As Elon Musk's monetization strategy takes effect, the iconic blue checkmark's meaning and value are called into question, leaving the Twitter community searching for clarity.

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As Elon Musk's monetization strategy takes effect, the iconic blue checkmark's meaning and value are called into question, leaving the Twitter community searching for clarity.   To generate subscription revenue and promote egalitarianism, Musk made the blue check mark available to users for a monthly fee of $8. However, this move has led to unintended consequences and a shift in perception surrounding the once-coveted blue check mark. Continued here

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Are Super-Apps Coming to the U.S. Market?   Over the last decade, super-apps like WeChat, Alipay, and LINE have taken Asian markets by storm. Could similar platforms soon be coming to the U.S.? Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, and other Western tech leaders have vocally shared aspirations of creating a “WeChat equivalent” — but while it’s possible that the U.S. will develop some form of super-app, it’ll likely be more super-ish than truly super. In this piece, the authors outline several key factors that have kept super-apps from taking off in the U.S., as well as recent trends that may lead some form of super-app (or rather, a super-ish app) to emerge in the American market. Continued here

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This Toxic 5-Word Phrase Separates Successful People From Everyone Else. Here's How to Tune It Out and Destroy Its Power   Short version: Train your brain to do a global find-and-replace. Continued here

S27

Equity Bank CEO James Mwangi: Transforming Lives with Access to Credit   James Mwangi, CEO of Equity Bank, has transformed lives and livelihoods throughout East and Central Africa by giving impoverished people access to banking accounts and micro loans. He’s been so successful that in 2020 Forbes coined the term “the Mwangi Model.” But can we really have both purpose and profit in a firm? Continued here

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S10

The Dark Side of Resilience   There is no doubt that resilience is a useful and highly-adaptive trait, especially in the face of traumatic events. However, it can be taken too far. For example, too much resilience could make people overly tolerant of adversity. At work, this can translate into putting up with boring or demoralizing jobs — and particularly bad bosses — for longer than needed. In addition, too much resilience can get in the way of leadership effectiveness and, by extension, team and organizational effectiveness. Multiple studies suggest that bold leaders are unaware of their limitations and overestimate their leadership capabilities and current performance, making them rigidly and delusionally resilient and closed off to information that could be imperative in fixing — or at least improving — behavioral weaknesses. While it may be reassuring for teams, organizations, and countries to select leaders on the basis of their resilience — who doesn’t want to be protected by a tough and strong leader? — such leaders are not necessarily always good for the group as a whole. Continued here

S5

Why Start-ups Fail   Based on interviews and surveys with hundreds of founders and investors and scores of accounts of entrepreneurial setbacks, his findings buck the conventional wisdom that the cause of start-up failure is either the founding team or the business idea. The author found six patterns that doomed ventures. Two were especially common: Continued here

S9

What Is Strategy?   Today’s dynamic markets and technologies have called into question the sustainability of competitive advantage. Under pressure to improve productivity, quality, and speed, managers have embraced tools such as TQM, benchmarking, and re-engineering. Dramatic operational improvements have resulted, but rarely have these gains translated into sustainable profitability. And gradually, the tools have taken the place of strategy. In his five-part article, Michael Porter explores how that shift has led to the rise of mutually destructive competitive battles that damage the profitability of many companies. As managers push to improve on all fronts, they move further away from viable competitive positions. Porter argues that operational effectiveness, although necessary to superior performance, is not sufficient, because its techniques are easy to imitate. In contrast, the essence of strategy is choosing a unique and valuable position rooted in systems of activities that are much more difficult to match. Porter thus traces the economic basis of competitive advantage down to the level of the specific activities a company performs. Using cases such as Ikea and Vanguard, he shows how making trade-offs among activities is critical to the sustainability of a strategy. Whereas managers often focus on individual components of success such as core competencies or critical resources, Porter shows how managing fit across all of a company’s activities enhances both competitive advantage and sustainability. While stressing the role of leadership in making and enforcing clear strategic choices, Porter also offers advice on how companies can reconnect with strategies that have become blurred over time. Continued here

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Managing Difficult Emotions at Work: Our Favorite Reads   I’ve learned that crying — or showing any strong emotion at work — can be a double-edged sword. While it may feel uncomfortable to be vulnerable in the moment, when we are honest and open about our feelings, we become more human to the people around us. Our emotions aren’t something that we should shame ourselves for experiencing. Good or bad, we can’t check them at the door the moment we walk into an office. Continued here

