- “Being a bird ain't all about flying and shitting from high places.” ― Voltaire
- BBC News - Skylon spacecraft: 'Revolutionary' engine design tested bbc.in/Jsw1Jp
- RT @Desk: Amazing Art Made From Screws bit.ly/IfM0vI
- Forget Annual Reviews and Watch This Instead | In The Loop bit.ly/J47AQO
- The Simpsons Archive: "A Brief History of The Simpsons" bit.ly/JuYtZA
- Who Is Peter Pan? by Alison Lurie | The New York Review of Books bit.ly/JNnMsM
- Norah Jones Acts Her Age With 'Little Broken Hearts' on.wsj.com/JNevRx
Open Strategist
Monday, April 30, 2012
Twitter Digest
Sunday, April 29, 2012
Twitter Digest
- [screenshot] Note to the swiss bank | bit.ly/IFGG3o
- What LEGO can teach you about leadership bit.ly/Jzaz2M
- Walmart's Shades of Gray - Andrew Winston - Harvard Business Review bit.ly/IWFWo9
- In Facebook Deal for Instagram, Board Was All But Out of Picture on.wsj.com/HP3DlP
- An Unlikely Place to Nurture the Entrepreneurial Spirit? Jail. bit.ly/ge1UF2
Perfectly salted
I love to eat and I consider myself as definitely someone who can taste the difference quality makes. I'm loyal to some brands and restaurants and things they serve to me. But as I remember correctly, I always comment on the quality of meats I eat, freshness of produce I taste, uniqueness of flavors in cuisines, and on the flip side, complain about it being too salty or not salty enough. But I can't remember the last time I commented on something being perfectly salted.
Assertiveness is just like that. Leaders in organizations must be assertive, but if they are too assertive, they lose followers and damage relationships with others. But this leads to the conundrum, if they are just assertive enough, will they be remembered for it?
Perfectly salted or not, pick a stance and stick to it. Choices like these come to us everyday, but its the follow through that counts.
Assertiveness is just like that. Leaders in organizations must be assertive, but if they are too assertive, they lose followers and damage relationships with others. But this leads to the conundrum, if they are just assertive enough, will they be remembered for it?
Perfectly salted or not, pick a stance and stick to it. Choices like these come to us everyday, but its the follow through that counts.
Saturday, April 28, 2012
Twitter Digest
- 9 Timeless Leadership Lessons from Cyrus the Great - Forbes onforb.es/Iabw3b
- Apple's earnings and earths axis | asymco bit.ly/I3hGAz
- "SLIDE SHOW: A CENTURY OF PRESIDENTIAL PITCHES" nyr.kr/KiviH8
- RT @iSharesETFs: QOTD “A man who wants to lead the orchestra must turn his back on the crowd.” – Max Lucado
- The Thin Line Between $1 Billion And Going Out Of Business – A Conversation With Instagram's Kevin Systrom - Business …read.bi/IfKr0M
- Brandon Wade MIT Nerd Built A $10 Million 'Sugar Baby' Dating Empire - Business Insider read.bi/IqTzAN
- What Your Klout Score Really Means | Epicenter | Wired.com bit.ly/IdYvYm
- Photoshop Blunders: Manipulated Reality: Digital Deception - Bloomberg bloom.bg/JKmtcc
- Wages of American Doctors - Business Insider read.bi/JdRBg5
Are you writing it down?
More recently, I've been catering to and working with multiple bosses(will refrain mentioning good bass / bad boss). Although I've learned a lot from them and their different objective viewpoints, its definitely been a challenge managing all of them together. I'm an efficient person(or at least I believe I am), and I've never had to make them fight with each other over who's work I'm prioritizing at any given moment. I usually manage to switch between things and multitask under the gun(Although I do not recommend multi-tasking). But between all the back and forth, I get lots of pointers thrown at me via a variety of medium including being yelled at across from the adjacent cubicle; and sometimes, when we are arguing things across in a room, or debating details with each other, there are action items embedded in those discussions that are hard to pickup.
