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	Monday, November 07, 2005

The latest car I have been driving have a cool feature which allows you to immediately get the mileage of the car depending on how you are driving. It is almost instantaneous, so it is really an feedback mechanism which allows you to know how to optimize your driving habits for maximum fuel efficiency. This is a great tool as for instance, you will notice immediately that if you try to accelerate faster, you would be getting less mileage than if you accelerate gradually. I noticed that the way I drive is wasting fuel because I normally accelerate (more…) 7:44:20 AM     comment []   trackback []

One of the most intriguing insights that I got ( yes, I still remember it after 20 years) from the Autobiobraphy of Ben Franklin was how he was able to make friends, not by doing a favor to the person, but by letting the person do a favor FOR him. Apparently, he discovered that for some people, “he that has once done you a kindness will be more ready to do you another, than whom you yourself have obliged”. This was quoted by Seth Godin, another original thinker whose many ideas seem to be uncommon common sense, when he tried to explain how Yale wins by using this principle. 7:42:42 AM     comment []   trackback []

An excellent post from Six Disciplines blog is Leadership Lessons for Small Business CEOs. In here is summarized the checklist of Jeff Immelt which is one of those taught in GE’s famed management development center. It is always great to read from people who have been there, and done it. If they have gone through it and talk about it, the advice sounds more practical, unlike some book writers who spawn management theories but who have never managed a corporation, whose advise might sound good, and yet may sound too idealistic, and seemingly done with no firm feet on the ground. Among the ten things, I particularly identify with these: 2. Simplify Constantly. “Every leader needs to clearly explain the top three things the organization is working on. If you can’t, then you’re not leading well.” 3. Understand Breadth, Depth and Context: “The most important thing I’ve learned since becoming CEO is context. It’s how your company fits in with the world and how you respond to it.” 4. The Importance of Alignment and Time Management: “At the end of every week, you have to spend your time around the things that are really important: setting priorities, measuring outcomes and rewarding them.” 5. Leaders Learn Constantly and Teach: “A leader’s primary role is to teach. People who work with you don’t have to agree with you, but they have to feel you’re willing to share what you’ve learned.” 6. Stay True to Your Own Style: “Leadership is an intense journey into yourself. You can use your own style to get anything done. It’s about being self-aware. Every morning, I look in the mirror and say, ‘I could have done three things better yesterday.”’ You can also read all 10 in Jeff’s interview with Fast Company. 7:39:44 AM     comment []   trackback []

A few months ago, I wrote an article, Its Just Focus. in which I basically noted that for 2 weeks early this year, my only focus was to lose weight, and I did it. Well, sometimes, it is easier said than done and knowing it sometimes does not always mean doing it . Which is sometimes I don’t have a very good opinion of people who read self improvement books or go to management seminars, and when presented with (more…) 7:35:56 AM     comment []   trackback []

I just came back from a meeting with one of our principals. Our company has been partnering with theirs for almost 10 years, and they recently had a new director in charge of our business segment. And the reviews for the last quarter has not only been great, but nothing short of spectacular. He basically was able to almost double their business with us ( and with most of the resellers) last quarter compared to same period last year. That, in an industry that at best estimates, grew by less than 20 percent. (more…) 7:31:54 AM     comment []   trackback []

I was talking to a business friend who have been incredibly successful. He bought some real estate pieces, and was able to sell it ( or flip it ) shall we say within a few weeks for a huge windfall. Out of the blue, he was offered a car that was in the waiting list of many, and he got it, and within a few days resold it at some margins at practically no effort. It was not the speed that he could make transactions, but rather the margins he was able to command that impresses me. (more…) 7:31:30 AM     comment []   trackback []

I was just talking to another person whom I feel after hearing his woes have led me to an unfortunate conclusion — no, life has not been unfair to him. No, it is not that life has not given him a break. It is sometimes difficult to say it, but yes, life has given him more than his share of opportunities — it was just that he did not the ability or focus to capitalize on it. More, and more, I start to believe that success in the 21st century, is really about simply building a better mousetrap. I remember that over 20 years ago,in our marketing class, one of the most derided quotations was that of Ralph Waldo Emerson’s (more…) 7:29:10 AM     comment []   trackback []