Currently reading the book Triggers and came across a chapter that reminding me of something I've experienced all the time but didn't quite know the name of: decision fatigue. What it is: you make decisions or have a rough day (e.g. working on that tough project; smiling when you don't really want to), and you're... Continue Reading →
The Barbell Strategy to Sales Operations
I first heard about the barbell strategy reading Nassim Nicholas Taleb's book Antifragile (or at least it was the first time I really understood the concept - I think it was also mentioned in his earlier books). In investing, the barbell strategy can be summed up like this: money to be invested should only go... Continue Reading →
Good plan, poor execution
As some of you may know, I'm into the second year in a row of marathon training. During these two years, especially during the long runs, I've had many epiphanies: a-ha! moments and stories that I'm always eager to share with my readers when I get back. Problem is that after long runs, if you're... Continue Reading →
Following the crowd
Just the other day over coffee a colleague of mine told me about a fascinating video he'd seen. It was about a psychological experiment that showed just how much of a mindless, conforming species we were. 100% emotional; 0% rational. Just part of the herd. Though I'd seen similar ones before, this was one particularly... Continue Reading →
Better be over-prepared than otherwise
The meeting was a day away, and I wasn't sure what to expect. The way things were going, I felt that it was going to be a controversial one. And despite my knowing the material well, there were gaps in my knowledge that I knew could be pried on. These were areas that I wasn't... Continue Reading →
Invisible problems – what I learned from sweeping
For months I wondered why the floor was always dusty every time I left the windows open, and really quickly too. Could leave the windows open, go down for a quick meal, and come back up only to have my feet return to a sandy desert. I suspected it was a combination of a couple... Continue Reading →
Less insight, more value
One of the things that I get asked a lot at work is to create a reports, run an analysis, or get some data so we can get visibility on XYZ, normally as a result of a question asked by a HiPPO (highest paid person in the office) because they were "curious". To these people... Continue Reading →
The Attention Asset
There's a post on Seth Godin's blog today called Do we value attention properly? In it, he argues that we need to be careful not to discount the attention we get from our audience, i.e. anyone who pauses to listen to us, because attention is valuable. He makes a good point: attention if leveraged properly... Continue Reading →
Tit for Tat
Pleasantries exchanged, we got down to business. Rather new to each other, we moved deliberately. The context of the meeting was potentially explosive. It had all the makings of "your word against mine" scenario. But it started out well. Facts, or perspectives of the facts, were exchanged, and these facts turned out to be decently... Continue Reading →
How to save time
Try one of the following: Learn how to programme the TV recorder in the quickest way. Two buttons, three steps. Take four minutes, not five. Use a TV recorder to save your favourite TV shows and skip through the ads. Save 30 minutes every two hours. Or... stop watching the damn TV. Save two hours... Continue Reading →