Writing things down is important, but catching things in between conversations is even harder. So whats the solution here? Do you assume the other members of the team will make it clear later what needs to be done? Or do you write everything down you hear, and hope that its somewhere in your notes?
Effective listening is challenging, so is effective communication, and you have to understand both sides to make it actually work. I'll leave it to you to choose to write it down or not, but remember, either way, you're the one who's got to get it done.
So, are you writing it down?
Writing things down is important, but catching things in between conversations is even harder. So whats the solution here? Do you assume the other members of the team will make it clear later what needs to be done? Or do you write everything down you hear, and hope that its somewhere in your notes?
Effective listening is challenging, so is effective communication, and you have to understand both sides to make it actually work. I'll leave it to you to choose to write it down or not, but remember, either way, you're the one who's got to get it done.
So, are you writing it down?
Friday, April 27, 2012
Social media and GRIT
If you’re a social media addict(which happens to be more addictive than tobacco according to some research), the first thing you do when you go home and jump on your computer is to see what your stats are. You check Twitter / Pinterest / linkedin etc. and see if people messaged you and you might even prioritize this over email sometimes.
But does it really matter if you have ten thousand clicks or one? It should only take one person to tell you that you did an awesome job on that blog post, newsletter or the last 140 characters you sent. Be grateful for the ONE because if it doesn’t cater to the entire world immediately, it tells you that you’re in the right direction.
But does it really matter if you have ten thousand clicks or one? It should only take one person to tell you that you did an awesome job on that blog post, newsletter or the last 140 characters you sent. Be grateful for the ONE because if it doesn’t cater to the entire world immediately, it tells you that you’re in the right direction.
Don’t be afraid of the person who knows 10,000 tricks but be afraid of the one who practiced the same 1 move 10,000 times. Have GRIT. Great leaders don’t let small hurdles phase them. Success isn't a windfall gain strategy. Everyone wants quick and easy; rarely do they cross each others path.
Twitter Digest
- 'Hunger Games' Studio Lions Gate Plots Its Next Moveson.wsj.com/J3ECR1
- Wall Street's Favorite Waiter via @BloombergTV bloom.bg/J3BsN0
- 16 Reasons To Move To Iceland Right Now - Business Insiderread.bi/IaEu2h
- BEFORE THEY WERE FAMOUS: Photos Of Your Favorite Athletes Before You Knew Who They Were - Business Insider read.bi/IFHXat
- 11 Disgusting Ingredients That Aren't Advertised In Food - Business Insider read.bi/H3VZo9
- Linkedin Blog » LinkedIn and Hong Kong: The Auspicious Number 9 bit.ly/IhS2fR
- The Bikini Chart | eagereyesbit.ly/FRKhFI
- Why I’m a listener: Amgen CEO Kevin Sharer - McKinsey Quarterly - Governance - Leadership bit.ly/HQ8TV2
- Mad cow disease found in United States | News | National Postnatpo.st/I9tyFR
- Telemedicine Can Cut Health Care Costs by 90% - Vijay Govindarajan - Harvard Business Review bit.ly/I7QJjK
- Demography: China’s Achilles heel | The Economistecon.st/I7QC5P
- Key Reason for Wage Inequality Is Education - Real Time Economics - WSJon.wsj.com/Jddux7
- The Real Reasons Why You Buy - NYTimes.com nyti.ms/KeBHUo
Thursday, April 26, 2012
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Twitter Digest
How Much Is a Good Central Banker Worth? - Matthew O'Brien - Business - The Atlantic bit.ly/IBH68f
10 Things You Need To Do While You're Unemployed - Forbes onforb.es/GFtcnD
Business Lessons from the Titanic (in 3D) - Mark Bonchek - Harvard Business Review bit.ly/HUOcDI
The Big Picture bo.st/hZxf7S
INFOGRAPHIC: How Much Damage All-Nighters Do To Your Body - Business Insider read.bi/JBloDE
