Bookmarks: 5 Interesting Articles to Help You This Week

March 6th, 2017

Each week, I select a few articles that rise above the fray and hopefully help you on your journey in the CRE world. They pull from one of four "corners:" corporate real estate, technology, management science and anything positive. I welcome your comments on these articles and the submissions of others (with credit to you if I post them). I wish you a terrific week!‘Ugh, I’m So Busy’: A Status Symbol for Our Time"The gleam of being both well-off and time-poor, the authors write, is “driven by the perceptions that a busy person possesses desired human capital characteristics (competence, ambition) and is scarce and in demand on the job market.” In a curious reversal, the aspirational objects here are not some luxury goods—a nice watch or car, which are now mass-produced and more widely available than they used to be—but workers themselves, who by bragging about how busy they are can signal just how much the labor market values them and their skills." www.theatlantic.com

[tweet_box design="box_09" float="none"]The aspirational objects here aren't luxury goods, but how busy you are #cre[/tweet_box]

The Right Way to Start a Meeting“If you want to have a more productive meeting, focus on a strong opening. A good start to a meeting is like an overture: It sets the tone, introduces the major themes, and provides a preview of what you can expect. Here are some best practices for starting your next meeting." www.hbr.org

NAR: 2017 Will Be Strong Year for Commercial"Strengthening demand from smaller markets will help the commercial sector see stable growth and offer “decent” returns for investors in 2017, according to the National Association of REALTORS®’ quarterly commercial real estate forecast NAR predicts that the national office vacancy rate will drop 1.1 percentage points to 12.1 percent this year. Job growth in the business and professional services sector is expected to increase the need for office space in 2017." www.realtormag.com

Why We Don’t Value Flextime Enough"Workplace flexibility has obvious appeal as an alternative to the traditional 9-to-5 day. It allows employees to get to the doctor, stop for a haircut or attend a school assembly during the day and to wrap up work after the kids go to bed. And if employees value this flexibility, companies may benefit as well—by attracting better employees or making existing ones more productive, because they are happier on the job." www.wsj.com

Cities Embrace ‘Transit Hubs’ to Boost Business, Jobs"Are transit hubs the new malls? Several major nerve centers of U.S. transportation—like Union Station in Washington, D.C., and Penn Station in New York City—are planning major overhauls that would transform them from pass-through structures into glittering corridors of restaurants, retail, and event spaces. Meanwhile, expanding local rail systems around the country are also sparking the development of new transit hubs, trying to take advantage of built-in foot traffic to boost business and job markets." www.curbed.com

[tweet_box design="box_09" float="none"]Are transit hubs the new #malls? #cre[/tweet_box]

Your success blesses others. I wish you a great a hugely impactful week!Ken