Ever since the presidential election of 2008, I’ve been getting progressively mad about something. I got enthralled with an administration that wanted to connect with people in the social era to create change. Perhaps unrealistically, I had this hope it would carry beyond the election cycle. I knew it wouldn’t be easy but I thought [...]
Lesson of Cezanne & The Upcoming Disruption
There was a time when great art was about depicting things as close to what ...
TEDx: How We Deny Innovation
Innovation! Isn’t it Great?! We just love talking about innovation and thinking about innovation, and ...
Are you a Rebel or a Leader?
Everyone was being so agreeable. The CEO nodded, the VPs agreed, the Directors were polished ...
What Batman Can Teach Us
You know who totally gets collaboration? Batman. He didn’t do the world-saving-things himself; he understood ...
Fill Your Company with LOVE (Framework)
As companies see increasing value in social media campaigns, it is becoming apparent that the ...
Online Communities: Ignore at Your Peril (I)
In the strategy work I do with tech companies, I’m frequently asked about web communities ...
Digital Slices: Atomizing the Business of Segmentation
Segmentation has always been a key part of marketing. Sorting customers into appropriate segments allows ...

Are You Experiencing Bliss?
Today, I mark my 44th birthday. People often wish people happiness or joy on birthdays. For some reason, I am not a fan of these sentiments. They seem sappy and fleeting. It’s the reason why I never make my birthday visible on Facebook. Saying Happy Birthday in some meaningless post once a year does not [...]
Go Where No One Else Is
Thedailybeast Wed, Jan 11 2012 20:47:57 Whitney Johnson, a partner at Clayton Christensen’s investment firm wrote a powerful piece in 2011 uniquely captured why pursuing a disruptive course is the best investment you can make. “ Throw out the performance metrics you’ve always relied on “A disruptive innovation must measure different attributes of performance than [...]

The Secret to Being Really, Really Smart
Surprised I was when I opened the Christmas present that held a Canon T3 Digital Camera. After the tornado that is Christmas was over with the ribbons saved and mounds of wrapping paper recycled, I sat down with the manual only to find myself regretting getting this present. How could that initial squeal of delight [...]
Fearless Cultures Embrace Disruption
“ From classrooms arranged in rows of seats to tenured professors, from the assembly line to the way we promote executives, we have been trained to expect an orderly life. Yet the expectation that these systems provide safety and stability is a trap. This Is Generation Flux: Meet The Pio… Mon, Jan 09 2012 06:08:15 [...]

2 Ways to Skirt Self-Handicapping
So, why don’t we choose stand out? (Part II of a series on being distinct) If you’ve built a business, you want to have a unique competitive advantage that others can’t copy easily. For any individual, you want to be clear what ideas you are fighting for…or perhaps discovered your superpower. Distinction being the thing [...]

No Pause, No Processing
Everything important happens in the pause. Understand that the pause is the between space where an idea is shared, and that idea is understood. I just finished doing 6 weeks of speaking – my first-ever “high season” of doing a bunch of paid keynote speeches back-to-back. At these many venues, I watched the other speakers: [...]
Are You Standing Out Today?
People buy two categories of things. The distinct. And the generic. The distinct items are the things that have a limited commodity, that are artisan in nature, that are worth paying a premium for. They stand out for some reason. The generic items are, well, the things you find on Amazon. If I start to [...]

No. Thank You.
Remember when I shared the reasons why I write, in a post entitled “why am I doing this?”. Through that exchange, you – the active participants – helped to crisp and name the direction of the blog. This gave it form, a tent pole of sorts to shape the work within. This was an incredible [...]

What Ideas Are You Fighting For?
Leadership always operates at two levels. There is the immediate and perhaps even pragmatic stuff of leadership – who is in charge, what responsibilities do they own, what defines the shape of their arena. We spend a lot of time paying attention to this stuff, in all domains – work, economies, and especially now during [...]
About Nilofer…

Nilofer Merchant is a corporate director (NASDAQ: EPAX), TEDx / Keynote speaker, and an inspiring Harvard Business Review columnist.
Read her work and you'll see she's also a bit of a rebel-rouser, wanting to ignite fearless cultures, everywhere.
Where to Meet Up
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And, Who Are You?
August 24, 2011
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What’s Your ScoreBoard?
September 26, 2011
- Rogues, Misfits Or Heroines? December 7, 2010
- Is TED Elite? March 6, 2011
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Why. I. Am. Doing. This.
January 10, 2011
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What Barack Obama Could Learn from Vivek Wadhwa
January 27, 2012
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Are You Experiencing Bliss?
January 26, 2012
- Go Where No One Else Is January 12, 2012
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The Secret to Being Really, Really Smart
January 10, 2012
- Fearless Cultures Embrace Disruption January 9, 2012
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Chris Oestereich: Got caught up in posting my comment and forgot to ...
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Carol Sanford: May this anniversary of you birth give the world j...
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Chris Oestereich: I'm reminded of the following lines from Björk'...
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Whitney Johnson: Nilofer - I just saw this! Lovely -- thank ...
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Malyn: Happy blissful birthday and thru the year. Rumi...
Follow @nilofer on Twitter
- What Barack Obama Could Learn from Vivek Whadwa http://t.co/7JfCmLov 4 hours ago
- I've made plans for FBLA Leadership Conference (Closing Keynote) http://t.co/CmhXYIkh 1 day ago
- Are You Experiencing Bliss? http://t.co/p6BLqsGt 1 day ago
- Mistake #1: Thinking problem can be solved by technology. by @timkastelle featuring @johnhagel, @terrigriffith http://t.co/TzOEJx8C 2 days ago
- Mentoring this team over at Stanford U is already kickass. It looks like I'm helping them but reality is, they inspire me. 2 days ago






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