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RiShawn Biddle

RiShawn Biddle

RiShawn Biddle is an award-winning writer, communications consultant, and education policy advisor. Founder of *[Dropout Nation](http://dropoutnation.net/)*, the leading commentary site on education reform, he previously was an editorial writer for the *Indianapolis Star*, covering education and urban affairs and reported for *Forbes*. His work has been featured in *The New York Times*, *USA Today*, *The Atlanta Journal-Constitution*, *National Review*, and *The Los Angeles Daily News*.

Posts by RiShawn Biddle

Practice Doesn’t Always Make Perfect
Leadership December 4, 2018

Practice Doesn’t Always Make Perfect

Apple made a great leap forward in communications and mobile computing in 2007 when it launched the iPhone. It couldn’t have done this by sticking to all the[...]
RiShawn Biddle
Deliver Tough News the Right Way
Leadership November 27, 2018

Deliver Tough News the Right Way

Former BP Chief Executive Tony Hayward could have immediately and swiftly announced that the explosion of the British oil giant’s rig, Deepwater Horizon, had[...]
RiShawn Biddle
Deadline Power
Leadership November 13, 2018

Deadline Power

Legendary jazz composer Duke Ellington once said, “I don’t need time. I need a deadline.” If that was true for Sir Duke, it is also true for you. When[...]
RiShawn Biddle
But Will It Sell?
Leadership November 6, 2018

But Will It Sell?

Will this idea that you are considering lead to a product that sells? This is the hardest question you and your colleagues will ask yourselves every day. There[...]
RiShawn Biddle
Stop Being Your Own Worst Critic
Leadership October 23, 2018

Stop Being Your Own Worst Critic

Does this one ring a bell? You, reader, are your own worst critic. Your penchant for nitpicking every detail and harshly critiquing your accomplishments makes[...]
RiShawn Biddle
Fire Drama Queens
Leadership October 2, 2018

Fire Drama Queens

Drama queens (and kings!) are bad for business. They disrupt your workplace by gossiping, backbiting, exaggerating every situation, justifying their bad[...]
RiShawn Biddle
Don’t Choose Your Lunch
Leadership September 11, 2018

Don’t Choose Your Lunch

Back in 2014, Barack Obama declared that he only focused on making the most-important decisions.  “I don’t want to make decisions about what I’m eating[...]
RiShawn Biddle
Slow That Decision Down
Leadership September 4, 2018

Slow That Decision Down

“Don't rush me, sonny! You rush a miracle man, you get rotten miracles,” warned Billy Crystal, costumed up as Miracle Max in the 1987 classic The[...]
RiShawn Biddle
Churchill’s Finest Hobby
Leadership August 28, 2018

Churchill’s Finest Hobby

Winston Churchill once wrote that “The cultivation of a hobby and new forms of interest is therefore a policy of first importance”. He knew this well. Even[...]
RiShawn Biddle
Stop Busywork Now!
Leadership August 21, 2018

Stop Busywork Now!

You already know that busywork does nothing more than create the perception that people are working harder than they really are. In fact, 65 percent of your[...]
RiShawn Biddle
How to Avoid a Nuclear War
Leadership June 5, 2018

How to Avoid a Nuclear War

You will never make a fully-informed decision. Accept it. The reality is that every choice involves using limited information, can have unforeseen[...]
RiShawn Biddle
Words as Self-Sabotage
Leadership May 29, 2018

Words as Self-Sabotage

You are often your own worst enemy. It starts with the words out of your mouth and the voices in your head. From telling yourself that you aren’t[...]
RiShawn Biddle
4 Steps to Foster Creativity
Leadership May 1, 2018

4 Steps to Foster Creativity

Creativity is not some remote and solitary island. Each day, from the studios of legendary visual effects outfit Industrial Light & Magic to the conference[...]
RiShawn Biddle
Thank God It’s… Thursday?
Leadership April 24, 2018

Thank God It’s… Thursday?

The best and most creative thinking and problem-solving can only take place during uninterrupted periods of time. You know it and so do your colleagues. Which[...]
RiShawn Biddle
Our Soured Romance with Overwork
Leadership March 6, 2018

Our Soured Romance with Overwork

The idea that working ever harder and longer leads to better results is as American as apple pie, despite all evidence to the contrary. Chronic overwork is[...]
RiShawn Biddle
Living the Impossible Dream
Leadership February 6, 2018

Living the Impossible Dream

Your ambitious goal isn’t impossible to accomplish—and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. The first step in making any endeavor possible is dismissing[...]
RiShawn Biddle
4 Steps for Dealing with Self-Doubt
Leadership December 12, 2017

4 Steps for Dealing with Self-Doubt

It's natural to feel like an imposter sometimes. But don't dwell on your self-doubt. Instead, the solution is to recognize your feelings as a healthy part of[...]
RiShawn Biddle
How to Say No When it Counts
Leadership October 31, 2017

How to Say No When it Counts

Sometimes you just have to say no. That isn’t always easy. But there are strategies that can help say no when you need to—and save your time, energy, and[...]
RiShawn Biddle