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S21

Top-Performing Navy SEALs Do This 1 Thing Differently When Confronted With Stress   Stress is inevitable. It's what you do with it that counts. Continued here

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Here's Why Jeff Bezos's Butterfly Shirt at Coachella Is Going Viral, and What You Can Learn From It   Why is a clothing item that may have cost $12 such a big deal? Continued here

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S17

Giannis Antetokounmpo Just Delivered an 8-Word Master Class in How to View Failure, Bounce Back, and Move Forward   NBA superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo's authentic, impassioned response to a reporter's question about failure is one of the best speeches I've ever heard. He summed up the lesson in just eight short words. Continued here

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Make Yourself Happy: Be Kind   Want to stay current with Arthur’s writing? Sign up to get an email every time a new column comes out.Kindness and niceness, though both excellent personal qualities, are not the same thing. The former is to be good to others; the latter is about being pleasant. They don’t even have to go together. Some say, for example, that New Yorkers are kind but not nice (“Your tire is flat, you moron—hand me your jack”), in contrast to Californians, who are nice but not kind (“Looks like you’ve got a flat tire there—have a good day!”). Continued here

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S4

Research: What Happens When Private Equity Firms Buy Hospitals?   The topic of private equity firms acquiring hospitals and health systems in the United States has sparked a fierce debate for years about whether the deals were good or bad for communities they serve. A study of 45 leveraged buyouts produced some surprising findings that should guide regulators when considering reforms. Continued here

S7

Blue Ocean Strategy   Despite a long-term decline in the circus industry, Cirque du Soleil profitably increased revenue 22-fold over the last 10 years by reinventing the circus. Rather than competing within the confines of the existing industry or trying to steal customers from rivals, Cirque developed uncontested market space that made the competition irrelevant. Continued here

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S6

High-Tech Touchpoints Are Changing Customer Experience   Apple launched the iPod in 2001 with the mission of “putting 1,000 songs in your pocket.” Fast forward two decades, and L’Oreal is taking a step toward transforming cosmetics by enabling women to carry 1,000 shades of lipstick in their purse. The key is a connected device that prints lipstick for its Yves Saint Laurent line. Customers upload a photo of their outfit to the YSL app, which generates a few colors to match. After using augmented reality to finetune the colors to get exactly the shade they desire, the customer presses a button, and the device prints a few drops of the lipstick. Continued here

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Leading a Midsize Business Through Change   Getting large numbers of people involved in change efforts is a critical element in change management. It widens the aperture of perspectives, generates a broader array of solutions, and increases the commitment that people have to doing things differently. But expecting a broad group of stakeholders to all put aside their personal and functional agendas for the greater good may be unrealistic. No matter how much of a “big hat” people will put on, it’s human nature to view decisions through the lens of whether they will be good or bad for individuals and their teams. This can be especially difficult in mid-size companies with a culture of belonging. If you are contemplating major change in your mid-sized company — and you have a culture of widespread engagement — this article covers a couple of principles to keep in mind as you navigate change. Continued here

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S8

Disrupt Yourself   Disruptive innovation has been a pioneering concept in business since 1995. Johnson, a founding partner at Clay Christensen’s investment firm, explains how you can apply disruptive thinking—responsible for the success of many products, companies, and even countries—to your own career. Using the stories of highly successful personal innovators, including herself, she articulates four principles of self-disruption: Continued here

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How to Become a Highly Effective Leader   Here is a framework you can follow systematically. Continued here

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Why This Founder Treats His Startup Like a Family Business   After selling his first company for $340 million, John Berkowitz launched his next venture with his family sitting on the board of executives. Continued here

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Ask This Question At the End of Your Next Job Interview   “What do you like to do after work?” Asking this question may seem frivolous, but underneath its soft exterior, you’ll find genuine answers that will help you better understand your potential future coworkers, learn about the organization’s culture, and determine how you’ll fit into the bigger picture. Here are three valuable insights this question will help you gather. Continued here

