Black people suffering at the hands of white people happens so frequently that it’s hard not to become numb to it. Niecy Nash’s YouTube video is funny because it’s so true. But the deadly reality...
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If a picture is worth a thousand words, picture this snapshot of the company culture at UPD. We work hard, and we spend a lot of time together on project teams. But “all work and…
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I was invited to moderate a panel of turnaround experts at the Yale School of Management’s Education Leadership Conference  on April 4th, and in prepping for the event I tried to think about what hasn’t been…
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I received an auspicious text from my son last week. He’s spending part of the summer abroad in a language immersion program, and he receives most of his news about the US from the internet….
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Hard to believe, but UPD Consulting is going to be 10 years old this year. Change is inevitable for all of us, and after 10 years assisting our clients with their transformation, we too are…
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Jada Pinkett Smith (a native Baltimorean) and Spike Lee stirred things up by announcing that they’re boycotting the Academy Awards in protest over the fact that, for the second year in a row, not a…
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To paraphrase Stevie Wonder, “I am amazed but not amused” by the current contention that the “Youtube Effect” is partially to blame for the spike in violent crime that some cities are experiencing this year….
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The altercation between Sandra Bland and Texas State Trooper Brian Encinia has stayed in my head for the sheer senselessness of it and the tragic result, but also because of the lessons we might learn…
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The debate, if you can call it that—“jibber jabber” might be a better term (thanks, Mr. T!)—over linking student achievement data to teacher and principal performance started on the wrong foot and seems to be…
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Anyone who is involved in establishing pay-for-performance compensation models for teachers and principals should spend a little time in advance reading up on Dan Ariely (The Upside of Irrationality), Daniel Pink (Drive) and other behavioral…
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