Lies, damned lies and statistics
In most cases, statistics can be unbuilt to show that they are pointless. Don’t let statisitics tell you what is possible and what isn’t. -How to get rich, p.23 Continue reading Lies, damned lies and statistics
Tag: strategic planning
Long shots aren’t usually as long as they seem.
Believe in your own power and in the ability of your organization to make things happen – with enough energy and thoughtfulness and commitment, even the boldest ideas could be executed. -The Ride of a Lifetime, p.136 Continue reading Long shots aren’t usually as long as they seem.
There is never 100 percent certainty
No matter how much data you’ve been given, it’s still, ultimately,a risk. and the decision to take that risk or not comes down to one person’s instinct. Don’t sacrifice being nimble and acting fast to collect more data and deliberate for eternities. This isn’t to say that research and deliberation aren’t important. You have to do the homework. You have to be prepared. But there’s never 100% certainty. Steve Jobs hates the CEOs who can’t make decisions themselves. The Ride of a lifetime, p.125 Continue reading There is never 100 percent certainty
Don’t let your ego get in the way of making the best possible decision.
When Robert Iger became CEO of Disney, one of the first thing he tried was to make peace with Roy Disney who had left the board and we’re openly criticizing theexecutives (especially Michael Eisner). When Robert was named CEO, Roy decided to sue the company to contest Bob’s nomination. Bob could have easily reacted with his ego and sued the company. Instead, he sat down with Roy to defuse this argument. He made Roy feel important (which was free to DIsney) and this respect saved a lot of time and money to the company. The Ride of a lifetime, p.120 Continue reading Don’t let your ego get in the way of making the best possible decision.
Set only 1 to 3 priorities
Once you have 5 or 6 of them, they are no longer priorities. Not only do you undermine their significance by having too many, but nobody is going to remember them all. The Ride of a lifetime, p.100 Continue reading Set only 1 to 3 priorities
Not sure how this will work? Time to ask the hard questions.
In those instances in which you find yourself hoping that something will work without being able to convincingly explain to yourself how it will work – that’s when a little bell should go off. Then you should ask yourself clarifying questions. What’s the problem I need to solve? Does this solution actually makes sense (rationally)? If I’m feeling some doubt, why? Am I doing this for sound reasons or am I motivated by something personal? -The Ride of a Lifetime, p.65 Continue reading Not sure how this will work? Time to ask the hard questions.
“Avoid getting into the business of manufacturing trombone oil”
You may become the greatest trombone-oil manufacturer in the world, but in the end, the world consumes a few quarts of trombone oil a year. Don’t invest in projects that would sap the resources of your company and you. -The Ride of a Lifetime, p.61 Continue reading “Avoid getting into the business of manufacturing trombone oil”
Innovate or die, and there’s no innovation if you operate out of fear of the new or untested.
-The Ride of a Lifetime, p.15 Continue reading Innovate or die, and there’s no innovation if you operate out of fear of the new or untested.
Prioritize
When everything is important nothing is. Two things can be important but they can’t be both the most important. Continue reading Prioritize
Amp It Up!
This is a copy of the blog post by Frank Slootman. As the former CEO of both Data Domain and ServiceNow, two successful tech companies in recent years, I am often confronted with questions: what did you guys do? What is the secret sauce? How did you do it? We never thought of ourselves as that different. We certainly didn’t think we had stumbled on a silver bullet. Did we just get incredibly lucky twice in a row? With hindsight and reflection, there are observations worth making that may benefit others. Bottom line: There is room up in organizations to … Continue reading Amp It Up!
Roadmap to Billions 