Black MBA NetWire

We get it – you’re crazy busy. But what if we told you that you could do wonders for your career and even finances... in 30 seconds flat? The truth is that you can get a lot done in half a minute – especially if you start adopting some of these 30-second habits. (Fast Company)

Visit http://www.fastcompany.com/3051623/hit-the-ground-running/30-second-habits-that-can-help-boost-your-career-and-finances to view the full article online.

Perhaps no sexier product has emerged from American business schools than the theory of disruptive innovation, introduced in 1997 by Harvard Business School professor Clayton Christensen. Disruption – the theory that innovators with cheap solutions to a vexing market problem can unseat larger, more established rivals – has become an unavoidable part of conversations about companies and the people who work in them. It has been hailed as the answer to everything from making health care more efficient to reducing poverty. But what if the theory is bogus? (Bloomberg)

Visit http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-10-05/did-clay-christensen-get-disruption-wrong- to view the full article online.

I recently went to the National Black MBA Association event in Orlando to do interviews for my company, and it was exciting to meet so many fresh faces, eager to get started in a career in consulting. Here's some of the advice I gave the graduating MBAs that is relevant for anyone looking to move into a leadership role. (TechRepublic)

Visit http://www.techrepublic.com/article/4-guiding-principles-for-aspiring-it-leaders/ to view the full article online.

African American employees tend to receive more scrutiny from their bosses than their white colleagues, meaning that small mistakes are more likely to be caught, which over time leads to worse performance reviews and lower wages. (The Atlantic)

Visit http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2015/10/why-black-workers-really-do-need-to-be-twice-as-good/409276/ to view the full article online.

Creating goals that you will actually accomplish isn’t just a matter of defining what needs doing—you also have to spell out the specifics of getting it done. Research shows that you can significantly improve your odds by using what motivational scientists call if-then planning to express your intentions. We’re neurologically wired to make if-then connections, so they’re powerful triggers for action. This tool will help you take advantage of how the brain works. To begin, break down your goals into concrete subgoals and detailed actions for reaching them. (Harvard Business Review)

Visit https://hbr.org/2015/10/a-tool-to-help-you-reach-your-goals-in-4-steps to view the full article online.

Despite the rise of social media, instant messaging, and all manner of apps, reports of email’s death have been greatly exaggerated. In fact, according to technology market research firm The Radicati Group, in 2015, roughly 2.6 billion people will use email – a number that will grow to more than 2.9 billion by the end of 2019. "For most organizations, it’s the communication nervous system," says business writer and communications consultant, Natalie Canavor, author of Business Writing for Dummies. (Fast Company)

Visit http://www.fastcompany.com/3051999/hit-the-ground-running/the-9-email-mistakes-that-make-people-ignore-your-messages to view the full article online.

Data scientist – a job that barely existed a decade ago – has become one of the hottest and best-paid professions in the U.S. Companies say they need people who have the skill sets – both business and technical – to analyze the rising tide of data produced by customers and operations. RJMetrics, a software startup that itself is looking for data scientists to fill open positions, dove into LinkedIn data to gauge the field’s scope. (The Wall Street Journal)

Visit http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2015/10/07/new-report-puts-numbers-on-data-scientist-trend/ to view the full article online.

From the very first day Ronald C.Parker stepped foot into his new role as CEO of the Executive Leadership Council in 2012, he made it clear that his plans for the organization were ambitious. With over 600 current members in ELC, Parker plans to expand the organization’s presence by extending membership beyond those associated with Fortune 500 companies to include entrepreneurs as well as black leaders abroad. (Black Enterprise)

Visit http://www.blackenterprise.com/career/executive-leadership-council-ceo-talks-achieving-objectives-in-global-diversity/ to view the full article online.

Global markets should brace for more turmoil as a reckoning from years of gorging on cheap debt nears, the International Monetary Fund warned Wednesday. The fund, in its semiannual assessment of risks to the global financial system, said the fallout from the end of easy-money policies by central banks could stall the world’s economic expansion, expose lofty asset prices and weigh on overextended lenders. (The Wall Street Journal)

Visit http://www.wsj.com/articles/imf-emerging-market-troubles-risk-triggering-asset-fire-sales-1444226633 to view the full article online.

