min read
The Tribes We Lead
Seth Godin argues the Internet has ended mass marketing and revived a human social unit from the distant past: tribes. Founded on shared ideas and values, tribes give ordinary people the power to lead and make big change. He urges us to do so.
The Art of Asking
Don’t make people pay for music, says Amanda Palmer: Let them. In a passionate talk that begins in her days as a street performer (drop a dollar in the hat for the Eight-Foot Bride!), she examines the new relationship between artist and fan.
The Way We Think About Charity is Dead Wrong
Activist and fundraiser Dan Pallotta calls out the double standard that drives our broken relationship to charities. Too many nonprofits, he says, are rewarded for how little they spend — not for what they get done. Instead of equating frugality with morality, he asks us to start rewarding charities for their big goals and big accomplishments (even if that comes with big expenses). In this bold talk, he says: Let’s change the way we think about changing the world.
The Clues to a Great Story
Filmmaker Andrew Stanton (“Toy Story,” “WALL-E”) shares what he knows about storytelling — starting at the end and working back to the beginning.
What Nonprofits Can Learn from Coca-Cola
Melinda Gates makes a provocative case: What can nonprofits learn from mega-corporations like Coca-Cola, whose global network of marketers and distributors ensures that every remote village wants — and can get — an ice-cold Coke? Maybe this model could work for distributing health care, vaccinations, sanitation, even condoms …
How to Start a Movement
With help from some surprising footage, Derek Sivers explains how movements really get started. (Hint: it takes two.)
What It Takes To Be A Great Leader
The world is full of leadership programs, but the best way to learn how to lead might be right under your nose. In this clear, candid talk, Roselinde Torres describes 25 years observing truly great leaders at work and shares the three simple but crucial questions would-be company chiefs need to ask to thrive in the future.
Healthier Men, One Moustache at a Time
Adam Garone has an impressive mustache, and it’s for a good cause. A co-founder of Movember, Garone’s initiative to raise awareness for men’s health — by having men grow out their mustaches every November — began as a dare in a bar in 2003. Now, it’s a worldwide movement that raised $126 million for prostate cancer research last year.
The Currency of the New Economy is Trust
There’s been an explosion of collaborative consumption — web-powered sharing of cars, apartments, skills. Rachel Botsman explores the currency that makes systems like Airbnb and Taskrabbit work: trust, influence, and what she calls “reputation capital.”
How to Buy Happiness
At TEDxCambridge, Michael Norton shares fascinating research on how money can indeed buy happiness — when you don’t spend it on yourself. Listen for surprising data on the many ways pro-social spending can benefit you, your work, and (of course) other people.
