Wednesday Buzz: The Plan to Take on the World

Secret societies have always been a known unknown in our culture. From the recently released list of Freemason members to more conspiratorial musings about presumed groups like the Illuminati, groups of influential individuals have long captured the imagination.

Luckily, there don’t seem to be any sinister motives behind Plan to Take On the World (PTTOW)  (opens in a new tab).

Steered by the vision of Roman Tsunder, founder of ACCESS 360 Media, PTTOW brings together influential leaders, entrepreneurs, and artists in order to reach new innovative heights on a global scale.

Since its inception in 2009, PTTOW has enlisted help from countless corporations, including Nike, GM, MasterCard and Starbucks, to help realize its goals, which are still discussed in secret, despite the group’s openness about its members  (opens in a new tab).

With members as diverse as the Dalai Lama, Red Bull, and Questlove sharing ideas on global change, there’s just one big question remaining: What is PTTOW actually looking to accomplish?

“If you’re going to ask me what PTTOW! looks like 10 years from now, I would tell you that we’re [going to be] responsible [for] and help our members create the top 10 most important cultural moments in the world,” Tsunder told Huffington Post senior writer Todd Van Luling  (opens in a new tab). “You only live once, right?”

“I would ask what projects have come out of the Bohemian community,” Tsunder told Van Luling, when discussing PTTOW’s cultural influence. “We want to spend [our] time doing the grandest things. Whether it’s figuring out what’s happening on Mars, or whether it’s figuring out commercial space flight, or whether it’s figuring out how to help people’s lives.”

Study of the Day:

New research shows building powerful internal social networks can enhance sales performance: https://t.co/ILl69Icb5x  (opens in a new tab) pic.twitter.com/RnUpciBXRa  (opens in a new tab)

— AMA (@AMA_Marketing) November 25, 2015  (opens in a new tab)

Connecting with family and friends is a vital part of the holiday season, so why not extend those connections to the workplace? A new study from the Journal of Marketing, as reported by the American Marketing Association  (opens in a new tab), explains how to create a strong, cohesive network within your organization.

Other Good Reads:

When it comes to hiring, is your organization looking at soft skills? Business Because spoke with Association for Talent Development Blogger Bruce Tulgan  (opens in a new tab) on why organizations shouldn’t overlook non-technical skills.

Don’t get overwhelmed by social media statistics. Hootsuite blogger Evan LePage identifies the social media advertising stats organizations should pay attention to  (opens in a new tab) in 2016.

Nonprofits’ wallets are getting fatter, according to an 11-city study by the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance. Nonprofit Times Contributor Mark Hrywna takes a deeper look  (opens in a new tab) into why revenue is increasing for many nonprofits, despite declining donor lists.