“Roach-stomping”
What a wonderful, emotive description, courtesy of Seth Godin, of the sort of make work activity we all undertake to put off doing those difficult, risky, confronting jobs that can really add value. It takes effort not to stomp on a roach when it crosses the floor,...
The end, and the beginning?
The momentum of innovation in the auto industry has picked up a notch, as a resurgent Toyota allies with Tesla to re-open the NUMMI plant closed earlier this year to produce a mass market electric car. Toyota got the ball rolling 10 years ago with the Prius, and still...
Sustainable success, an oxymoron?
Being successful is hard enough, sustaining that success appears even harder, as success breeds a status quo that is focused on more of the same stuff that worked last time, but not necessarily what will work in the future. Safety first, risk elimination, self...
All forecasts are not equal.
One of the best leading indicators of commercial activity I know is the level of activity at 6.30am late in the trading week at the Flemington markets in Sydney. Whilst it is entirely qualitative, and covers retail activity in a single category, fresh produce, over a...
The new marketing imperative
Digital interactivity has moved to the centre of marketing strategy. The launch of the iPad by Apple has moved it noticeably. I have not seen one, just read the reviews, and when you sift through the hyperbole, it seems that the iPad has a pretty good chance of...
Debate, what debate?
I watched Q&A last night, in the ultimately vain hope of getting some intelligent debate on the Federal budget, and its foundation proposal to change the manner in which the mining industry is taxed. Should have known better. What passed for debate was really just...
Semantics and innovation
A while ago facilitating a two day innovation session, I became involved in two very different, but very similar conversations during various coffee breaks. The first was with a smart young technical bloke, who expressed the view that all the nice encouraging words...
Unemployment or under-employment
As we appear to be in a recovery, at least those industries that can benefit in any way from digging stuff up appear to be, what will happen to the underemployed?. Yesterday, the unemployment numbers came out, 5.4% Australia wide, 5.8% in NSW, but what they really...
The Newtonian paradox of groups.
Successful groups have great power, power to identify, understand the causes and implications of problems and opportunities, and come up with creative responses, and once moving can gather great momentum. Most workplaces are now actively seeking to harness the...
Successful chains are communities
When people are tied together, when they are in "communities" they tend to develop shared values, aspirations, and courses of action. The incidence of double dealing, dishonesty, personal gain at the expense of the community gain, are reduced. An efficient demand...