Posts

We like to believe that things will go as planned. We should know better. One of the keys to accomplishing a goal is to focus everyday not on the goal itself, but on the routines and systems needed to reach the goal. Define a routine, and stick to it. Identify a cue and associate it with the routine. With time, an habit is established. The routine no longer implies effort, you just do it without much thinking every time the cue is present. Read more...

Some people associate learning with formal education. They unconsciously regard other ways of learning as less serious or not worth. Of course, attending a good college or university can be an exceptional learning experience. Formal education has its place and value1. But it’s not enough. To quote Kevin Kelly, “all of us—every one of us—will be endless newbies in the future simply trying to keep up.”2 We need to be continuously learning. Read more...

When thinking of a new product or service, it’s normal to make some assumptions about our potential customers and their needs. Feedback from real customers is essential at this stage because it grounds us to reality and allows us to shape our product or service according to our vision but with the customer in mind. Otherwise, we can end with an incredible product or service that has no real use. Read more...

Two quotes I took note of this week: As the traveller who has once been from home is wiser than he who has never left his own doorstep, so a knowledge of one other culture should sharpen our ability to scrutinize more steadily, to appreciate more lovingly, our own. — Margaret Mead, via Ma.tt The best way to read quickly is to read lots. And lots. And to have started a long time ago. Read more...

How good are we at considering information or opinions that don’t agree with what we think? I recently attended a conference by a world-renowned speaker. For context, the talk was in Lima, Peru, about how can the industry in Peru become more competitive. This speaker has published eight books and has spent the last five years researching his next one. There was a panel of five industry leaders to comment and ask questions after the talk: three businessmen, a journalist, and a former secretary of the Treasury (Minister of Economy, as it’s called in Peru). Read more...