Yesterday I returned to the hearty city of Melbourne to go to the US consulate. As I sat there waiting for my 1:15pm appointment, I started to count through the enormous number of business lessons that were peppered through the whole experience. For your perusal: 1. They held the ‘frame’ the ENTIRE time. I booked in...
In his book 33 Strategies of War, Robert Greene discusses the importance of “perfect economy” in war. A concept that’s also very applicable to a happy, productive year of business. (and very much salves short term thinking) Greene talks about “perfect economy” as an awareness of resources, effort and tactics. And, how we “allocate” those resources....
On Saturday I went for a walk on Newy break wall. The westerly wind was hammering through the harbour, and the sun was setting. I was looking at the ocean, trying to see if it was clear enough for a dive the next morning. It looked too dark. Maybe during the week… I walked past...
“Double espresso, one sugar” I asked “Do you like fermentation in the drying process?” I had no idea what Rich was talking about. He showed me a card filled with info, and explained how it’s something to do with the bean drying process. Rich knows I really love coffee. And I could feel how lit...
“See that man over there?” he whispered to his companion. “Yes,” said the latter, looking disinterestedly in the direction indicated. “Well, that is Obvious Adams.” “Is that so?” And he almost turned in his chair this time to get a good look at the most-talked-of man in the advertising business. “Ordinary-looking man, isn’t he?” “Yes,...
“John, thanks for coming back in” I knew straight away. The only tie I owned got three levels tighter. Two weeks ago I’d submitted my CV to Bain in the Sydney office. I was going for an consultant role. It was 2009. After things were bouncing back from the recession. I texted Ruby when I...
“Not great…” I typed. “It’s flat. There’s no traction.” Paul was writing back… He’d asked me how my work was going, in a Slack message. “OK, What does “no traction” mean to you?” I told him it felt like people weren’t noticing anything, like it was missing the mark. It was May 2019. Rain was...
The other day I met a store owner who said it was slow because it was cold. We’ve all been in traffic and someone honks with annoyance because they’re running late. It’s obvious that often, one doesn’t actually point to the other. They’re made up associations. But we see false associations everywhere: I don’t need...
