Responsibility
Whether you’re improving your own work or helping others improve theirs,* it pays to spend time talking about who is responsible for what – and… Read More »Responsibility
culture
Seth Godin on recruiting: raise the average
That next person you hire – are you lowering the average, or raising the average? ‘Cause if you’re lowering the average of your team because… Read More »Seth Godin on recruiting: raise the average
Ben Horowitz – The Hard Thing About Hard Things
This is a great cut-the-crap book about management and building a company. It’s most relevant to the the tech world, but there are plenty of… Read More »Ben Horowitz – The Hard Thing About Hard Things
The soft option
Your desire to be generous to others is a great motivator to excellence: if you’re serious about ensuring that the externalities of your project are… Read More »The soft option
Externalities
We’re familiar with the externalities of industrial production and consumption. They’re fairly predictable, and often visible. Even air pollution, the silent killer, is usually visible… Read More »Externalities
Brian Chesky on culture and hiring well
Our first employee was our first engineer and I think we looked for him for four or five months. I probably looked through thousands of… Read More »Brian Chesky on culture and hiring well
Kicking cans: job descriptions versus culture
A few days ago I watched a schoolboy kicking a can down the road. He kicked it a couple of times and then miskicked, sending… Read More »Kicking cans: job descriptions versus culture
Singapore, tree planting and the new normal
In 1960 Singapore was – in the words of its first Prime Minister, Lee Kuan Yew – a third world country. ‘Normal’ for many Singaporeans… Read More »Singapore, tree planting and the new normal
The acid test
If my potential… customer / employer / client / donor / partner / supplier knew what I know about my… product / last job /… Read More »The acid test
Compound interest
We all know about compound interest in the world of money. Save £100 a month for thirty years at one percent interest** and you’ll have… Read More »Compound interest