Richer Earth

How Clean is Your Transportation?

I'll be discussing clean trans with the Columbia Business School Alumni Club of NY on May 17

Urban Biking: Boston’s Freedman on Improving Safety and Access

Nicole Freedman is working to make Boston a more cycle-friendly city.

Values vs. Dollars: Where Do You Draw the Line?

Almost every corporate value statement speaks to respect and integrity. Are those ideals tucked in a drawer when they might interrupt production?

The Subtle Difference in Leadership of, in, and with the System

Martin Luther King, Jr. is an example of leading with the system.

Interview with Julie Bargmann, Brownfields Diva

Julie Bargmann discusses the leadership challenges in brownfield reclamation. Read the interview.

Latest From Richer Earth

How Clean is Your Transportation?

On May 17 I will have the honor to return to New York to moderate a discussion on clean transportation for the Columbia Business School Alumni Club of New York. Last year's conversation was robust and wide-ranging and this year's should be just as engaging. Appearing on the panel are: - Rich Kassel of the National Resources Defense Council - Stephen Marlin of General Motors - Bruce Schaller … [Read More...]

Urban Biking: Boston’s Freedman on Improving Safety and Access

As biking season returns to Boston (and it never really left with our mild winter), I thought it a good time to post my interview with Nicole Freedman, director of bicycle programs for the City of Boston, otherwise knows as the mayor's "bike czar." Freedman has overseen the launch of the Hubway bike sharing program -- the first in the U.S., the expansion of bike lanes, and a number of other … [Read More...]

Values vs. Dollars: Where Do You Draw the Line?

Your customers are happy. Industry watchers eagerly await your next product. Your stock price is through the roof. Then there come reports that your suppliers may be violating child labor and environmental standards. Is this a serious issue -- or simply a potential distraction? While this might be a plot synopsis for one of the fictional HBR case studies I've written, it is the very real … [Read More...]

The Subtle Difference in Leadership of, in, and with the System

I recently completed a paper on the challenges of leading social change in meta-systems. Organizational change was one of the evergreen topics when I worked at Harvard Business School Publishing, i.e. you could sell books and articles about it forever as no one ever got it right. Move up to the level of a meta-system where you are trying to inspire global change in response to the big, hairy … [Read More...]