A couple months ago, a few lucky people drew the winning numbers for the highest Powerball jackpot of all time. These people have had their lives changed dramatically, forever. There have been enough lottery winners in history to know what these people can enjoy their money and have it last them forever, or they can blow it all and be worse off than where they began.
 
For some, winning the lottery can be too much of a good thing. This idea can relate well to business. When you are overwhelmed with success in business, it can change the way you think and the way you make decisions. Old ways of doing things don’t make much sense anymore and it can be easy to lose sight of some of the fundamentals. Whether it is hard work or luck that has led to the success, there will still be a new set of problems that arise.
 
In product development, we deal with some products that do well and others that don’t live up to expectation. If one product starts doing exceptionally well it can be easy to forget to pay as much attention to other products and aspects of the business. As history has taught us, relying too much on one product, no matter how well it is doing, can eventually put an end to everything that’s been built.
 
Let’s learn from lottery winners over the years and remember the past while looking toward the future. Whether your increase in fortune is large or small, an influx of cash can help you build a future or become just another footnote in your life. We can either learn from history or let it repeat itself.

​With the newest Star Wars movie coming out next week, it has me thinking about maintaining success. The first Star Wars film (Star Wars: Episode IV-A New Hope) was released in 1977. The seventh Star Wars film (Star Wars: Episode VII-The Force Awakens) comes out in seven days. That is a time span of thirty eight years and a movie franchise that has greatly helped George Lucas accumulate a net worth of over $5 billion.
 
Maintaining success has a lot to do continuing to produce a quality product and preserving brand loyalty. George Lucas was able to create something that fans would enjoy and continued to stay true to his original creation. In 2012, Lucas sold Lucasfilm to Disney for $4.06 billion, forty one years after its creation of his production company. The several poorly received projects in his career did not prevent Lucas from continuing to take risks and find success.
 
Trying to emulate the success of someone like George Lucas is obviously easier said than done. Without large financial backing, it isn’t easy to take large risks. Sometimes smaller, safer choices can provide the financial backing to take that next big step. And sometimes those early choices can give investors the necessary confidence to back your product. Even Lucas needed the support of a 20th Century Fox executive who only helped make Star Wars a reality because he really like Lucas’ previous film, American Graffiti.
 
The truth is you never really know if your idea is going to be a hit. Sometimes you just need to take a chance and hope for the best. And if your idea is well received, never forget what made it good and keep true to those qualities. And maybe someday you can sell your idea for $4.06 billion. But, until then may the force be with you!

​Unicorns. Big Foot. The 4-day workweek. These were once all considered urban legends. While I can’t speak for the first three, I can say with confidence that there has been a shift toward shorter workweeks. According to CNN Money and The Society for Human Resource Management, “a 4-day -- or compressed -- workweek is offered as an option to at least some employees at 43% of companies”. Schedule flexibility has become increasingly popular and it’s hard not to like the idea.
 
4-day workweeks can be implemented in a number of ways. They can be altered depending on company culture and can be customized based on employee/employer needs.
 
Employers are finding out that a shortened week doesn’t just benefit their employees. If applied properly, 4-day workweeks can be a win-win. The employee wins because he/she gets extended weekends. And the employer can benefit from higher employee focus and attention due to the impending long weekends. Nate Reusser of Reusser Design has found that the policy “motivates everyone to work faster and with greater focus -- much like the way people work just before going on vacation”.
 
Barbara Wankoff, KPMG's director of workplace solutions also recognizes a shortened workweek as a win-win for companies. In reference to employees she said, "Their satisfaction goes way up when they have control over their time. And it increases employee morale and productivity and retention."
 
This plan is a better fit for some companies than others obviously, but it is something that employers around the country are beginning to think about more. It is no longer a foreign idea as almost half of U.S. companies offer some sort of shortened workweek. And it is hard to ignore the competitive advantage over rival companies provided by workweek flexibility. Most perspective employees will see workweek flexibility as a huge benefit. And for current employees, a shortened workweek works well toward employee retention.
 
The 4-day workweek isn't limited to private companies as the U.S. Government Accountability Office has workweek flexibility too. With so many companies making the switch to a shortened workweek, it’s easier and more beneficial than ever before. Do you think your company should make the change?

The phrase “work hard, play hard” has been around for a long time. It’s nothing new. But, when people generally think about it, they’re imagining working hard during the week and having fun either after work or on the weekends. This is an outdated interpretation of the phrase, especially in today’s startup culture.
 
Millennials have been a driving force to change this culture so that working hard and playing hard can all be done in a day’s work. In a time when there are open office schemes with multiple kegerators and in-office games aren’t uncommon, employers and their employees are having plenty of fun during their 9-5 schedules while still being highly efficient. This format can breed creativity and inspiration. For example, Google offices are equipped with libraries, aquariums, slides, and a rule that nobody’s workspace is allowed to be more than 100 meters away from food (providing employees with three free meals a day). Google is well known for their office atmosphere and their success is inspiring others.
 
What were once considered distractions are now thought of as necessary interruptions to the stress and monotony of a long day or week. This way of thinking can work in large companies as well as small companies. It is running rampant through the small company/startup culture because it is easily applicable. And larger companies know that in order to compete, they must evolve.
 
Generation Y has grown up in a faster pace/social media society. The old habits of working professionals don’t necessarily fit their evolving lifestyle. A more fun and high-pace working environment has startups all over the country working at peak efficiency where creativity thrives and employee turnover is low.
 
Do you believe in the traditional work hard, play hard lifestyle with fun and games saved for outside the office? Or, do you lean more toward flexibility and less traditional means of production in your day to day operations?

When you think about it for a minute sailing and creativity are remarkably similar activities.  Anyone can be creative just as anyone can sail.  Hear me out.  If you don't know the first thing about sailing you can still hop in a boat; throw up a sheet; catch a lucky wind and you're off.  If the conditions are right, the boat will go exactly where you want and you'll be sailing just because your tried.

Now consider the flip side of this situation.  Maybe you get in that boat, do the exact same thing and go nowhere or worse yet, crashing into shore.  That's OK it just wasn't your day.  However, this is where a salty sailor shines.  She knows by experience and instinct how to steer her ship in good conditions and bad.  She can go up river, against the wind, or magically move in a lack of wind.  Sometimes it will require a little extra work, but she always gets where she wants to be.

The same is true for creative activities and creative people.  Even if you don't think you have a creative bone in your body you may find that if you put your nose down and give it a shot you get some good results.  Then again, you may not.  Creative people always seems to find a way to break through the clutter and deliver the solution you need.  That takes the experience, talent and intuition of years of work.

Then there are sometimes you find your boat on a sandbar.  That's when it's time to order a margarita and wait for the tide to come back!