Twitter Acronyms - Business Insider read.bi/I5UbLW
Applied economist: One thing you should never predict is the future bit.ly/JBzrZR
Andre Kuipers, space station astronaut, sends pictures to Earth via Twitter - Telegraph tgr.ph/HFN36G
Monday, April 23, 2012
Twitter Digest
What's The Deal With RIM And Its Buyout Rumors? - Seeking Alpha bit.ly/JzYUQq
A History Lesson as Canada Tries to Digitize Coins - Businessweek buswk.co/JzRs7Y
Here's How Google's Founders Can Mine Asteroids And Become Trillionaires... - Business Insider read.bi/I66CpO
A Bunch Of Cool Things I Just Learned About The Commercialization Of Space... - Business Insider read.bi/xR2dFb
Sunday, April 22, 2012
Twitter Digest
- Why CEOs shouldn’t run the world on.ft.com/IfTFYw
- So the chicken did come first | BBC News - 'Eggless' chick laid by hen in Sri Lanka bbc.in/IBb3Fx
- Facts are dead , 360 B.C.-A.D. 2012 - trib.in/vsXppp trib.in/IByWNl
- IN THE BEGINNING, GOD CREATED DINOSAURS and humans, and they walked together in Texas. bit.ly/JFTfZh
- The Top Five Special Interest Groups Lobbying To Keep Marijuana Illegal bit.ly/JFSTlh
- Facts About Guns : The New Yorker nyr.kr/IfWV58
- For LinkedIn Founder Reid Hoffman, Relationships Rule the World | Epicenter | Wired.com bit.ly/H11oe6
Economics of housewarming gifts
Housewarming gifts can be hard to choose. Having recently held one, I can assure you that the probability of you receiving a plant or alcohol is quite high.
Now being the usual twenty something male who knows nothing about taking care of plants, I can assure you that I had no preference for any kind of plants or otherwise, but I appreciated the gesture and hope that it stays alive for at least a month. All I know as of now is that I have to Google - "how to take care of a plant" and eventually, "how to remind yourself to take care of your plants".
But regardless, let me stick my head out and say that you're better off bringing alcohol as it has a good shelf life, and worse case, if the person being presented alcohol as a gift doesn't drink it immediately, they'll drink it eventually, or pass it on to someone else as a gift.
Now comes the question of what kind of alcohol?
Alcohol preferences can be tricky, so I definitely recommend picking beer / wine / whiskey according to your budget and better if you know the end consumers preferences.
Now if you are not being thrifty, should you buy a cheap or expensive wine becomes the next question?
If you've read any relevant research on blind taste testing on wine, the odds are 50: 50; most consumers can separate cheap wine(<$10) from expensive wine only half of the time. And the nerd in me tells me that you might as well flip a coin in such cases (see: Guardian); so you're better off buying cheap booze rather than expensive booze.
This raises another question as to whether you should buy the preferred alcohol of the individual you're visiting, or should you buy something else. Even if you did know the end consumers preferences, you would be better off buying alcohol where the end consumer can't tell the difference because that would be more economically efficient.
Most economists wouldn't argue about this at all since they believe that gifts are inefficient and the best utility will be derived from cash itself which has the highest time value of money, but not everyone is an economist, and you can surely imagine what would happen if you put a $10 bill on the table as a gift.
I'm not sure if the above argument made it easier for you to pick a housewarming present or made it harder, but its a dilemma worth considering.
Choose well.
Now being the usual twenty something male who knows nothing about taking care of plants, I can assure you that I had no preference for any kind of plants or otherwise, but I appreciated the gesture and hope that it stays alive for at least a month. All I know as of now is that I have to Google - "how to take care of a plant" and eventually, "how to remind yourself to take care of your plants".
