Ron Friedman, Ph.D
Speaker, Facilitator, Advisor, Future of Work Architect
Darren Murph is a Guinness World Record-holding writer, storyteller, project manager, instructor and consultant. He has a deep background in both the business and analytics realm as well as the content and communications sector. He is now Global Editor-in-Chief at techradar, and the founder/CEO of Page 52 Consulting. Previously, he spent nearly 8 years as Managing Editor at Engadget and 2 years as SVP of Editorial Strategy at Weber Shandwick.
He holds the Guinness World Record as the planet's most prolific professional blogger. He is a Top 50 member of the Techmeme Bloggerboard, and has covered numerous trade shows around the world -- including CES, IFA, CEATEC, SIGGRAPH, SID, Photokina, and CTIA. He has reviewed products in practically every consumer electronics category in the known universe, and has traveled to faraway lands to investigate how technology is impacting little-known corners of the globe.
During his 7.5 year career at Engadget, he saw traffic double and the brand's reach grow tremendously. Engadget quadrupled the amount of live event coverage that it did, and became the Official Online News Source and publisher of the ‘Best of CES awards’ for the world's most prestigious consumer electronics trade show, CES. He also co-developed Engadget Expand, a first-of-its-kind hybrid conference that mixes breaking news and interviews with a show floor experience that's open to the public.
He has consulted with research firms and consumer electronics companies who are eager to get a jump on what's next while fully understanding the ever-changing and ever-escalating demands of the end user. He has also created and hosted instructional courses in blogging and remote working for CreativeLive.
As SVP of Editorial Strategy at Weber Shandwick, he worked with the MediaCo team to build workflows and strategies that resonate in the world of brand publishing and communications.
He is a published author, penning 'iPad Secrets' and 'iPhone Secrets' through John Wiley & Sons, Inc. He also wrote 'Living The Remote Dream,' a how-to guide for accomplishing amazing things from anywhere on the planet.
His work has been featured in Engadget, BGR (Boy Genius Report), Popular Science, Mazda's Zoom-Zoom owner's magazine, Oprah.com, Gadling, Thrillist, ShermansTravel, and DayZipping. He has appeared on ABC, PBS, CTV and NBC television and radio programs.
He has a B.S. in Supply Chain Management from North Carolina State University, as well as an MBA from Campbell University.
Contributions
-
Happy employees help companies succeed.
An employee that is engaged and happy in their workplace is more productive, creative, and able to problem solve – in addition to being healthier and happier in their home lives. Companies with happy employees tend to have lower turnover, more satisfied customers, and stronger profits.
Imagining the ideal work environment often yields visions of nice cafeterias, video games, and sports facilities like those found at corporate giants Google and Twitter. However, the research shows that fun things like these alone don’t make for a great working experience. Interestingly, the typical desires voiced by employees – a higher salary, a promotion, or a nicer office – fail to lead to long-term satisfaction in a job as well. So, what is the secret to employee happiness?
Ron Friedman, the author of The Best Place to Work, believes the secret to happiness at work requires three key ingredients:
Competence in our tasks
Relatedness to our colleagues
Autonomy in our roles