Emma Harrington is a professor of economics at the University of Virginia and coauthor of the book In Person: How Working Together Fuels Creativity, Productivity, and Growth.
Emma earned her PhD in economics from Harvard and completed a postdoc at Princeton. Her research has been published in some of the world’s leading academic journals, including Science, and the Quarterly Journal of Economics. Her work has also been featured by the BBC, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Economist, The Atlantic’s Good on Paper podcast, and NPR’s Planet Money.
In this episode we discuss the following:
<ul>
<li>Productivity is about more than getting things done. Working from home eliminates the commute, can reduce interruptions, and can help us knock things off our to-do list. But Emma’s research made me think about what we miss when we don’t go into the office: the friendships we don’t build, the conversations we don’t have, and the ideas that never get shared.</li>
<li>Shark Week was such a great example of an idea born from people talking together. A group of executives sitting around a bar asking, “What would be cool?” Somebody says, “Sharks.” And decades later, Shark Week is still around. 
Some things simply take time. Emma cited research showing that it can take roughly 160 hours together to build a friendship.</li>
<li>The question isn’t whether remote work or in-person work is better. The better question is: What’s the appropriate dose of each based on what I’m trying to accomplish?</li>
</ul>

Emma Harrington is a professor of economics at the University of Virginia and coauthor of the book In Person: How Working Together Fuels Creativity, Productivity, and Growth. Emma earned her PhD in economics from Harvard and completed a postdoc at Princeton. Her research has been published in some of the world’s leading academic journals, including Science, and the Quarterly Journal of Economics. Her work has also been featured by the BBC, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Economist, The Atlantic’s Good on Paper podcast, and NPR’s Planet Money. In this episode we discuss the following: Productivity is about more than getting things done. Working from home eliminates the commute, can reduce interruptions, and can help us knock things off our to-do list. But Emma’s research made me think about what we miss when we don’t go into the office: the friendships we don’t build, the conversations we don’t have, and the ideas that never get shared. Shark Week was such a great example of an idea born from people talking together. A group of executives sitting around a bar asking, “What would be cool?” Somebody says, “Sharks.” And decades later, Shark Week is still around. Some things simply take time. Emma cited research showing that it can take roughly 160 hours together to build a friendship. The question isn’t whether remote work or in-person work is better. The better question is: What’s the appropriate dose of each based on what I’m trying to accomplish?

281: The Hidden Cost of Remote Work | Professor Emma Harrington, University of Virginia

Ron Johnson is one of the most influential retail executives of the past several decades. After graduating from Harvard Business School, he began his career at Mervyn’s before joining Target, where he helped turn Target into “Tar zhay.” That work caught the attention of Steve Jobs, who recruited Ron to create Apple’s retail business from the ground up. Over the next decade, Ron helped develop the vision for the Apple Store, build its world-class retail team, and launch innovations such as the Genius Bar—ultimately creating some of the most successful and productive retail stores in the world. He later served as CEO of J.C. Penney, an experience he says taught him more in 24 months of failure than in 24 years of success. Ron is the author of the book Shop Different: How Retail Revealed Apple’s Genius, which explores lessons on innovation, leadership, design, culture, and why human connection may matter more than ever in the age of AI and online shopping.
In this episode we discuss the following:
<ul>
<li>One of my favorite ideas from Ron is the distinction between the things we’re given and the things we choose. We might be born smart, athletic, talented, or attractive. Those are gifts. But kindness is a choice. And as Ron said, imagine if the smartest, most talented person, or the best leader also chose to be the kindest.</li>
<li>I loved Ron’s perspective on Steve Jobs. Steve didn’t necessarily show kindness in the way people often think about it. He believed that one of the highest forms of kindness was telling people the truth—even when that truth was hard to hear. And Steve also showed kindness by building great products for others. He obsessed over making products easier, more useful, and more empowering because he wanted to improve people’s lives. In Ron’s words, he was trying to “secure the good” of the customer. And that idea eventually became the philosophy behind the Apple Store: enrich lives. Don’t just sell people something. Make their lives better.</li>
<li>In a world increasingly shaped by AI, what matters most may be the things that only we can bring: our presence, our unique perspective, and the genuine human connection that comes through conversation.</li>
</ul>

