6 Lessons Learned in the Downturn
In his column for HBR, Anthony Tjan writes about his conversation with various industry thought leaders who shared their valuable insights on managing their businesses. “Innovation and creativity matter — we cannot forget that and we need to keep investing in it. Greylock’s Henry McCance commented that in the venture community, cloud computing, Web 2.0, biotech and healthcare continue to have favorable longer-term trends and that though the pace of investing was slower, these sectors continued to receive funding. Innovation moves everything. That said, the bigger question McCance posed was: Will the US continue its innovation and be in a leadership position 40 years from now — and what does it mean if it is not?”

Career Advice: Preparing for After the Recession
AllBusiness features Norm Fjeldheim, Senior vice president and CIO Qualcomm, who shares his experiences in dealing with employees and tips on how to get your career in shape. “Develop your communication skills. The courses in college that had the most benefit long term on my career were the business writing and public speaking courses I took. Being able to communicate well will help your career regardless of whether you stay technical or move closer to the business side of IT.”

Behind The Scenes Of A Flexible Culture
Sandy Burud tackles the issues workers face regarding increasingly popular flexible schedules. “What makes it legitimate for people to work flexibly isn’t whether their company has a policy allowing it, but whether there is a subtle (or not-so-subtle) penalty for doing so.”

Surviving a Recession — And a Wildfire
On HBR, Adam Werbach draws comparisons between the destructive nature of wild fires and recessions, pointing to clues about how to put out the economic fire. “Trees that are prepared to survive fires have some common characteristics. They’re self-pruning; that is, their lower branches fall off regularly. They also grow thick bark and deep roots. Companies can hone these skills as well. The first rule is to be self-pruning, to constantly readjust your staffing to ensure that you have the right levels of capacity and that you’re letting go of the dead weight. Many business leaders find that the first round of cuts in a downturn are ones that they should have made in happy times.”

Your Life, Simplified
Leo Babauta gives some advice on simplifying life so you can spend more time enjoying it rather than worrying about work and commitments. “Set aside some disconnected time. If you’re connected all the time, this step is essential. Don’t skip it! Pick one hour to be disconnected — no Internet, no email, no IM, no phones. You can use your computer, but just for desktop computing, like writing in a word processor or text file, or working in Photoshop, or what have you. Use this time to really focus, to pour yourself into important tasks that you love to do. Or you can use this disconnected time to relax.”

How to save thousands with two words
CPF gives a personal finance tip: add a healthy dose of pessimism in making business decisions. “Often our financial plans are build on best case scenarios. If I put this money in the market for a year and it gains 10%, I will be so much better off. But what if the market goes down rather than up? You should consider the negative possibilities when buying insurance, investing, and starting a new business. These are all situations where realistic negative thinking pays off.”

Appreciation is About Finding the Silver Linings
Even after a layoff, Benjamin Wilcox views life with a positive outlook, sharing his insights on Brazen Careerist. “I have a new found respect for my money and how it is spent. Over the past few months, I have reevaluated my spending habits and the actual value of possessions and experiences.”