school, I would have to say that it was by the skin of my teeth. My education ever since then has been one that I got "on the job" and I consider myself a very well-educated person at this point! Lewis Schiff skins jobs school Still, it formed one of my basic beliefs about success which is this: most of the time, success can be measured in terms of how much more than others you have of something that's in short supply. This includes money, reputation, respect, etc. Lewis Schiff etc reputation belief I've got better things to do than to find my individuality in that particular area. But if it's important to me, I've got to seek my own path. Lewis Schiff individuality important path One of the easiest ways to solve your problems is to look at how others have solved a similar problem. So, in this regard, we are using the same thinking of others. Lewis Schiff looks way thinking
