Neil’s Blog

Published in the San Diego Union-Tribune, February 10, 2020 Jack of all trades, master of none. Do you remember your mother’s voice telling you to focus, get good at one thing, or how are you ever going to get a real job if you can’t really do anything? How many times have you been told […]

Published in the San Diego Union-Tribune, February 3, 2020 Everyone knows the theory behind the wisdom of crowds — namely that pooling judgments from multiple individuals can lead to greater accuracy — is often exhibited when you try to guess how many jelly beans are in the jar. Ask 500 people and no one gets […]

Published in the San Diego Union-Tribune, January 27, 2020 I spend a lot of my day “negotiating.” And I am always studying what might be the most effective ways to get what I need or want. Recently I read a lengthy article on this subject by Harvard Business School professors Martha Jeong, Julia Minson, Michael […]

Published in the San Diego Union-Tribune, January 20, 2020 If you make New Year’s predictions later in the month, you have the great benefit of hindsight. By this time in January, you will have stopped going to the gym, chosen to eat chocolate ice cream (but, showing some restraint, at least are not using a […]

Published in the San Diego Union-Tribune, January 13, 2020 “If at first, you don’t succeed, try, try again” is famously attributed to Thomas Palmer, a schoolteacher, circa 1820. It was an amalgam for his students of “don’t give up” coupled with “you will do better the next time.” However, research from Francis Greene, professor at […]

Published in the San Diego Union-Tribune, January 6, 2020 In January, every columnist worth his digital fingers likes to offer predictions for the coming year, but I’m going to resist falling into that trap. Instead, I want to share a fascinating paper from two professors — Barbara Mellers, of the Wharton School of Business, and […]