This is a mini special dedicated to all the entrepreneurial souls who value collaboration. The ongoing fragmentation of the workplace as a mixture of practices is further brought into the spotlight by mounting evidence pointing to the fact that employee engagement is undeniably low, and the cost of being competitive with such levels of separation is simply not sustainable. Consider this recent Gallup finding: companies are maximising only 5% of their workforces! Enterprising approaches to work are offering some solutions, which should be considered as a more attractive option for the future workforce. That said, there’s a lot of adaptation that will need to occur on the part of all bosses and their staff. Perhaps it’s time to reflect on the words of John Rockefeller “If you want to succeed you should strike out on new paths, rather than travel the worn paths of accepted success“. More thought provoking insights are selected for this week’s recommended reading list. Enjoy!

Sincere thanks to those who have suggested articles for this edition of Roadmender Recommends.

5 Inspiring Quotes from 19th Century Entrepreneurs

Oil. Steel. Greed. Monopolies. Capitalism. This was business in late 19th century America. When you think of the great Gilded Age of business, big-name industrialists like Carnegie and Rockefeller probably come to mind. Indeed, these entrepreneurs became business magnates, forever changing entire industries — for better or for worse — while building their individual empires…READ ON

Collaboration can bring positive, disruptive innovation

HERE’S a conundrum: Washington is recognized as home to titans of industry and leaders of technology — in fact, a Bloomberg study tells us that ours is the most innovative state in the country. Yet in terms of state higher-education funding per student, Washington is ranked 49th in the United States. What this tells us is that while Washington has become a world-class industry and technology leader, we are not fully investing in our educational system. And that system is what we rely on to prepare the workers, innovators and leaders who will be critical to our continued future economic growth and success. Even if we secure more funding for our higher-education system in the coming years, we still need…READ ON

Technology Alone Won’t Solve Our Collaboration Problems

Every week a vendor introduces a new gadget, system, or service that promises to make us communicate and collaborate better, faster. Just look at the comments below any article about virtual teams. They almost always include someone either evangelizing or peddling a particular piece of hard- or software that will make it easier to work with people in different time zones…READ ON

Companies Are Maximizing Only 5% of Their Workforces

Let this be a wake-up call for business leaders: Employees with the longest tenures in your company are also the least likely to be engaged. After years with the same company, most workers lose some of their motivation to make a difference. Many grow apathetic over time and spend each day doing the minimum to get by. Some nurse grudges for years and even undermine the company when they get the chance…READ ON

14 Inspiring People Who Found Crazy Success Later in Life

How old is too old to do something new? If you want to launch a business, become a great leader, change careers, or just do something different with your life, at what point is it just too late to be successful? Short answer: never. In case you need a little inspiration to show you that it can be done no matter what age you’ve reached, here are 14 amazing people who never saw real success until well after age 40. (Know anyone I missed? Email me and maybe we’ll write about them next time.)…READ ON

13 Signs You are a Disengaged Employee [INFOGRAPHIC]

Are you making your working environment and everyone else’s around you a toxic place? Is your negative attitude being passed onto other people? Does waking up on a Monday morning with the thought of having to go to work just make you want to go back to sleep? If so, you could be a culprit of being the disengaged employee. Sometimes, you don’t even realise you are doing it, but you make others around you depressed just at the thought of work…READ ON

Why Gary Vaynerchuk Always Hires Generalists Over Specialists

When it comes to growing a business, Gary Vaynerchuk knows a thing or two. The renowned entrepreneur, you’re no doubt already aware, is famous for turning a simple liquor story into a $60 million dollar business in just seven years using the magic of social media. But this impressive accomplishment, he wrote on Medium recently, isn’t just down to incredibly savvy marketing. It’s also based on a great team, and as is always the case, a great team is all about smart hiring. So what does smart hiring look like at VaynerMedia?…READ ON