Donald Trump, an American presidential candidate, denounced it as "a terrible deal". Another, Hillary Clinton, does not think it meets "the high bar" that should be applied to trade pacts. Yet proponents of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), which encompasses 12 countries in Asia and the Americas, including America and Japan, herald it as the biggest multilateral trade deal in 20 years, which will "define the rules of the road" for international commerce. Which is it? (The Economist)

Visit http://www.economist.com/news/finance-and-economics/21672330-negotiators-agree-ambitious-trade-deal-opposition-its-ratification to view the full article online.

Masters in management looks like a degree whose time has come. Long seen as a route from business school to boardroom in Europe, the programs are gaining a global appeal, as US universities strive for differentiation and students warm to pre-experience courses. "There is growing recognition and awareness of one-year masters degrees in management in the US," says Russ Morgan, associate dean at North Carolina’s Fuqua School of Business. (BusinessBecause)

Visit http://www.businessbecause.com/news/business-finance-masters/3508/master-in-management-are-route-to-c-suite to view the full article online.

For several decades now, we have heard lively debate about the value of an MBA. Much of the recent debate is fallout from the last economic downturn and the broader conversation about the rising costs of higher education. Today, the value of a graduate business school education is under the microscope like never before. But, what’s surprising to me is how much the industry contributes to its own devaluation. Sometimes, I think business schools are their own worst enemy. (Poets & Quants)

Visit http://poetsandquants.com/2015/10/07/why-the-mba-remains-an-awesome-investment/ to view the full article online.

Comcast announced that NBMBAA Board Member Janet Uthman has been named Vice President of Inclusion and Multicultural Marketing for the company's Northeast Division. In this new role, Uthman will be responsible for the planning and execution of diversity and inclusion efforts and multicultural marketing strategy across the Division's footprint, which consists of approximately 22,000 employees and 7.5 million customers across 14 northeastern states from Maine to Virginia and Washington, D.C. (MarketWatch)

Visit http://www.marketwatch.com/story/comcast-names-janet-uthman-vice-president-of-inclusion-and-multicultural-marketing-for-northeast-division-2015-10-07 to view the full article online.

Comcast Cable announced that NBMBAA Member Michael Parker has been named senior vice president of the company’s Western New England Region, which includes Western Mass. In this role, Parker is the top executive responsible for operations, performance, and customer experience for the region, which employs more than 1,700 people and encompasses 300 communities in Western Mass., Connecticut, Vermont, Western New Hampshire, and New York. (Business West)

Visit http://businesswest.com/blog/comcast-cable-appoints-michael-parker-regions-senior-vice-president/ to view the full article online.

Bob McConnell, a retired engineer, set up a new wireless router in his home this year to get faster Internet speeds. Instead, he got the opposite, with his iPad often getting no wireless connection in his bedroom. For days, he tinkered with the router’s settings, but couldn’t figure out a fix. "It was totally ruining my life," said Mr. McConnell, who lives in a condominium building in Kirkland, Wash. (The New York Times)

Visit http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/08/technology/personaltech/if-your-wi-fi-is-terrible-check-your-router.html?ref=business to view the full article online.

Not long ago, if the U.S. Department of Justice wanted information you’d stored electronically, all its agents needed to do was get a court order and seize your computer. Law enforcement doesn’t have it so easy anymore. In the cloud era, if the FBI or investigators from any other government want to get at your e-mail, Skype calls, or transaction records, the requests – or demands – have to go through corporate legal departments, wherever they may be. Archiving companies’ and individuals’ data is big business for the likes of Microsoft, Google, Apple, and Amazon.com, which have invested billions to create immense clouds of servers to keep your information organized, secure, and confidential. (Bloomberg)

Visit http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-10-08/the-98-6-billion-e-mail to view the full article online.

Doug Tatum is the business world’s premier diagnostician of growing pains. The title of his book – No Man’s Land: What to Do When Your Company Is Too Big to Be Small but Too Small to Be Big – defines the ungainly stage of company development he considers at least as perilous as launch, though for different reasons. Businesses stumble into adolescence at about 20 employees and stride out at about 100, according to Tatum’s rough rule of thumb. (Inc.)

