I've been thinking about this question for a long time now: how do we balance the need for agility in working with data and the need for proper governance around the said data? For those with no idea what I'm talking about, here's a great summary of the conundrum I've found no answers for: [F]rom... 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 →
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 →
Supposedly Irrelevant Factors
I'm halfway through reading one of the best books I've read in a long while: Misbehaving, by Richard H. Thaler. One of the things that most stuck with me was that of "supposedly irrelevant factors", which refers to something that, in theory, should not affect or influence the thinking of a rational person but does. Thaler... Continue Reading →
Anticipation, proactivity, and the Invisibles
Just read an article via Slashdot on this thing called "Tab Warming" that the Mozilla team is testing for the Firefox Web Browser. I won't go into the details, but in essence what Tab Warming does is that it anticipates whether or not you'll click on a link, and if it does it "paints" the page... Continue Reading →
The Run
We act very much as if we were on a voyage. What can I do? I can choose out the helmsman, the sailors, the day, the moment. Then a storm arises. What do I care? I have fulfilled my task: another has now to act, the helmsman. If the weather is bad for sailing, we... Continue Reading →
The problem with running a team at full capacity
I shared this earlier on LinkedIn, but thought that it was worth sharing it here too as a reminder to myself: Six Myths of Product Development I came across the article above while researching why a team that traditionally does great work may sometimes stumble (yes, mine). The past few weeks had been a whirlwind... Continue Reading →
What are you doing to help the person next to you?
Was taking a break from my studies (exams next week, people!), having my dinner and watching some YouTube vids on "leadership" (just because) when I came across Simon Sinek and this video. Reminded me of something I knew very well sometime back, but forgotten in the hustle and bustle of corporate life: that we sometimes... Continue Reading →
Developing a Culture
Seth Godin wrote a wonderful post on how we sometimes need an external push (through laws, policies, cultural guardrails) to do what's best for us. It can be basically summed up by the following statements (from the post): We know that wearing a bicycle helmet can save us from years in the hospital, but some... Continue Reading →
Donn, fragments 