Don’t get so wrapped up in work that you forget to stay up with the current events of the business world! Amid all of the chaos, grab a cup of Joe and take a short reading break.
1. Inc. Magazine’s Suzanne Lucas wrote a column on a pair of firings that stemmed from the PyCon convention. A developer evangelist overheard a crude joke about “dongles” in the row behind her. She was so offended, she tweeted a photo of the two guys who made the joke and the Twitter outrage that ensued got one of the guys fired. But he wasn’t the only person who lost his job — turns out the woman who tweeted the photo was also fired for stirring up the controversy. This whole situation was terrible, from the crude joke to the unnecessary tweet, but Lucas states that nobody should’ve lost a job over it.
2. Wall Street Journal’s Startup Discussion of the Week addressed whether or not it is possible for entrepreneurs to have a healthy work-to-life balance. Several industry leaders approached this debate with their life experiences and insights. Personally, whether someone is an entrepreneur or janitor, I feel like a healthy work-to-life balance is the greatest myth since Santa Claus.
3. My favorite article this week. Propublica details how the makers of TurboTax, Intuit, fought bills that would allow free, simple tax filling. Liz Day addresses the ridiculous amount of funding and political battling Intuit went through, and how they motivated people from both sides of the isles to block a bill that would aid a good portion of the U.S.
4. Speaking of taxes, House Republicans are trying to pass a bill that would simplify the tax process for small businesses. Though it would almost certainly reduce federal revenue, many say the law proposed is much easier to follow and enforce.
5. Inc. Magazine wrote a great piece on why you can’t learn leadership alone. Anytime I see an article on leadership, I get excited. It’s one of my favorite things: the idea of helping others maximize their potentials and serving as an agent that brings them together and holds them accountable to an organization. The thing about leadership, though, is that a lot of people think leaders are born, not made, which is completely untrue. it takes a lot to develop high-level leadership skills and it’s important for entrepreneurs to be aware of that.
Tyree Harris hopes to motivate young, business-minded people to explore their entrepreneurial potential.