Visit http://www.inc.com/Leigh-buchanan/2015-inc5000-meet-the-dr-house-of-small-businesses.html to view the full article online.

Fear is the elephant in the office. Every founder, CEO and employee feels it. We fear failure, damaged reputations and even success. To top it off, we’re afraid to talk about our fears. Fear in itself isn’t bad, of course. In fact, it can be healthy and highly motivating. Fear makes us cautious about risky decisions: It fills us with energy and adrenaline, propels us forward and breeds innovation. In the intensely competitive startup environment, fear can be a great ally. (Entrepreneur)

Visit http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/251199 to view the full article online.

What people think the American dream is has also shifted over time. Freedom and personal freedom remain at the top of the list for people’s conception of what the American dream is. But the second most-cited idea of what the American dream is is just getting your basic needs met, which is not what we would traditionally think of as the American dream. It would be more about upward mobility and a level of material affluence that’s beyond basic needs. (The Atlantic)

Visit http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2015/10/juliet-schor-american-dream/409321/ to view the full article online.

For years, business leaders here have closely studied the San Francisco region, seeking to emulate the way it churns out so many leading technology companies. In large measure, those efforts worked. But now, leaders in Seattle are looking to the Bay Area as a different sort of model: a cautionary tale. (The New York Times)

Visit http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/09/technology/seattle-in-midst-of-tech-boom-tries-to-keep-its-soul.html?ref=business&_r=0 to view the full article online.

For most Americans, trying to cut back on bills involves a mix of discipline and sacrifice: Moving into a smaller place, searching for sales at the grocery store, or forgoing air conditioning on hot days, for examples. But drivers around the country have been getting a reprieve without any effort thanks to falling gas prices. So what are they doing with the unanticipated bonus in their bank accounts? Not saving it, a new report from J.P. Morgan finds. (The Atlantic)

Visit http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2015/10/are-americans-spending-gas-savings/409657/ to view the full article online.

Americans love football and they love fantasy sports. Try watching an NFL game this Sunday (or next Monday or Thursday for that matter) without seeing a barrage of commercials from so-called daily fantasy sports sites DraftKings and FanDuel touting your chance to become the next pajama-clad millionaire. (Money)

Visit http://time.com/money/4065151/daily-fantasy-sports-draftkings-fanduel/ to view the full article online.

It sounds like the ultimate example of corporate beneficence: Take as much vacation as you like, as long as you get your work done. And in the right company, with the right culture and the right manager, such "unlimited vacation" policies could be a pretty fabulous perk. Yet they're not being offered purely out of altruism. (The Washington Post)

Visit http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/on-leadership/wp/2015/10/08/what-your-company-gains-when-it-gives-you-unlimited-vacation/ to view the full article online.

If you work for a company where everybody seems reasonably happy to come to work in the morning, you probably aren’t in advertising. "Too many people consider morale a touchy-feely issue," notes Douglas Quenqua, editor-in-chief of ad biz trade publication Campaign US. "But retention is a huge problem in this industry, and low morale is a big contributor. People who feel inspired aren’t looking for their next job." (Fortune)

Visit http://fortune.com/2015/10/07/ad-industry-employees-unhappy/ to view the full article online.

Former Harvard fellow and executive coach Elizabeth Doty believes it can, both on a personal and company-wide level. She says that the unclear agreements, muddy expectations, and conflicting priorities that cause missed deadlines and projects paralyzed in the analysis phase are caused by "commitment drift," better known as promises that are forgotten or broken. (Fast Company)

Visit http://www.fastcompany.com/3052019/lessons-learned/why-making-explicit-promises-can-boost-productivity to view the full article online.

When leaders of large corporations step down amid controversy, their character is often called into question. Recently, Volkswagon CEO Martin Winterkorn stepped down from his post when news broke that the German automaker installed technology intended to defeat emissions testing. Though he claimed not to be aware of the wrongdoing, Winterkorn is known as being a hard-driving perfectionist bent on securing the top spot among global car manufacturers. (Fast Company)

Visit http://www.fastcompany.com/3051960/the-4-leadership-traits-that-translate-to-business-success to view the full article online.