If you have recently been placed in a leadership or managerial position in your company, then you may need to change the way you approach work each day. The five most common mistakes discussed below are made by those in management in virtually every sector of the business world. Learning how to avoid them can […]
Category: Business
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3 Ways to Distinguish Yourself
We live in an increasingly digital and technology enabled world, which is increasing the level of competition between organisations. Why is this the case? There are three key reasons. Firstly, technology is helping to lower barriers to entry. It has never been easier to create new goods and services, and get them noticed by your […]
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5 Reasons It’s Okay To Say “No”
If you are using your talents in a way that interests you for the benefit of other people, then that’s a good thing. Charities, non-profits and religions may come to you for aid, but it’s valid to refuse if your gifts to them would detract from the good work you are already doing Giving more than you […]
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False Dilemma – Value, Cost or Focus
Harvard Business School Professor Michael Porter argued back in 1985 that there are three generic strategies that an organisation can follow to achieve above average performance. You can operate at low cost, provide distinct value to customers, or focus on doing one of these things while targeting a specific niche in the market. The unfortunate fallacy that Porter introduced is […]
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Bricks and Mortar
Builders intuitively know that if you are building a house then you need both bricks and mortar, and they need to be arranged in a certain way in order to construct a safe, functional and attractive residence. The bricks provide strength, the mortar holds it all together, and the architect’s plan ensures that they are arranged in […]
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The Gift of Giving
Merry Christmas to you, dear reader! This is a special time of year when people give gifts and send messages of happiness, peace and good will to family and friends. Christmas is a unique and valuable tradition because the practice of gift giving reminds us what life is all about. As social animals, our identity, survival and prosperity depends on being part […]
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Antidote to Fixed Thinking
Many people are afraid to fail. Terrified of flunking a test, getting fired, having their heart broken, or being laughed at. Loss is painful, yes, it truly can be. The problem with this way of experiencing life, though, is that it represents fixed thinking. A belief that things can stay the same and a desire to preserve the way things were. […]
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Pen vs Sword
(Source: Flickr) Most people are familiar with the expression “the pen is mightier than the sword”, but where does it come from? According to the BBC, the expression first appeared in Edward Bulwer-Lytton’s 1839 play Cardinal Richelieu. This may have been the first usage in English, but Bulwer-Lytton appears to have borrowed from a longer tradition. Napoleon Bonaparte, known more […]
Overview The competitive nature of business today is stronger than it has ever been, and so it is important for companies to use all of the tools at their disposal. There are many new innovations that allow companies to finance purchases creatively in order to meet their goals over the long term. Here are four (4) examples […]
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Man vs Chimp
(Source: Flickr) Humans and chimpanzeees (our closest genetic relatives) are both social animals that have the ability to form groups and communicate between themselves. Why is it then that humans have populated the globe (7 billion and counting) while chimp numbers continue to fall (currently standing at around 250 thousand or less)? A key difference between us […]
Savvy investors know that there is a lot of potential in converting abandoned or derelict spaces into lease-ready properties. Below are five (5) tips on converting a vacant spot into a high-revenue lease property. 1. Pop-Ups This refers to taking a small vacant space and converting it into a restaurant or shop. These are great […]
Business owners know that they can’t attract customers if those customers don’t know that they exist. That is why they rent buildings in high traffic areas and pay large sums to place ads where people are likely to see them. There are many ways that companies can get the word out, and with all the […]
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The Perpetual Motivation Machine
Motivation is about being in the moment, and being fully present; in that state, deciding what you want and then taking steps towards it tend to happen naturally. How often do you hear of a baby that failed to learn to walk? The strange thing about motivation though is that it can often feel illusive. Why […]
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Creation vs Appropriation
(Source: Flickr) What do the painter, the author and the tech entrepreneur all have in common? They are all in the business of creation; producing new works for the benefit of their target audience. And what about the professional gambler or the Wall Street prop trader? They are both in the business of appropriation; placing calculated […]
One of the great things about starting your own company is that you may be able to sell it in the future for a massive profit. Depending on how much you sell it for, you may never have to work again to secure your financial future. This could allow you to spend more time with […]
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It didn’t work out
And that’s okay. What did you learn? And what do you plan to do next?
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Listen to the Customer
Are you building what the customer wants?
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Pie or Cake?
