TED and the pecha-kucha movement provide excellent examples of how data can become knowledge and move people to action. I like this quote by the Swedish author Henning Mankell that appeared in a Sunday New York Times op-ed column titled “ The Art of Listening ”:  “. Many people make the mistake of confusing information with knowledge. They are not the same thing. Knowledge involves the interpretation of information. Knowledge involves listening. We are awash with data and information. Online newspapers, magazines, and social media smother us in sense and nonsense. MORE >>

Provide them with a coaching process for understanding and dealing with difficult issues. Are you worried about employee turnover in your company and how it might get worse once the economy improves? If you aren’t worried, you should be. It has been estimated that as many as a third of employees are looking to change jobs. Now that the recession is easing and more companies are beginning to hire again, these employees will start acting on this desire. Bernie believes that there is much those managers can do to keep their employees engaged and productive. Really… it makes a difference. MORE >>

He recommends that these filters do three things: 1) make choices about which data to include; 2) endorse a small set of information; and 3) provide clarity to the information provided. and Zite.com, serve a useful purpose, but they don’t make choices and don’t provide clarity. Search is time consuming and provides no quality control. So much information; so little time. This is a universal dilemma of the 21 st century. It’s more than the human brain can comprehend. But the solution is at our fingertips. It’s called curation! Related articles. MORE >>

They are providing the necessary roadmap for company success. Every new employee, whether a front-line worker or top level executive, comes to the job with a high level of excitement and a strong desire to do well. Then, sometime during their tenure in their companies, most cease being engaged and many start to look elsewhere for new opportunities. Companies cannot afford to have a disengaged workforce and lose their talent to competitors. This is true now more than ever. They write: Money may be on workers’ minds, but that isn’t the only reason the American workforce is unhappy. MORE >>

Bad news” should provide an opportunity for learning and change. When evaluating programs and organizations, bad news can be good news. What I mean by that is any feedback is helpful to an organization if leaders listen to the feedback, look for value in the information, and make improvements accordingly. However, what so often happens is that leaders immediately become defensive and look for ways to discredit or cast doubt on criticism. Almost impulsively, they look for ways to find fault with negative feedback and only accept high ratings and praise. He writes: The N.C.A.A. MORE >>