Business is not an island

November 14, 2011

It is the nature of any field to become more specialized and more focused over time. In Aristotle’s time, even during the Renaissance, it was possible for a very educated person to know all there was to know. That is no longer true. Every field of study has become more and more specialized as the [...]

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Leadership changes the world

November 14, 2011

People do not need to be led to where they’ve already been. But they do need people to show them new places, new ideas, new possibilities, etc. And so, every act of leadership is an act of changing the world. If you’re not changing the world in some way, you are not leading.

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No cents at all

November 7, 2011

Today my Yahoo page brought me yet another update on the financial results of a major corporation. I know, I know. These updates come out all the time. There’s nothing new here. True. But maybe it’s time we started acknowledging that the emperor has no clothes. It is simply ridiculous to evaluate a company based [...]

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The best offer

November 1, 2011

If you have an relationship with someone (especially when it’s exclusive) and want to continue that relationship, you must make sure that at all times what you offer them is the best offer they could get. Say you have a boyfriend, girlfriend or spouse. If you want to keep that relationship you must make sure [...]

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The era of substance

October 26, 2011

We live in a time of massive change. Major institutions from Wall Street to the Middle East are falling. And still, big consumer products companies are behaving as if time stopped 20 years ago. I’m not going to restate the litany of cultural changes that are upsetting markets. I trust you know these by now. [...]

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On loyalty

October 21, 2011

Loyalty is held out by most people as a virtue. Let’s assume that it is. Still, it’s not obvious what loyalty actually is. Merriam Webster defines “loyal” as “unswerving in allegiance.” Unswerving? No swerves at all? How about a swervlet? Let’s consider this. This classic definition really means that when you are loyal, you subordinate [...]

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Would you take the pill?

October 17, 2011

What if there was a pill you could take that would give you the feelings of being in a fully loving relationship? It wouldn’t actually change whether you had a partner who loved you but it would make you feel loved. Or what if you could take a pill that would give you the feeling [...]

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Take my choice away

October 8, 2011

People do not really want choice. We want the right to make a choice. But we do not want to actually have to exercise that right. We want you to make it so damn obvious that whatever it is you’re offering is the only possible thing for us that no choice is required. This is [...]

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On the folly of results

October 7, 2011

It’s common knowledge in the business community that effective leaders focus on results not on activity. But people once thought the earth was flat. Now we know better. I think there will come a time when we will see the focus on results for the silly simple-minded nonsense that it is. Think about it. Imagine [...]

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Art vs. science

August 7, 2011

Some things are very well understood and amenable to a scientific approach. Some are not and require the intuition of the artist. It’s important to know which you’re working with. Not taking advantage of science when it’s available is foolish. So is rejecting the value of art and insisting on science when the only science [...]

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