So I like measurements and KPIs as much as the next business manager but I am always concerned about being too overly-reliant on metrics, especially along the lines of whether the right things are being measured and optimized. It’s not even whether or not you are measuring the right things, it’s also understanding that when […]
Want to hear a secret about me? Come closer, I’ll share it. Ready? I am TERRIFIED of flying. What’s funny about it is that I fly a lot, but still on every flight I’m gripping the armrest with white knuckles, fearing for my life. And yet intellectually I know I’m safe. I’ve studied a lot […]
When you are a startup or a smaller business, it can be easier to tell whether you are actually making money. I recall working with a lot of small business owners and many of them literally were of the mindset, “Is there money in the checking account at the end of the month? Is it […]
I’ve observed something interesting lately, and to be honest it has me a little confused. When tasks or projects are being established and assigned, I’m seeing people not wanting to work on a project or task when asked. “I don’t have any experience in that area,” they say. “I’ve never done it before.” The reason […]
I’m going to do something I think I’ve never done before…I’m going to make a video game analogy. So unless you’ve played Starcraft or Warcraft or some other strategy game, you might want to go watch a YouTube video on the game. Alternatively, I think you can use chess or checkers as an example, we […]
Let’s do an introspective exercise. If someone asked you, what do you actually DO at your job, what would you say? If you were to ask someone else the same question, most people would probably say, “I build X”, “I maintain Y”, or “I provide service Z”, something like that. But what’s interesting is, in […]
A phenomenon I see quite frequently is people underpricing themselves. They are convinced that they need to price low in order to win a contract, or convince a client to commit. This is probably true to a degree, but as a business leader or owner you still have to look at your own financials. Let’s […]
If you know anything at all about me, then you know that I rarely have an original thought (ha!). Instead I pull a lot from reading books and other published content, and most of this blog is really about how to put those theory ideas into practice, and then show that they actually work. But […]
I was talking with a coworker the other day and this person made an interesting observation. They pointed out that almost every strategic business problem that we come across is talked about in academia or in some business book somewhere, including tactics and approaches to address them. Essentially, how many truly unique and novel problems […]
One of my favorite books is Starship Troopers by Robert Heinlein. Not only is it a fun science fiction novel, there are multiple leadership lessons I have learned from this book. Relying on your experienced people What is the only factor that can save you when the load is too heavy? Anyone?” (…) “Your leading sergeant, […]
Knuggets of Knowledge 