These are the basic three types of metrics. There are metrics that help us manage a process, to know if we are on-track or not. The speed on the dashboard. The number of customers we are working on. Our calorie intake. Then there are metrics to brag about, or...
When the announcement of this product came out, it really caught my attention. After all, I am a bit of a nut when it comes to new audio technology. As soon as something like this is announced, I want to know what it is, how exactly does it work, and most of all, what...
This is a Public Service Announcement. There is a lot of advertising about VPNs. They are pitched as necessary for your “security”, but how much do you really need one? VPNs, that is virtual private networks, provide a user with a secure connection to...
I have been hearing this since I was a kid. “Information is power”. It was usually associated to some specific item of knowledge. Something that would allow someone to take advantage, to do some arbitrage, even blackmail someone. And most of my life, it...
I try to make my Friday PPILL about leadership. Given the circumstances and being Friday today, I cannot write about anything else, but the British monarchy. Queen Elizabeth II passed away yesterday at 96. During her 70-year reign, she has been criticized, applauded,...
It started with a rumor. A lie. As many rumors, they were talking behind its back. Accusing it of things that would never do intentionally. And people believed it, and the hatred grew. In the new neighborhood we live in, someone started an oak tree scare. Someone said...
One of the things I do, is that I provide mentorship and advise for small business owners. Recently, the heir of a small business owner came to me asking for direction on setting up their e-commerce initiative. A channel background comes in handy in these cases. Us,...
Have you noticed lately that every time you go into a Starbucks during busy hours, the Barista is making drink after drink for online orders? If you grab a sandwich or something to eat, you probably finish it up -and almost digest it- before they call your Starbucks...
Well, what we have been trying to avoid for two years, happened. A few weeks ago as of this writing, I tested positive for COVID-19. After multiple boosters and what we believe now is a milder strain, I was way lucky. Symptoms were mild, with some coughing, a sore...
This is one of the smartest phrases I ever heard, uttered by the one and only Malcolm Gladwell, of “Tipping Point” fame. There is so many levels to it. With his sharp power of analogy, and his uncanny ability to make the obscure obvious, Malcolm is definitely one...
There are many parallels we like to trace between business and military operations. Some I think are overstated. Most of the time, comparing our rather relatively inconsequential dealings with what our fine men in uniform do, putting their lives on the line, is almost...
I recently read about Vietnamese-American poet Ocean Vuong. In his many speeches and writings, he references this idea about Noah’s Ark story. A story that we are familiar with, where Noah selects two individuals from every specie on earth, and loads them into the...
Physics. I did like physics. I do like physics. There is a fascinating meta-learning about this field. In physics not all laws our theorems work at every scale. Newton’s equations work very well to explain and model the behavior for most every day phenomena....
It was supposed to be an Argentine Bakery and Pizzeria. In Seattle. But it wasn’t. Don’t get me wrong, the empanadas were great, and the sweet croissant (a butter croissant, about half the size a regular one, with a light, sweet glaze) was spot on. The...
When things are taken out of our sight, that doesn’t necessarily fix things. We are just ignoring them. And most of the time it just postpones things, because when things are worth making them disappear, they usually have a knack for coming back. Plastics. Debt. The...
When things are hard to compare, we simplify. So we take a leap, and we utter the words: “all things equal…” It helps us to make a point, to compare one thing at a time, forgetting about all the things that cannot be compared. And point becomes evident, but not for...
Frameworks are very useful. They allow us to make decisions quickly. In our legal system -for example- we have a thing called “standing”. To have a case, you must be in the right jurisdiction, you must have had an injury, the injury must be demonstrably caused by...
After about a year of being on Zoom calls, we discovered something that therapists have known for a while. Therapists charge by the hour, and they try to book as many sessions as possible. So they end up back-to-back. But sessions need to be wrapped up, notes...
Life rarely grants us a second chance. That’s why, when the stakes are high, these words seldom have the power to erase what we said. They don’t stop the offense, or the embarrassment. But when they do, is because there is a history of how we have handled things in...
We heard it: “the enemy of my enemy is my friend.” This is certainly true in politics, where the most unexpected crowds can be made to come together to fight a (many times made up!) common enemy. But can this be seen in other areas of life? In business, for example,...
So goes the saying: “We don’t meet anybody by accident, they are meant to cross our path for a reason”. The connotation is almost invariably of a spiritual meaning behind meeting people. But whether we believe in that literal interpretation or not, just...
Well, this is fascinating. I don’t even know how I missed it so far. Google has been working behind the scene on the next generation of their Google Glasses. With all the technology involved, it is ironic to hear how much the design of the glasses has been...
At this point it is not news that the world is going As-A-Service. Almost everything can now be obtained in a subscription form, not just “rented”, but with actual outcomes-based subscription. And I know, I am the first one to point out how that’s...
“We’ll make it up in volume”. I am still appalled, almost offended by this response. Especially when someone doesn’t truly understand how their business works and makes them money. It is even worse coming from someone who is compensated on...
Transforming operations and a supply chain is a difficult task that demands comprehensive organizational changes and strategies that can continue to deliver value. One common mistake that organizations incur onto, is biting off more than they can chew when it comes to...