But regardless, let me stick my head out and say that you're better off bringing alcohol as it has a good shelf life, and worse case, if the person being presented alcohol as a gift doesn't drink it immediately, they'll drink it eventually, or pass it on to someone else as a gift.
Now comes the question of what kind of alcohol?
Alcohol preferences can be tricky, so I definitely recommend picking beer / wine / whiskey according to your budget and better if you know the end consumers preferences.
Now if you are not being thrifty, should you buy a cheap or expensive wine becomes the next question?
If you've read any relevant research on blind taste testing on wine, the odds are 50: 50; most consumers can separate cheap wine(<$10) from expensive wine only half of the time. And the nerd in me tells me that you might as well flip a coin in such cases (see: Guardian); so you're better off buying cheap booze rather than expensive booze.
This raises another question as to whether you should buy the preferred alcohol of the individual you're visiting, or should you buy something else. Even if you did know the end consumers preferences, you would be better off buying alcohol where the end consumer can't tell the difference because that would be more economically efficient.
Most economists wouldn't argue about this at all since they believe that gifts are inefficient and the best utility will be derived from cash itself which has the highest time value of money, but not everyone is an economist, and you can surely imagine what would happen if you put a $10 bill on the table as a gift.
I'm not sure if the above argument made it easier for you to pick a housewarming present or made it harder, but its a dilemma worth considering.
Choose well.
Rhetological fallacies
Clever visualizations of typical argument fallacies I learned in philosophy class. A definite must have poster...
see: infoisbeautifu
l
Twitter Digest
- Richard Branson Fails: Virgin Companies That Went Bust - Business Insider read.bi/JgkoqV
- Powerful Men Talk More, Powerful Women Don't Because It Damages Their Likeability, Power, and Effectiveness - Bob Sutt…bit.ly/JgkzCF
- The Future of IT Help Desk – Nimsoft bit.ly/HZQUd7
- Social Media: LinkedIn vs. Facebook bit.ly/Ifz16R
Saturday, April 21, 2012
Un-booksigning
A few months ago I read a really good book called Unmarketing. I found out the author was close to Toronto where I live, so hoped to see him around sometime giving a talk of some sort, but unfortunately didn't. The reason why I was hoping for it was actually rooted in my desire to get my copy of the book signed. So I sent him a note for a nontraditional book-signing:
Scott,
Love the book! I would like to get my copy signed if possible* so wondering if I could send it in somewhere?
Regards,
Prashant
*Please...
So the reply came back from their coordinator of awesome: I think what would be easier is if we sent you a signed UnMarketing sticker to add to your book (otherwise the shipping costs might be very high for you) Would this work?
And here we are:
The fact that the author followed through on one of the key concepts is definitely inspiring. Do you know any authors who can do the same?
Scott,
Love the book! I would like to get my copy signed if possible* so wondering if I could send it in somewhere?
Regards,
Prashant
*Please...
So the reply came back from their coordinator of awesome: I think what would be easier is if we sent you a signed UnMarketing sticker to add to your book (otherwise the shipping costs might be very high for you) Would this work?
And here we are:
The fact that the author followed through on one of the key concepts is definitely inspiring. Do you know any authors who can do the same?