Strategy involves defending your slice of pie, or growing it bigger. Innovation involves saying, “hey, we have some pie, why don’t we bake a cake or some cookies to go with it.” Some companies spend so much time trying to get more pie, that they never get a chance to enjoy a second dish. Business […]
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Navigating Business Partnerships
(Source: 드림포유) Business partnerships can be an integral part of start-up success and growth of a new venture. If properly implemented and executed, partnerships can be an effective way to grow your enterprise without having to implement time consuming and difficult changes or having to make costly investments. Each partner brings expertise and assets which […]
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Culture vs Strategy
Strategy involves understanding your current position, deciding on a destination, and charting a course from here to there. Culture is about who you are, and why you do things. Culture is arguably more important than strategy because, if you look at it over the lifetime of a product or an organisation, the culture is the […]
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Love vs Lock In
Economists love to talk about “scarcity” and the fact that we live in a world of limited resources. However, in the digital world this need not necessarily be the case. Phil Libin of Evernote is of the view that if you’re in a traditional industry like minerals extraction or transportation, then customers will either go […]
For most business owners, the dream is to one day expand beyond the original market. Whether a large corporation or an SME, many look for ways to scale and develop additional revenue streams. One of the most popular options is to expand overseas, where they can tap into additional groups of consumers that want their […]
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Maintaining Market Power Online
In an age of rapid digital disruption, how can you retain market power and continue to prosper online? There is a lot of misinformation and confusion about how to compete in the digital landscape, and one of the points of confusion is about the power and value of content. There is a new company called The Grid, which you may […]
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Monopolies on the Internet
(Source: Flickr) When the Internet was still a toy a decade or so ago, many business leaders and strategists didn’t believe that it would be possible to create a profitable business online. The reasons given to support this belief were many and various. Some argued that business on the Internet would never work because it is impossible […]
(Source: Flickr) When can you consider something that you have to be an asset? This may sound like a funny question, but it is particularly important for the success of organisations and your success as an individual. The answer turns out to be largely a matter of perspective. If you are an accountant, then your goal is to categorise resources into groups: assets, liabilities, and […]
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Emulate vs Imitate
(Source: Flickr) When we imitate someone the goal is to copy what we see; to replicate; to produce more of the same. Think Rocket Internet or cheap Japanese electronics from the 70’s. When we emulate, on the other hand, we take inspiration from a role model, a hero. And with effort we might one day hope […]
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Say Something
Often we can be scared to open our mouths and say something. Expressions like “empty vessels make the most noise” and a pervasive social fear of rejection can make it difficult to open up. Why is this the case? Schools, universities and families typically work best when there is an open flow of communication. But on a day […]
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Should you do a PhD?
I had coffee in early June with Chris McKenna, Associate Professor at Oxford’s Said Business School. When I say we “had coffee”, we didn’t actually drink coffee, but I had offered to buy Chris one as I thought it might give him a reason to meet with me. Chris’s area of expertise is strategy and business history, and he is also Director […]
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Trump Nation?
(Source: Flickr) The Donald has announced his intention to run for the White House in 2016 on a ticket to “Make America Great Again!”. At this stage it’s unclear whether he will run for office or not because he has flirted with running in the past and then not done so. Whatever happens though, the take away lesson at […]
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Ownership vs Control
The recent news of succession planning at 21st Century Fox brings an interesting issue to light. On Thursday, the Guardian reported that James Murdoch will succeed Rupert Murdoch as CEO at 21st Century Fox. At the same time, Rupert and Lachlan will become executive co-chairmen. The interesting thing about the Murdoch family’s control of Fox is that it relies on a dual-voting structure in […]
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To Those Who Have
John Paulson, the American hedge fund manager and billionaire, donated $400 million to Harvard University this week. The donation will go to Harvard’s School of Engineering and Applied Sciences which, strangely enough, will be renamed the “Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences”. Donating money to an educational institution can never be a bad thing, can it? Well, […]
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Art vs Business
(Source: Flickr) I attended a talk last week at the Oxford Union given by Alexandra Shulman, editor-in-chief of British Vogue. Shulman is the longest serving editor in British Vogue history. She took the helm in 2002, and has presided over a circulation increase to 220,000 copies. Needless to say, I was interested to hear what she had […]
