Bookmarks: 5 Interesting Articles to Help You This Week
/March 13th, 2017
Each week, I select a few articles that rise above the fray and hopefully help you on your journey in the CRE world. They pull from one of four "corners:" corporate real estate, technology, management science and anything positive. I welcome your comments on these articles and the submissions of others (with credit to you if I post them). I wish you a terrific week!Why Do Employees Stay? A Clear Career Path and Good Pay, for Starters"At Glassdoor, we have ample data on workers’ job trajectories from millions of résumés that people have shared on our site. Looking at those résumés, we can gain insight into the reasons for employee turnover by comparing job transitions where workers stayed with their original employer with those where people left for another company." www.hbr.com
[tweet_box design="box_09" float="none"]escalating workers through new job titles over time isn’t enough; making sure pay is competitive is also essential to retaining talent[/tweet_box]
Why We Don’t Value Flextime Enough“Even when flextime is available, its attractiveness depends on how it is perceived by others, particularly by higher-ups. Employees may wonder, for example, whether they will be at a disadvantage for promotion if they don’t put in enough face time at the office during business hours. If we really are going to change the way that people think about the benefits of flextime, managers need to make it clear that there is no stigma attached to it." www.wsj.org
Pop-Up Workspaces: The New Hype in Amsterdam"Popices launched with a new offering: indoor spaces. Their portfolio includes restaurants, cafes, a hotel, and even a converted house-boat. Baker tells us that each space offers different perks, but that “if you compare it to Airbnb, we basically guarantee members a bed (desk + chair) and all the other extras depend on the location they choose." www.https://allwork.space.com
How The Top Real Estate Tycoon In LA Overcame MS To Achieve Success"Pardee took a year off from working to focus on her values and what was most important to her. She attended the LifeForward program through the Hudson Institute of Coaching in Santa Barbara, which gave her the tools to get her life under control. “I was able to hone in on what was important to me in each area of my life – personal, family, friends, business and community. I had to make a commitment to live within my values and be true to myself. I had to learn to give up things I could not change. I made visions boards for my life that incorporated creative ways to live in the moment and truly appreciate every day. Rather than letting the MS diagnosis set me back, I took control of my life and made an actionable plan.”www.forbes.com
The American Suburbs as we Know Them Are Dying"People in US suburbs are changing the way they shop, where they eat, and what they want in their homes.Malls are shutting down as e-commerce continues to take over, and the casual-dining chains that fed shoppers after a day of hoofing it through the mall are struggling to cope." www.businessinsider.com
Your success blesses others. I wish you a great a hugely impactful week!Ken
I needed, in fact I must, see what all the buzz is about if for no other reason than to have an authentic experience to share. It’s a little like describing the color blue if you’ve never seen it. Sometimes in life, the experience is worth its weight in gold.The whole idea came to life for me at a C&W meeting in Chicago where I bumped into WeWork CEO 
WeWork is one of a number of competitors in the area of 
After the meeting, I was able to grab a cup of terrific coffee and sit outside on one of the nicest fall days we’ve had in Atlanta. It felt a little intoxicating and even a little sinful to be able to sit outside on calls and working on documents. But I liked it!As the day wore on, it was a little strange to not have an assigned workspace (which you can purchase for yourself, if you like). I had to pack my bag up for lunch, and when I came back, it felt a little like walking into an airport business club – where would be the best strategic location for my afternoon tasks?I also found that concentration in an open environment can happen, but that it’s an acquired skill. Back to the airport club analogy – you can let you mind wander and people watch if your not careful. As the week progressed, I developed better discipline and became much more productive.I’ve become used to working physically close to my team, so when they left to head to our office, I had to reach out by phone or email. Not a problem…just a slightly different way of handling the day to day.It’s Really About the CommunityWE Work. Now I get the goal -- center manager Aja explained that the mission is for everyone at WeWork to find a way to support each other. If you need a PR guy, an accounting lady or any other service under the sun, check out the app. There is also a huge flat screen at every WeWork in the world that show's Instagram profiles of WeWorkers from all over.I enjoyed bumping into fellow WeWorkers (I say that with some pride) and hearing their stories too. Plus the community doesn’t stop at your local location either. WeWorkers can sit down at any location worldwide on their travels. Same for the WeWork app -- that expert you seek might sit in Seoul or Mexico City.Everyday I would get a message through my WeWork telling me of the networking event occurring that afternoon or evening at my location. These ranged from “build your own parfait” sessions to Yappy Hour to which many brings his or her dog. WeWork told me their dog policy is simple: they are friendly to dogs that are friendly to them.On a side note, I’ve wanted to bring my dog to work for many years. I did it. And I found out that, at least in my case, having
another dependent at the office was far more work than it was worth. It was a fun one-time experiment though. Plus Max loved all the attention.Another SurpriseNot everyone working at my location was just off the turnip truck. In fact, I saw workers and folks touring of all ages. One of our clients has a 40 person office located in a pod with adjacent offices.This is consistent with recent 
Well, I'm not quite a millenial yet, but at least I can tell you that I've given it a spin. Plus I made alot of new friends at WeWork Atlanta.I have to give Adam and his team credit. They looked at a very old mousetrap and created a new approach - and the world is noticing.I worked at WeWork and I'd do it again. 
I have a confession to make. For more than 17 years, I have been connected to the grid. Except for sleep, I was always tuned on. Yes, even on vacation, at night and certainly on weekends.I bet I’m not alone in this admission, but at least I can publically declare my addiction to connectivity. I was like a real estate Waffle House; always on and available. Some will say I was like their hash browns as well; scattered, smothered, covered and chopped – but that’s another story.But for 12 days in June, I had no iPhone, no computer, heck, not even a tin-can with a string. I accompanied my 15-year-old son Jonathan and his Boy Scout crew for a hiking expedition in the beautiful 
After reflecting on this experience for almost two weeks, I learned that you can, that you must, unplug occasionally. Just a few weeks ago I would have (and did) scoff at the very idea. I am now a full on convert to strategic digital vacations. They clear the mind, cleanse the soul, and allow one to have rich and meaningful conversations with those close to you.