What Business Owners Can Learn from the Story of Modu
The value of loyalty. Modu (234-174 BC) was the son of Touman, the leader of the Xiongnu tribal confederacy. For reference, this was all during the time of the fall of the Zhou dynasty, the warring states period, and the formation of the Han dynasty in China. Modu lived quite an interesting life. At a […]
Businesses should learn from Baseball analytics
I have been enjoying baseball a lot recently. My wife and I watched most of the 2020 post-season, especially the AL and NL CS and the World Series. We even bought two gloves and a ball (used equipment, of course, to save money) and have been playing catch during the day. It’s quite enjoyable and […]
Don’t do anything stupid to avoid doing something difficult
If I were forced to pick one idea of Machiavelli’s to carry with me it would be this. We often do foolish things as a means to avoid challenges. Here is the original quote: … a blunder ought never to be perpetrated to avoid war, because it is not to be avoided, but is only […]
My Politics
All information is part autobiography. Thus, if I dare to write anything I necessarily convey a political view, as politics is the flower of personal philosophy, preference, perspective, etc. I would rather make a clear statement and have that understood than make no statement and thus be misunderstood. So, I’ll tell you how I would […]
“Where does the buck stop?” A divorce of (mis)management has found a lover in (non)management
This is a bit of a wandering passage. A thought I am working on. If published, it isn’t complete, or at least I’m not perfectly happy with it. The problem that has been on my mind is not one of over correction (i.e. we “solved” mismanagement issues by creating a new mismanagement issue), but rather […]
“The Fit Entrepreneur,” or how to create and maintain a phenomenal fitness program for a working professional
A fitness framework needs to exist for working professionals. The problem is that the existing/popular frameworks end up not working for someone with a busy and demanding life. And because any entrepreneur or executive is pretty logical, when the fitness program doesn’t work, or ends up taking away from their business, they stop doing it […]
Some wandering thoughts regarding “skin in the game,” our addiction to risk avoidance, “The Big Short,” and corporate social responsibility initiatives
“The moment I make a statement about reality, contradiction is present, for what I say is ideality.” Soren Kierkegaard. De Omnibus Dubitandum Est. 1843 Or rather, we don’t know everything, and even if we did, no language or model exists to express such complete knowledge. The known implies the unknown; the predictable implies the unpredictable. […]
What Shakespeare, Ecclesiastes, Machiavelli, Darwin, and Hammurabi have to say about business leadership
When studying leadership we imply its existence and general success, whether by continuity or by repetition in history. These coordinates do not include short-term success. The leadership lessons that can be drawn from a single victory or a profitable quarter are hollow. Therefore, continuity and repetition in history, over decades and generations. However, inquires into […]
How to think and act like a Machiavellian
Niccolo Machiavelli was a Florentine scholar, diplomat, and political advisor who lived from 1469 to 1527. Please note that this is in the middle of the renaissance – both in time and space. He is perhaps most famous for his book: “The Prince” and it is from this book that Machiavelli has developed his popular […]