A few weeks ago I attended a panel discussion at Oxford’s Said Business School entitled “Trust Me, I’m A Stranger: Learn from leading entrepreneurs innovating in the collaborative economy”. The panelists were Lily Cole founder of Impossible, a social network that encourages users to exchange skills and services for free in the hope of encouraging […]
(Source: Flickr) This is the tenth instalment of my conversation with Nigel Lake, CEO of Pottinger, a global corporate advisory firm based in Sydney, Australia. Nigel is the author of The Long Term Starts Tomorrow, a must have book “for any manager, leader or Minister.” The Hon Mike Baird MP, Premier of NSW Tom: There has been […]
(Source: Flickr) This is the ninth instalment of my conversation with Nigel Lake, CEO of Pottinger, a global corporate advisory firm based in Sydney, Australia. Nigel is the author of The Long Term Starts Tomorrow, a must have book “for any manager, leader or Minister.” The Hon Mike Baird MP, Premier of NSW Tom: One of my […]
(Source: Flickr) This is the eighth instalment of my conversation with Nigel Lake, CEO of Pottinger, a global corporate advisory firm based in Sydney, Australia. Nigel is the author of The Long Term Starts Tomorrow, a must have book “for any manager, leader or Minister.” The Hon Mike Baird MP, Premier of NSW Tom: In my […]
(Source: Flickr) This is the seventh instalment of my conversation with Nigel Lake, CEO of Pottinger, a global corporate advisory firm based in Sydney, Australia. Nigel is the author of The Long Term Starts Tomorrow, a must have book “for any manager, leader or Minister.” The Hon Mike Baird MP, Premier of NSW Tom: If you were […]
(Source: Flickr) This is the sixth instalment of my conversation with Nigel Lake, CEO of Pottinger, a global corporate advisory firm based in Sydney, Australia. Nigel is the author of The Long Term Starts Tomorrow, a must have book “for any manager, leader or Minister.” The Hon Mike Baird MP, Premier of NSW Nigel Lake: Major incumbents […]
(Source: Flickr) This is the fifth instalment of my conversation with Nigel Lake, CEO of Pottinger, a global corporate advisory firm based in Sydney, Australia. Nigel is the author of The Long Term Starts Tomorrow, a must have book “for any manager, leader or Minister.” The Hon Mike Baird MP, Premier of NSW Nigel Lake: If you […]
(Source: Flickr) This is the fourth instalment of my conversation with Nigel Lake, CEO of Pottinger, a global corporate advisory firm based in Sydney, Australia. Nigel is the author of The Long Term Starts Tomorrow, a must have book “for any manager, leader or Minister.” The Hon Mike Baird MP, Premier of NSW Tom: Do you think […]
(Source: Flickr) This is the third instalment of my conversation with Nigel Lake, CEO of Pottinger, a global corporate advisory firm based in Sydney, Australia. Nigel is the author of The Long Term Starts Tomorrow, a must have book “for any manager, leader or Minister.” The Hon Mike Baird MP, Premier of NSW Tom: The problem for […]
(Source: Flickr) This is the second instalment of my conversation with Nigel Lake, CEO of Pottinger, a global corporate advisory firm based in Sydney, Australia. Nigel is the author of The Long Term Starts Tomorrow, a must have book “for any manager, leader or Minister.” The Hon Mike Baird MP, Premier of NSW Tom: Do you think […]
(Source: Flickr) This is the first instalment of my conversation with Nigel Lake, CEO of Pottinger, a global corporate advisory firm based in Sydney, Australia. Nigel is the author of The Long Term Starts Tomorrow, a must have book “for any manager, leader or Minister.” The Hon Mike Baird MP, Premier of NSW Tom: Nigel, I […]
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Time vs Money
(Source: Flickr) If you had all the time in the world but not much money, then your capacity to create new ideas and connect with people would be great, but your capacity to consume would be limited. On the other hand, if you didn’t have much time but had a lot of money, then your capacity to create new […]
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Design is about Function
(Source: Techradar) Design is about function. Every product has a job to do, as Professor Clay Christensen enjoys telling his marketing students at Harvard Business School. If a product is designed properly, then the job will get done well. Apple’s new debut wearable technology, the Apple Watch, has a sleek yet distinctively square shaped design. This seems […]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=3010&v=41NeR8ZkCUk I had the good fortune yesterday to attend a conversation between Teppo Felin, Professor of Strategy at Oxford’s Said Business School, and Peter Thiel, co-founder of PayPal and recent author of the bestselling book Zero to One: Notes on Startups or How to Build the Future. Apart from being a co-founder of PayPal, Thiel is also known for being the […]
(Source: Flickr) Traditional strategic thinking, the kind championed by HBS Prof Mikey Porter, says that real economic value is only created when a company can sell a product or service to customers at a price that exceeds the cost of producing it. In other words, companies are entities that sell products or services, and strategic thinking is […]
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Love People and Use Things
Don’t do the opposite (Source: Flickr)
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Lee Kuan Yew – Statesman or Autocrat?
WE were saddened to learn of the passing of Lee Kuan Yew last Monday. Harry is recognised as the founding father of modern Singapore and, from the time he was sworn in as Prime Minister in 1959, played a central role in building the fledgling city state into an Asian Tiger economy. Having spent a week […]
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On the boundary
(Source: Flickr) Failure can be painful but it tends to mark the boundary between what’s proven and what’s possible, between your comfort zone and your potential. Failure is feedback, an opportunity to learn and grow stronger. Keep pushing.