Monday 10th February 2025
  • 'The Office,' 'Ridiculousness,' and 'The Big Bang Theory' Provide a Brilliant Lesson in How to Define Success

    Warren Buffett says you are successful if "the people you hope to have love you, do love you." Oprah says success is being "the truest, highest expression of yourself… and then [using] that expression in service to the world." Steve Jobs felt wealth is not a proxy for success; as he said, "My favorite things in life don't cost any money."

    I first heard about Jay Ferguson in the late 1970s when his song Thunder Island was briefly in heavy rotation on Top-40 radio. (While neither was really my thing - I liked what is now considered class rock, a fact that makes me not classic, but old - I preferred Shakedown Cruise.)


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  • Neuroscience Says You're Drinking Your Coffee at the Wrong Time

    Besides being delicious, a nice morning brew feels like the perfect way to perk yourself up and get your brain going for the day ahead. One recent study even suggested it might counteract some of the nasty health effects of sitting all day. 

    There's only one problem with this common morning ritual. Neuroscience suggests it can actually make you feel more stressed. Instead, the latest research suggests, you'd get all of the same benefits—without any of the downsides—if you just adjusted your coffee schedule by a few hours. 


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  • How Mac and Cheese Upstart Goodles Got Retailers Like Target to Roll Out the Red Carpet

    Jen Zeszut, the founder of better-for-you mac and cheese brand Goodles, knew she couldn't beat giant kiddie brands like Kraft or Annie's at their own game. "We can't outspend them, we can't out-coupon them, we can't out-slotting-fee them," she says on Inc.'s From the Ground Up podcast. "We can't rent cuter kids than they're renting for their commercials."

    So Zeszut decided to play an entirely different game. With its bright pink packaging and trendy fonts, Goodles aims to attract young adults, rather than kids. This marketing strategy has clearly made the Santa Cruz, California-based brand stand out to consumers. Goodles tripled its sales in 2023 and doubled them in 2024, according to the brand.


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  • With 3 Short Words After Winning the Super Bowl, Jalen Hurts of the Philadelphia Eagles Just Taught a Brilliant Leadership Lesson

    NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - FEBRUARY 09: Jalen Hurts #1 of the Philadelphia Eagles celebrates after Philadelphia beat Kansas City 40-22 to win Super Bowl LIX at Caesars Superdome on February 09, 2025 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

    Put yourself in the shoes of Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts. Imagine you've just won the Super Bowl at age 26 with a stellar performance, and you're about to be named the MVP. Then a reporter immediately asks what you're thinking. What words come to mind?


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  • Happiness Researchers Studied 50,000 People. Here's the Surprising Thing They Learned

    "Our findings suggest that on average, people's mental health and well-being are better in the morning and worst at midnight, said lead author Dr. Feifei Bu, from UCL's Department of Behavioural Science & Health. "While these findings are intriguing, they need to be replicated in other studies that fully account for this potential bias."

    The idea that across the board most of us have the best and happiest moments in the morning, suggesting that as the hours go by things might get worse - to the point that we're at our lowest at the very end of the day - isn't exactly happiness-inducing in its own right.


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  • How Forerunner Ventures Funds Winning Consumer Startups

    Nicole Johnson has spent more than a decade at Forerunner Ventures, where she serves as a partner. The San Francisco-based, consumer-focused venture capital firm has more than $3 billion in assets under management and a track record backing notable startup names like Warby Parker, Away, Glossier, Prose, Chime, Hims & Hers, and Marc Lore’s food delivery startup Wonder. 

    We spoke with Johnson about the consumer trends exciting her the most, why consumer activity is moving into the DMs, as well as where she’s looking to invest and how founders can pique her interest in a pitch meeting. Here’s some of our conversation, which has been lightly edited for length, clarity, and grammar.


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  • Galentine’s Day, pet gifts, and acknowledging failure: How founder and CEO Jim McCann is navigating Valentine’s Day at 1-800-Flowers.com

    Hello and welcome to Modern CEO! I’m Stephanie Mehta, CEO and chief content officer of Mansueto Ventures. Each week this newsletter explores inclusive approaches to leadership drawn from conversations with executives and entrepreneurs, and from the pages of Inc. and Fast Company. If you received this newsletter from a friend, you can sign up to get it yourself every Monday morning. 

    Founder, chairman, and CEO Jim McCann, who started the business in 1976 when he acquired a flower shop in Manhattan, says Valentine’s Day has expanded from an observance of romantic love to an opportunity to give gifts to friends, loved ones, and even pets. Historically, men made up 90 percent of purchasers during the holiday. “We now see men making up less than 70 percent of our customers who purchase for Valentine’s Day, and the recipient has broadened beyond the sweetheart to moms and sisters and children,” McCann says. “That’s resulted, frankly, in it becoming a bigger holiday for us.” 


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  • FOX's Most Divisive Super Bowl Decision Made Everyone Mad

    NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – FEBRUARY 9: Jalen Hurts #1 of the Philadelphia Eagles shakes hands with Patrick Mahomes #15 of the Kansas City Chiefs after the Eagles defeated the Chiefs 40-22 in Super Bowl LIX at Caesars Superdome on February 9, 2025 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images)

    As a television spectacle, the Super Bowl rotates through the four major networks: FOX, NBC, ABC, and CBS. This was FOX’s year and, as you might expect if you only get the game now every four years, the broadcaster went all out to put on a show. However, FOX made one decision that had everyone talking: that ugly score bug.


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  • Unlocking Leadership Potential: Mastering the Art of Delegation

    In the world of leadership, the art of delegating is where great leaders shine. By learning to delegate effectively, leaders can improve their performance—and the performance of their organizations—while creating a healthy team atmosphere where everyone can contribute their very best.

    In a 2014 Gallup survey of 143 Inc. 500 CEOs, those with high delegator talent posted an average three-year growth rate of 1,751 percent—112 percentage points greater than those CEOs with limited or low delegator talent. Not only that, but Gallup found that CEOs with high delegator talent also generated 33 percent greater revenue than those with low or limited levels of the talent.


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  • Patrick Mahomes Kept Blaming One Person for the Chiefs’ Brutal Super Bowl Loss. It’s a Lesson in Emotional Intelligence

    There are many factors at play in a loss like this. But no one could ignore two of the biggest missteps: In the second quarter, Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes threw two interceptions, both which resulted in touchdowns. Before the first interception, the score was 10-0. Shortly after the second one, the Eagles led 24-0.

    After the game, Mahomes could have tried to shift the blame. He could have talked about how hard it is to complete passes when you’re getting chased by large men who want to punish you like you stole something from them. (The Chiefs offensive line allowed the Eagles to sack Mahomes six times, the most in his career.) Or, he could have blamed the refs, as he has famously done in the past.


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