Ron Johnson is one of the most influential retail executives of the past several decades. After graduating from Harvard Business School, he began his career at Mervyn’s before joining Target, where he helped turn Target into “Tar zhay.” That work caught the attention of Steve Jobs, who recruited Ron to create Apple’s retail business from the ground up. Over the next decade, Ron helped develop the vision for the Apple Store, build its world-class retail team, and launch innovations such as the Genius Bar—ultimately creating some of the most successful and productive retail stores in the world. He later served as CEO of J.C. Penney, an experience he says taught him more in 24 months of failure than in 24 years of success. Ron is the author of the book Shop Different: How Retail Revealed Apple’s Genius, which explores lessons on innovation, leadership, design, culture, and why human connection may matter more than ever in the age of AI and online shopping. In this episode we discuss the following: One of my favorite ideas from Ron is the distinction between the things we’re given and the things we choose. We might be born smart, athletic, talented, or attractive. Those are gifts. But kindness is a choice. And as Ron said, imagine if the smartest, most talented person, or the best leader also chose to be the kindest. I loved Ron’s perspective on Steve Jobs. Steve didn’t necessarily show kindness in the way people often think about it. He believed that one of the highest forms of kindness was telling people the truth—even when that truth was hard to hear. And Steve also showed kindness by building great products for others. He obsessed over making products easier, more useful, and more empowering because he wanted to improve people’s lives. In Ron’s words, he was trying to “secure the good” of the customer. And that idea eventually became the philosophy behind the Apple Store: enrich lives. Don’t just sell people something. Make their lives better. In a world increasingly shaped by AI, what matters most may be the things that only we can bring: our presence, our unique perspective, and the genuine human connection that comes through conversation.

Ron Johnson is one of the most influential retail executives of the past several decades. After graduating from Harvard Business School, he began his career at Mervyn’s before joining Target, where he helped turn Target into “Tar zhay.” That work caught the attention of Steve Jobs, who recruited Ron to create Apple’s retail business from the ground up. Over the next decade, Ron helped develop the vision for the Apple Store, build its world-class retail team, and launch innovations such as the Genius Bar—ultimately creating some of the most successful and productive retail stores in the world. He later served as CEO of J.C. Penney, an experience he says taught him more in 24 months of failure than in 24 years of success. Ron is the author of the book&nbsp;Shop Different: How Retail Revealed Apple’s Genius, which explores lessons on innovation, leadership, design, culture, and why human connection may matter more than ever in the age of AI and online shopping.
In this episode we discuss the following:
<ul>
<li>One of my favorite ideas from Ron is the distinction between the things we’re given and the things we choose. We might be born smart, athletic, talented, or attractive. Those are gifts. But kindness is a choice. And as Ron said, imagine if the smartest, most talented person, or the best leader also chose to be the kindest.</li>
<li>I loved Ron’s perspective on Steve Jobs. Steve didn’t necessarily show kindness in the way people often think about it. He believed that one of the highest forms of kindness was telling people the truth—even when that truth was hard to hear. And Steve also showed kindness by building great products for others. He obsessed over making products easier, more useful, and more empowering because he wanted to improve people’s lives. In Ron’s words, he was trying to “secure the good” of the customer. And that idea eventually became the philosophy behind the Apple Store: enrich lives. Don’t just sell people something. Make their lives better.</li>
<li>In a world increasingly shaped by AI, what matters most may be the things that only we can bring: our presence, our unique perspective, and the genuine human connection that comes through conversation.</li>
</ul>

278: Ron Johnson, Apple Store Creator | Choose Kindness

What is the single most important thing we learn in school?

What is the single most important thing we learn in school?

2: Learning To Learn

When a loved one dies, a piece of us dies with them. How can we bring them back?

When a loved one dies, a piece of us dies with them. How can we bring them back?

When a loved one dies, a piece of us dies with them. How can we bring them back?&nbsp;

1: How To Live Forever

Meikles & Dimes is a podcast dedicated to the simple, practical, and underappreciated. Monologue episodes cover science-based topics in decision-making, health, communication, negotiation, and performance psychology. Interview episodes, called Layer 2 episodes, include guests from business, academia, health care, journalism, engineering, and athletics.

Education

Meikles &amp; Dimes is a podcast dedicated to the simple, practical, and underappreciated. Monologue episodes cover science-based topics in decision-making, health, communication, negotiation, and performance psychology. Interview episodes, called Layer 2 episodes, include guests from business, academia, health care, journalism, engineering, and athletics.

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