Bookmarks: 5 Interesting Articles That May Help You This Week

December 11th, 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!

How Amazon's Jeff Bezos Made One of the Toughest Decisions of His Career"I went to my boss and said to him, 'You know, I'm going to go do this crazy thing and I'm going to start this company selling books online.' This was something that I had already been talking to him about in a sort of more general context, but then he said, 'Let's go on a walk,'" Bezos relates.

After two hours strolling Central Park and talking, Bezos's boss impressed upon him that, even though his business idea was solid, he had a lot to lose. "He convinced me to think about it for 48 hours before making a final decision," Bezos reports. "So, I went away and was trying to find the right framework in which to make that kind of big decision."His wife said she was happy to support him either way, so she couldn't be the deciding factor. What could be? Bezos settled on the idea of "regret minimization." www.inc.com

[tweet_box design="box_09" float="none"]Bezos settled on the idea of "regret minimization."[/tweet_box]

The Technological Race to Find You a Place to Park"Technology has already started to solve the problem of squeezing into a space, with automatic parking features taking the pain out of parallel parking. Now it is trying to solve the other headache: finding a spot in the first place.

A slew of apps can predict where on- and off-street spaces will be available, direct you to them, reserve a space and let you pay for the spot through your smartphone. And manufacturers are beginning to add those capabilities to their vehicles’ navigation screens. BMW, one of the first to do so, is making the functionality of the Parkmobile app available through the navigation system on many of its 2018 models." www.nytimes.com

Why Do We Still Commute?"It's true that, since the rise of the Internet, we report we are working from home more than we did before. But computers and smartphones didn't replace the office—they've just kept us tethered to it when we're not there. The vast majority of us still travel to work most days: only about 2.8 percent of the total workforce says they work from home "at least half the time." It's a reality reflected in commuting data: Since 1980, when the U.S. Census Bureau started collecting data on this issue, the average daily commute of Americans has increased roughly 20 percent, with the typical worker now commuting over 26 minutes each way." www.citylab.com

[tweet_box design="box_09" float="none"]It's true that, since the rise of the Internet, we are #working from home more than we did before. But computers and smartphones didn't replace the office—they've just kept us tethered to it when we're not there #cre[/tweet_box]

Six Workplace Trends For 2018"Technology has significantly impacted business models in nearly every sector," Said Alan Stukalsky, chief digital officer, Randstad North America. "The growing STEM skill shortage, AI both disrupting and creating jobs and talent driving a shift toward agile work arrangements is a lot for employers to keep up with. It requires progressive thinking to find talent and meet short and long-term needs. We're still in the Infancy of most of this, but digitization will advance the pace of change in the labor market and workforce in 2018." www.facilityexecutive.com

Demand for New Jersey Warehouse Space Skyrockets“The online-shopping craze that is tying up package delivery-systems around the U.S. is sparking a frenzy in New Jersey’s commercial real-estate market. Despite a feverish pace of construction in recent years, tight inventories and surging demand are driving rents for New Jersey warehouse space to new highs, according to a report." www.wsj.com

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