Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi: Creativity, fulfillment and flow

Mihaly Czikszentmihalyi asks, "What makes a life worth living?"

Noting that money cannot make us happy, he looks to those who find pleasure and lasting satisfaction in activities that bring about a state of "flow."

Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi says creativity is a central source of meaning in our lives.

A leading researcher in positive psychology, he has devoted his life to studying what makes people truly happy: "When we are involved in [creativity], we feel that we are living more fully than during the rest of life."

He is the architect of the notion of "flow" -- the creative moment when a person is completely involved in an activity for its own sake.

Csikszentmihalyi teaches psychology and management at Claremont Graduate University, focusing on human strengths such as optimism, motivation and responsibility. He's the director the the Quality of Life Research Center there. He has written numerous books and papers about the search for joy and fulfillment.

Chris Anderson (Wired): Technology's Long Tail

Chris Anderson, the editor of WIRED, explores the four key stages of any viable technology: setting the right price, gaining market share, displacing an established technology and, finally, becoming ubiquitous.

Before Chris Anderson took over as editor of WIRED, he spent seven years at The Economist, where he worked as editor of both the technology and business sections. Anderson holds a degree in physics and has conducted research at the Los Alamos National Laboratory, and has done stints at the leading journals Nature and Science.

(He is not, however, to be confused with the curator of TED, who has the same name.)
He's perhaps most famous for coining the term "the long tail," a whiteboard favorite that describes the business strategy of pursuing many little fish (versus a few big fish), as typified by both Amazon and Netflix.

Anderson first introduced the term in an article written for WIRED in 2004; the book-length version, The Long Tail: Why the Future of Business Is Selling Less of More, became a bestseller. He maintains a blog, The Long Tail, which he updates with impressive regularity.

Richard St. John: Marketer, success analyst

Why do people succeed?

Is it because they’re smart?

Or are they just lucky?


Neither. Analyst Richard St. John condenses years of interviews into an unmissable slideshow on the real secrets of success.

Richard St. John knew how he had found success -- through his marketing company, the St. John Group, which boasted clients like Nortel and BlackBerry/Research in Motion.

But he couldn't get away from the question: Why him? He thinks of himself as an average guy, not talented at school, not terribly handsome or particularly lucky. So he spent more than a decade interviewing 500 people he defines as successful -- from architect Frank Gehry to non-celebrities successful in their own lives.

The resulting book, Spike's Guide to Success: Stupid, Ugly, Unlucky and RICH, has spawned a new avenue of success for St. John as a motivational speaker and talk-show star. His newest book is 8 to Be Great: The 8 Traits that Lead to Great Success.

Jeff Skoll: Making movies that make change

Jeff Skoll was eBay's employee number 2 and president number 1. He left with a comfortable fortune and a desire to spend his money helping others.



Film producer Jeff Skoll (An Inconvenient Truth) talks about his film company, Participant Productions, and the people who've inspired him to do good.

Participant Productions, makes movies to inspire social change, including Syriana; An Inconvenient Truth; North Country; Fast Food Nation; Good Night & Good Luck, Charlie Wilsons War; Dafur Now…


The Skoll Foundation, established in 1999, invests in, connects and celebrates social entrepreneurs -- offering grants to people who build businesses, schools and services for communities in need. Every year, it presents the Skoll World Forum on Social Entrepreneurship at Oxford, and runs Social Edge, a networking site for social entrepreneurs.


His production company, Participant Productions, is what Skoll calls a "pro-social media company," making features and documentaries that address social and political issues and drive real change. His film North Country, for example, is credited with influencing the signing of the 2005 Violence Against Women Act. Participant's blockbuster doc, An Inconvenient Truth, is required viewing in classrooms around the world, and has unquestionably changed the debate around climate change. Upcoming for Participant are two films about Afghanistan, and a documentary about Jimmy Carter's controversial 2006-7 book tour.

Malcolm Gladwell: What we can learn from spaghetti sauce

Tipping Point author Malcolm Gladwell gets inside the food industry's pursuit of the perfect spaghetti sauce -- and makes a larger argument about the nature of choice and happiness.

Malcolm Gladwell searches for the counterintuitive in what we all take to be the mundane: cookies, sneakers, pasta sauce. A New Yorker staff writer since 1996, he visits obscure laboratories and infomercial set kitchens as often as the hangouts of freelance cool-hunters -- a sort of pop-R&D gumshoe -- and for that has become a star lecturer and bestselling author.

