Take someone NEW AND WEIRD to lunch today

The good news - and it is largely good news - is that everyone has a chance to stand out. Everyone has a chance to learn, improve, and build up their skills. Everyone has a chance to be a brand worthy of remark

For the blue-collar worker, the driving force behind change was factory automation using programmable machine tools. For the office worker, it's office automation using computer technology: enterprise-resource-planning systems, groupware, intranets, extranets, expert systems, the Web, and e-commerce.

In McKinsey's world, all of life is one of two things: strategy or organization.

A while back, I came across a line attributed to IBM founder Thomas Watson. If you want to achieve excellence, he said, you can get there today. As of this second, quit doing less-than-excellent work.

Only those who constantly retool themselves stand a chance of staying employed in the years ahead.

The drive for control, or the perception thereof, is truly the strongest force in human nature.