I don’t want to wait with pursuing my dreams
A lovely quote from the Swedish fashion designer Carin Rodebjer. I like it because it has this acceptance that it won’t necessarily be a quick fix to get there, and that you need to start the journey anyway. However slow it may be, at least you have started the pursuit. I liked that.
From the Värvet podcast – one of the better episodes actually (in Swedish).
It’s not all the CEO’s doing, but it’s all the CEO’s fault.
Ben Horowitz on the responsibility of CEOs (written in an unusual context)
The most alarming and depressing stats I’ve come across are that 45% of college students didn’t seem to learn much of anything during their first two years, and as many as 36% showed no improvement after four years. Whatever’s going on with these kids at these schools, it’s not education.
I could never take university seriously enough, but it wasn’t for the lack of trying. It just felt old and slow. Glad I left early.
Stop Requiring College Degrees – Andrew McAfee – Harvard Business Review
Can’t stop watching this.
Hot Cheetos & Takis [HD] (by 13twentythree)
Say no to the request, not the person.
You’re not rejecting the person, just declining his invitation. So make that clear. Let him know what you respect about him — maybe you admire the work he’s doing, or recognize his passion or generosity. Maybe you would love to meet for lunch. Don’t fake this — even if you don’t like the person making the request, simply being polite and kind will communicate that you aren’t rejecting him.
A reminder.
I was recently in a discussion where a few of the meeting participants were asked to define the most important question for their business area (in media) right now. Their suggestion was: “What is the right model for digital media?”. They had spent considerable time trying out new projects, revenue streams and other ways of working. Them and everyone else, I should say. This search has been going for 15 odd years or so.
The discussion made me think, and somewhat provocatively I suggested a new question instead: “Is there a right model to be found?”
Sometimes you get so caught up in trying to solve a problem that you forget whether the question you are trying to answer even is the right one to attempt. What if there isn’t a good model out there? What if the media industry have spent the last 15 years on a wild goose chase? Looking for something that will never be considered as good as their original business – however successful it may be. It could be the case. And even if it isn’t, the possibility should be considered.
Businesses come and go. Some change. Some don’t. I think the key must be to know what category your business is in, and then work with it under the prerequisites that come with that.
Being a dying business is not the same thing as having a bad business. It can be very profitable while doing so, but it won’t last. Accepting that might be the best strategy for such a business.
Toca Boca in an Apple ad. Proud!
Apple – iPad – TV Ad – Together (by Apple)
I had forgotten about this one.
Chicken Noodle Soup (by WebstarVEVO)
The difference between being able to do something (and maybe even doing it well), and actively wanting to do it. Sometimes, the two are too easy to confuse with each other.
Here’s a mistake that is easy to make, and one that I’ve made myself many times.
If a company does a part of their business really badly, it sometimes leads people to believe that this certain part is a big problem for them. And that if you did that part better than them, then you could compete with the company by having a competitive advantage in this area.
Although there are many examples where this is the case, I would argue that there are equally many that simply lead competitors down the wrong path. Not intentionally, but still.
Take banks and financial services for instance. Generally speaking, their user interface is pretty bad. Sometimes terrible. And there is so much data in and around your account that could be visualized with graphs and pie charts instead of being just numbers in a list. It seems simple. Just improve the UI and you’ll get a long way ahead already.
Now although I’m not saying that we should leave bad UI and random numbers as they are, I doubt that the UI is a big game changer for banks. It has been tried many times. Mint.com is one of the more known examples, and after using it for a while I am still thoroughly unimpressed. It’s better than what my bank can do, but it is not significantly different to create real change. Because the problem with banks is not the interface. Bad UI is a symptom, but it isn’t the disease.
Look at McDonalds. They make hamburgers. If you make tastier hamburgers than McDonalds then you might think that you are getting ahead of the game. But although tastier hamburgers is a good start, this per se will not make you a viable competitor to McDonalds.
Here in Silicon Valley there are hundreds, if not thousands, of tiny startups that are taking on one tiny piece of a problem that they have identified with the incumbents. If you want to sell your company to become a feature of something else – that is fine. But if you want to significantly change something, you might want to consider what the real disease of the incumbent is and then try to cure that – as opposed to simply treating the symptom.