Sparkling with curiosity, undaunted by difficult research (yet an eloquent, accessible writer), his work uncovers truths hidden in strange data. His always-delightful blog tackles topics from serial killers to steroids in sports, while provocative recent work in the New Yorker sheds new light on the Flynn effect -- the decades-spanning rise in I.Q. scores.

Gladwell has written two books. The Tipping Point, which began as a New Yorker piece, applies the principles of epidemiology to crime (and sneaker sales), while Blink examines the unconscious processes that allow the mind to "thin slice" reality -- and make decisions in the blink of an eye. A third book is forthcoming.

Richard Branson: Life at 30,000 feet

Richard Branson about the ups and the downs of his career, from his multibillionaire success to his multiple near-death experiences -- and reveals some of his (very surprising) motivations.



Richard Branson bootstrapped his way from record-shop owner to head of the Virgin empire. Now he's focusing his boundless energy on saving our environment.

Tony Robbins: Why we do what we do, and how we can do it better

Tony Robbins discusses the "invisible forces" that motivate everyone's actions -- and high-fives Al Gore in the front row.



Tony Robbins might have one of the world’s most famous smiles; his beaming confidence has helped sell his best-selling line of self-help books, and fill even his 10,000-seat seminars.

What’s less known about the iconic motivational speaker is the range and stature of his personal clients. From CEOs to heads of state to Olympic athletes, a wide swath of high-performing professionals (who are already plenty motivated, thank you very much) look to him for help reaching their full potential.


Robbins’ expertise in leadership psychology is what brought him to TED, where his spontaneous on-stage interaction with Al Gore created an unforgettable TED moment. It also perfectly demonstrated Robbins’ direct -- even confrontational -- approach, which calls on his listeners to look within themselves, and find the inner blocks that prevent them from finding fulfillment and success. Some of his techniques -- firewalking, for example -- are magnets for criticism, but his underlying message is unassailable: We all have the ability to make a positive impact on the world, and it’s up to us, as individuals, to overcome our fears and foibles to reach that potential.


Robbins has won many accolades for his work -- including his memorable performance in the Jack Black comedy Shallow Hal. (It was a small but vital role.) His Anthony Robbins Foundation works with the homeless, elderly and inner-city youth, and feeds more than 2 million people annually through its International Basket Brigade.

Thought Leader Secrets - Preeminence

Marketing Guru - Jay Abraham

One of his strategies - Preeminence

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Being Entrepreneurial in Hard Times

Thinking out of the box isn't enough. Leading executive coaches, Marshall Goldsmith and Steven Berglas, talk about entrepreneurs as "socialized juvenile delinquents" who can make a real difference within their corporations

Buffett Family on Philanthropy

Warren Buffett's kids discuss giving. Warren Buffett's son Peter and daughter Jennifer discuss their foundation and the effect the economic woes may have on philanthropy

'Blueprint to a Billion'

Author David G. Thomson talks about how to turn a big idea into a billion-dollar business

How to Be an Inspiring Leader

Carmine Gallo, author of "Fire Them Up"BW Editor Nick Leiber talks to communications coach Carmine Gallo about how to apply the techniques business leaders use to influence staffers, clients, and investors

Managing Talent During a Downturn

How small employers can keep the best. Leadership consultant Sheryl Spanier talks about dealing with fear in the workplace, locating the right hires, and keeping top talent engaged.

Differentiating your Brand

Liberty Mutual does the right thing. Liberty Mutual's Steven Sullivan talks about how the insurer's message of "doing the right thing" struck a chord with employees and customers.

An Interview with Magic Johnson

Magic Johnson on being a champion & business

Business Week Editor-in-Chief Stephen J. Adler talks with the legendary Earvin "Magic" Johnson about his basketball and business careers at the 92nd St. Y's Captains of Industry series

The Growing popularity of bartering

Swapping Services. We take a look at bartering-trading one service for another. Craiglist.com says barter listings have doubled in the past 12 months. We talk to some barterers and look at tax implications.

Optimism is the New Cynicism

with Paul Bennett

Innovation and design expert Paul Bennett, chief creative officer of IDEO, presents inspiring examples that show it's hip to be happy and that playful can be profitable. You'll learn how you can use collaboration, creativity, and experimentation to meet the increasing need for products and services that deliver real help for customers.

Developing all star employees

A Healthy Business

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Positive thinking in business

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Retaining clients

Recession Ideas

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Small Business in Recession

Business Strategy

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