During an interview by the undergraduate admissions office at the Cornell Hotel School in 1991, I happened to mention that I speak a few languages. "Ohh..." breathed the Dean. "That's sooo marketable." At 17 years old, I hadn't realized I was "marketable," but there you have it. As it turned out, one of the big things I learned from my most excellent education was that, in fact, I didn't want to be in the hospitality industry. After graduation, I went on to have a career that can be described at best as eclectic, at worst as frustratingly vague. I never …

I am constantly amazed at how many brand marketers have VERY different points of view INTERNALLY about the campaigns they're lauded for EXTERNALLY. I cannot count how many times I've congratulated brand marketers on the press they receive in the trades, only for them to say something to the effect of, "If you only knew the truth!"

There's a storm brewing in the ad tech world. It's not a crash. It's not a bubble. Maybe some call it a correction. The fact is, there are more companies and ideas than there are dollars to go around -- and even fewer operators who know how to run these businesses like, well... businesses. Another way of looking at it: There are too many companies that aren't, can't and won't be making money anytime soon unless they get the proper leadership.

The controversy over unpaid internships continues to swell. U.S. District Judge William H. Pauley III in New York recently ruled that Fox Searchlight Pictures violated minimum wage and overtime laws by failing to pay interns who worked on the 2010 movie "Black Swan." This opens up the risk of additional lawsuits, bringing intern compensation issues top of mind.

For me, building great teams and creating exciting new products is what I was meant to do. There's nothing that compares to seeing a group of people -- sometimes with more enthusiasm than experience -- come together to do something extraordinary.

Studies are wonderful things. Take, for example, studies that show children whose homes have more books do better at school than children who don't have books at home. In particular, take the detail of that study that shows this to be true whether or not the children read. Interpret. Arrive at obvious conclusion: all children need books in their homes.

I finally got caught up on "Mad Men" this past week, and I was struck by the scene where Don Draper tells Hershey's they don't need to advertise. Can you imagine an agency person saying that now? I can, though not for the same reason you might think.

Have you ever wondered why your friends Like specific brands on Facebook? It's because they actually like those brands -- less so because of coupons, giveaways or other enticing offers.

107 issues. More than two years. That's how long it's been since Bloomberg Businessweek has featured a female businessperson on its cover. You have to go back to May 16, 2011, when Sheryl Sandberg was featured to spot a female executive who made the grade.

It's hard work to stand up for what you think is right. The darkly satirical UK miniseries "Black Mirror" has an episode called "15 Million Merits," set in a not-so-futuristic world reminiscent of Gattaca or The Island, where identically dressed residents live a gamified existence, exercising on stationary bikes to earn "merits" while being continually distracted by game and reality shows.