S12

5 Easy Ways to Take Control of Your Personal Finances   The last year has been a very difficult one. Not only have we had to deal with travel restrictions, lockdown orders, and fears of getting sick — many of us have also been struggling financially. In fact, research suggests that financial stress is at an all-time high in America, a phenomenon explained by the numerous hiring freezes and layoffs brought on by the pandemic.  Continued here

S30

Protein powders: Are they bad for your health?   When I go into my local health food store, there’s one corner that's always been a bit of a mystery to me – the shelves packed with dozens of white plastic tubs filled with powdered protein supplements.  In the changing room at the gym, however, there are plenty who sing their praises, explaining that they simply add a scoop of powder to milk or to a smoothie, work out and then build extra muscle.   With their popularity reaching way beyond bodybuilders and professional athletes, now seems like a good time to look at the evidence around protein powders. Continued here

S29

Introducing How Generative AI Changes Everything   HBR IdeaCast is cutting through the noise in the special series How Generative AI Changes Everything. How will this new technology upend workforce productivity? What impact will it have on creativity and innovation? How can you build an internal culture that uses generative artificial intelligence and adopt it effectively in your organization? What could it mean for your company’s strategy? Continued here

S13

How I Turned My Internship Into a Full-Time Job   It was a bit of a double-edged sword. During my job interview, I was told there was a low probability of my role turning into a full-time position. I was told everyone in the office had at least a master’s degree, and it would be difficult for me to progress. The internship was supposed to last for five weeks. Just five weeks of financial security until I would, again, be unemployed. Continued here

S22

Amid Slowed Growth, Businesses Are Scaling Back. Get Ready for a Bumpy Second Half of 2023   Economic growth slows, but consumers are still spending. Continued here

S3

Powering the Future: Exploring the Growth and Challenges of Clean Energy     Clean energy is vital to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and combating climate change. In recent years, clean energy technologies have been rapidly developing and are becoming increasingly important in the global energy mix. In this essay, we will explore the potential future scenarios for the growth of clean energy technologies and their impact on the energy sector.Solar Energy:Solar energy is one of the fastest-growing sources of renewable energy globally. With advancements in technology, the cost of solar photovoltaic (PV) panels has decreased significantly, making it more competitive with traditional energy sources. The adoption of solar energy is expected to continue in the coming years, driven by its low carbon footprint, scalability, and versatility.One potential scenario for the growth of solar energy is that it will become the dominant source of electricity in many countries. In some regions, such as Australia, Chile, and Mexico, solar power has already become the cheapest source of electricity. As the cost of solar panels continues to fall, it is likely that solar energy will become even more competitive, leading to widespread adoption.Another potential scenario is the integration of solar energy with other technologies, such as energy storage and smart grids. Energy storage will help address the intermittency of solar energy, while smart grids will optimize the distribution of energy. These technologies will enable solar energy to become a more reliable source of energy, which will drive its adoption. Continued here

S59

How Relatives Can Make Radicals   We tend to think violent extremism is all about ideology, but we ignore the power of personal loyalties at our peril.Of the roughly 1,000 people who have been charged for their participation in the January 6, 2021, assault on the Capitol, nearly a quarter were indicted alongside a relative or romantic partner. All sorts of other close personal relationships run through the indictments: the two roommates from Ohio who have known each other since they were kids, the three high-school buddies from North Carolina, the three Marines from Camp Lejeune, a Florida man and his pastor, an electrician’s apprentice and his boss. The conventional wisdom about radicalization is that ideas attract people to extremist movements and to the violence those movements commit. Most adherents, though, never move beyond reading manifestos, watching videos, or plunging down internet rabbit holes. Very often, what differentiates those who commit overt violence is their personal ties to others in the movement. Because although extremist movements are ideological, extremist violence turns out to be strikingly social. Continued here

S2

The Debt Ceiling: A Contentious Issue in American Politics with Real-World Consequences     The debt ceiling is a term used to describe the limit on the amount of money the United States government can borrow to fund its operations. This limit is set by Congress, and it is intended to control the amount of debt that the government can accumulate. When the government reaches the debt ceiling, it must either reduce its spending or raise the limit to avoid defaulting on its obligations.The debt ceiling has been a contentious issue in American politics for many years. Some politicians argue that it is necessary to prevent the government from accumulating too much debt and potentially destabilizing the economy. Others argue that it is an arbitrary limit that unnecessarily restricts the government's ability to function and pay its bills. Continued here