Tag: change

Latest Read: Race for Profit

Post author By Don Kasprzak
Post date June 23, 2022

Race for Profit: How Banks and the Real Estate Industry Undermined Black Homeownership by Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor. Dr. Taylor is a professor of African American Studies at Princeton University.

Her 2013 PhD dissertation in African-American Studies from Northwestern is titled Race for Profit: Black Housing and the Urban Crisis in the 1970s which moreover serves as the core of this book.

As a result of reading Evicted by Matthew Desmond, Keeanga’s book offers very powerful insights to housing in society from the Housing and Urban Development Act (HUD) of 1968 under the Johnson Administration to the 1974 Ford Administration Housing and Community Development Act which created uneven block grants and shared revenue with federal oversight to social welfare.

However, in contrast to Evicted, Race for Profit reveals deep, historical racism within the housing market that continues today and certainly accelerated under COVID. These forces obviously created downstream impacts at state and local levels, along with private financial firms including banks and real estate.

Keeanga in fact documents those failings were simply accelerating via “public/private partnerships” by Real Estate and Banking firms. This provided another opportunity to fleece poor African American women.

Tags Bias, change, culture, Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor, poverty, Race for Profit, tipping point

Education Milwaukee Reading

Latest Read: Evicted

Post author By Don Kasprzak
Post date June 17, 2022

Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City by Matthew Desmond. Matthew is a sociologist at Princeton University. He is also the principal investigator of the Eviction Lab.

Evicted was the 2017 winner of the Pulitzer Prize, In addition, Time Magazine named Evicted one of the ten best nonfiction books of the decade.

Matthew follows eight families across greater Milwaukee who indeed are struggling to live in apartments. For many readers, Evicted should dramatically change our country’s limited understanding of real poverty, impacting both Caucasian and African American families. One can only imagine the acceleration of evictions since COVID derailed the economy.

It is certainly remarkable to be living in Milwaukee and being able to see the apartments around the greater Milwaukee area in person on trips. Some small cities outside Milwaukee including Cudahy are also written into family stories.

Furthermore, Matthew documents that a common notion is that rent should equate to 30 percent of income. However multiple stories of families reveal they are spending up to 80 percent of income on rent. This certainly leaves so many with almost no money for food, clothing, or basic amenities.

Tags Bias, change, culture, Education, Evicted, Matthew Desmond, Milwaukee, poverty, tipping point

Education Innovation Reading Technology

Latest Read: The Hard Thing About Hard Things

Post author By Don Kasprzak
Post date February 22, 2021

The Hard Thing About Hard Things: Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers by Ben Horowitz. Even though leading a startup is the focus of this book, lessons are for leaders regardless of organization type. Ben is the cofounder and general partner of Andreessen Horowitz, a Silicon Valley–based venture capital firm.

Ben certainly provides insightful stories with his experience joining Marc Andreessen at Netscape, then leading Loudcloud, and Opsware as CEO.

There are certainly rich experiences regarding Ben’s roles at Netscape, CEO at both Loudcloud and Opsware. Hence there are more than casual boasting of accomplishments. Nevertheless, Ben delivers insights to all the ups and downs experienced by struggling startups.

Ordinarily, many startups have only one client driving almost 90% of the company’s revenue. Therefore many lessons apply to all moving into any startup’s culture. Ben’s efforts at Loudcloud are driving those lessons and the single client model.

There is also a good section for managers relating to 1-on-1 management meetings with their direct reports. Otherwise, Mark Horseman’s Manager Tools series provides much deeper insights for managers and leaders to capitalize their 1-on-1 time.

Tags Ben Horowitz, change, leadership, startup, The Hard Thing About Hard Things

Education Reading

Latest Read: The Catalyst

Post author By Don Kasprzak
Post date November 2, 2020

The Catalyst: How to Change Anyone’s Mind by Jonah Berger. Jonah is a marketing professor at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. Catalysts are agents for change and the goal for this book. Above all, to change the mind of an individual even on the most contentious issues is proving even more challenging during a pandemic.

While not having read Jonah’s other books (yet) his efforts simply introduce new approaches. Jonah’s approach has a more personal view.

In contrast, How Not to Be Wrong: The Power of Mathematical Thinking by Jordan Ellenberg is a more mathematical approach to change. So, I believe both work across unique audiences. Certainly, there is no one size fits all solution today as the power of an AI driven internet customizes the delivery of news and information.

Be a catalyst for change. Many times we face challenges that require change. Further, there are a series of books about this and their recommendations to make change run far and wide.

Subsequently, Jonah makes a valid effort to find meaningful ways to make that change. He outlines ideas that should appeal to anyone who finds themselves stuck in a rut and finding no success. Change is hard.

Catalyst has an approach that certainly reminds me of Switch by Dan and Chip Heath. Some lessons reveal his own resistance to change as illustrated in his story about upgrading his mobile phone. But it crossed my mind that this story is not about being a catalyst, but rather procrastinating. It is in this story that recalling the lessons of Wait by Frank Partnoy.

Be the change that you wish to see in the world
Gandhi

For example, the Catalyst lesson of a rabbi helping a member of the Nebraska KKK to renounce an extremist past is by no doubt a powerful lesson that a catalyst can face initial overwhelming odds yet overtime watch a transformational moment develop.

On the other hand, it is possible that Grit by Angela Duckworth or even Drive by Daniel Pink is what is really needed today to be an effective catalyst for change.

Tags Catalyst, change, Jonah Berger

Education Innovation Reading Technology

Latest Read: Sway The Irresistible Pull of Irrational Behavior

Post author By Don Kasprzak
Post date July 8, 2020

Sway: The Irresistible Pull of Irrational Behavior by Ori Brafman. Ori also wrote The Starfish and the Spider: The Unstoppable Power of Leaderless Organizations. Both are good reads and worthy of your time.

The opening chapter set the book’s tone for great learning. Why do we fall for irrational behavior? There would be no excuse for experienced, well educated professionals to stumble so badly? Are we really that close to irrational behavior that could actually endanger the lives of others?

When you want to tell a convincing story you start off with a homerun statement. This captures the attention of everyone.

Ori does this for instance, by sharing the story of an educated, deeply experienced professional. Highly regarded by colleagues both internally and from other companies as a voice of reason and industry leader.

In other words, what changes in behavior allows one to commit such an irrational action that results in the deaths of 534 people? Sway examines in chapter one the deadliest aviation disaster in history. It happened on the small island of Tenerife.

Similarly, this was one of the first investigations to conclude “human factors” as a cause. The investigation suggested his reputation, captain’s seniority, and being one of the most respected pilots working for the airline. The apparent hesitation of the flight engineer and the first officer to challenge pilot Jacob Veldhuyzen van Zanten contributed to the crash.

Tags change, leadership, organizational leadership, Ori Brafman, sway