Twitter Digest
- Twitter Has Big Company Problems (Without The Benefits Of Being A Big Company) - Business Insider read.bi/HSewhQ
- How The Bugatti Veyron Is Made - Business Insider read.bi/JcEfCX
- Someone is angry at Bank Of America bit.ly/Ia8s7k
- Starbucks to Stop Using Bug Extract to Color Frappuccinos - Bloomberg bloom.bg/IBycaN
- Dick Clark: Curator of The Real Rock and Roll Hall of Fame - Forbes onforb.es/HSUDYf
- Into The Wild: Lost Conversations From Steve Jobs' Best Years | Fast Company bit.ly/HS5R3w
- 10 Tips on Writing from David Ogilvy | Brain Pickingsbit.ly/yuKR2B
- Evolution has given humans a huge advantage over most other animals: middle age - The Washington Post wapo.st/JwS1i7
- Google Drive Launching Next Week - Details Insidetnw.co/HIlJkh
- 4 Secrets of Great Critical Thinkers bit.ly/HM3OyV
- Moneyball and the HR Department - Digits - WSJon.wsj.com/JwgG6v
- What Do The Titanic And Your Smartphone Have In Common? - Forbes onforb.es/HWNVCU
- P&G Innovates on Razor-Thin Margins - Vijay Govindarajan - Harvard Business Reviewbit.ly/HMdoRM
Thursday, April 19, 2012
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Her vocabulary was as bad as, like, whatever
Analogies are extremely useful. I use them often, to explain and sometimes bring to light things from a different perspective. Take for example life lessons from game of thrones, cheese holes and reputation, and the cleverly created analogy in the header of this post.
But something to keep in mind while dealing with analogies is that not everyone will know what the context might be. In the current state of globalization, its important to accept that people have different backgrounds and to be understood by others, we must make a genuine effort to not build analogies only understood by a certain group of people / culture. This is typically why, sports analogies, although effective, are bad for people with diverse backgrounds.
When my economics prof once used baseball to explain regression models to me while at school, I didn't even know what a base was. Similarly, trying to explain a concept in North America with an analogy based on cricket (yes, some of you might not even know what that is) is a bad idea.
Storytelling is a powerful tool and can be extremely effective, but when it comes to analogies, stick to those with references to family life, something most of us go through.
But something to keep in mind while dealing with analogies is that not everyone will know what the context might be. In the current state of globalization, its important to accept that people have different backgrounds and to be understood by others, we must make a genuine effort to not build analogies only understood by a certain group of people / culture. This is typically why, sports analogies, although effective, are bad for people with diverse backgrounds.
When my economics prof once used baseball to explain regression models to me while at school, I didn't even know what a base was. Similarly, trying to explain a concept in North America with an analogy based on cricket (yes, some of you might not even know what that is) is a bad idea.
Storytelling is a powerful tool and can be extremely effective, but when it comes to analogies, stick to those with references to family life, something most of us go through.
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Twitter Digest
4 Secrets of Great Critical Thinkers bit.ly/HM3OyV
Moneyball and the HR Department - Digits - WSJ on.wsj.com/JwgG6v
What Do The Titanic And Your Smartphone Have In Common? - Forbes onforb.es/HWNVCU
P&G Innovates on Razor-Thin Margins - Vijay Govindarajan - Harvard Business Review bit.ly/HMdoRM
Monday, April 16, 2012
Sunday, April 15, 2012
Twitter Digest
- Bodybuilding.com - Remembering Robert Kennedy (1938-2012) bbcom.me/HG4t4h
- LinkedIn Mistakes: Top 5 Ways to Kill Your Credibility bit.ly/Ayowy0
- Social Media: LinkedIn vs. Facebook bit.ly/Ifz16R
- How Trojan Condoms Are Made [PHOTOS] - Business Insider read.bi/IQLvTC
- How Lululemon Brainwashes Women - Business Insider read.bi/IQK2gl
- Take A Look At Diet Coke's Newest Madonna-Inspired Bottles - Business Insider read.bi/HznmCe
- The Justice Department Just Made Jeff Bezos Dictator-for-Life - Jordan Weissmann - Business - The Atlantic bit.ly/IfAFFA
- Canada's newest coin glows in the dark - Yahoo! News yhoo.it/IykHer
- More Evidence of Self-Enhancement Bias: New Study of Tailgating - Bob Sutton bit.ly/HUwsrp
- Should You Send That Email? Here's A Flowchart For Deciding | Co.Design: business + innovation + design bit.ly/y91xKY
- How Schools Can Teach Innovation on.wsj.com/ImFxJc
- 17 Weird Celebrity Side-Businesses - Business Insider read.bi/HznXnm
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