Tom SpencerIdeas matter, stick with it, and figure out the right measure of success (Source: Youtube) STEVE Ballmer spoke today at Oxford’s Said Business School, the world’s leading business community creating ideas with global impact. A few hours later, he spoke at the Oxford Union, the world’s most prestigious debating society. We were fortunate to attend the […]
Veritasium concludes that advertising your page on Facebook is a waste of money VERITASIUM is a popular educational science channel on YouTube, created by Derek Muller, which tries to uncover misconceptions about science. While not technically “science”, Veritasium has released an interesting and insightful video about the worth of Facebook marketing. In short, Facebook marketing appears to […]
But mostly give You are probably familiar with “gains from trade”. The notion that society is based on give and take. You help me, I reciprocate, and together we benefit. The idea is a powerful one and forms the basis of the free market economy. The invisible hand of market forces, as Adam Smith put it, […]
Management requires smooth process, leadership requires clear vision Management is about running systems, processes, and people. Leadership is about taking action, and inspiring others to do so. Having a vision, and the ability to influence and motivate others to sail towards it. Your team needs both. If you have no managers, then key details, tasks and […]
For those of you planning to be in the UK in March, we would like to share with you details of an exciting event being hosted at Oxford’s Said Business School. Oxford Inspires is an entrepreneurial conference taking place on the 8th and 9th of March this year. The event is hosted by Oxford Entrepreneurs, the largest […]
It’s about much more than generating social good. It’s about changing the financial goal posts.
When you try to please everyone, you please nobody There was a recent incident in Australia where Aldi, a German supermarket, decided to pull a product from its shelves after receiving racism complaints. The product in question was a t-shirt with the slogan, “Australia EST 1788”. The shirts were produced for Australia Day 2014, which […]
Simon Sinek gives a ground breaking talk in which he explains the biological drivers of real leadership, and the natural chemicals (endorphins, dopamine, serotonin and oxytocin) that enable us to prosper, together
What can we learn from the life of such a man? NELSON Mandela passed away last Thursday at the age of 95. He was a man amongst men who fought and won the battle against Apartheid in South Africa. As the world continues to mourn his loss and reminds itself of Mandela’s heroic leadership and […]
You can create your own luck by expecting good fortune, having persistence, and embracing opportunities as they arise IF you are like most people you probably appreciate the role that luck plays in finding a romantic partner. People spend large amounts of time attending parties, going to bars, and participating in bizarre social and sporting […]
Why coming up with the right answer to a business problem often isn’t enough in a large organisation – and what you can do about it “WHY won’t people in this organisation realise that this new approach could make things so much better? Why won’t people implement this idea? This is so frustrating…” Creating meaningful […]
Business can step up by reaching out, but it needs to adopt a new approach THE OLD MODEL of corporate giving involves the CEO championing a particular charity, and then writing a cheque. The old model is broken. Broken because it relies on the whim of the CEO, who could change her priorities at any […]
Developing excellent strategy consists of just 5 steps HERE are five steps that you can use to formulate great strategy: Diagnose: assess the lay of the land. Understand the company, the competitive environment and the broader economy. What is the company’s business model? Who are the competitors? Who are the customers and suppliers? And, what […]
“Luck is not something you can mention in the presence of self-made men.” (E.B. White) TODAY, over coffee with a friend at an alfresco cafe in Sydney, our conversation turned, as if by chance, to consider the nature of luck. As an Australian, I have always considered myself lucky. After all, if you grow up […]
Viewing stress as helpful can foster courage, and connecting with others under stress can aid resilience KELLY McGONIGAL explains that merely believing that “stress is harmful” can increase your chances of premature death. The good news is that by changing how you think about stress you can change your body’s stress response and improve your physical […]
The business model is how you get paid, but the business is why you get paid AT first glance, business and charity appear quite different. Many business professors and executives will tell you that business is all about increasing sales, reducing costs, and creating future growth. Charity, on the other hand, is about voluntarily giving […]
By addressing social issues with sustainable business models, business leaders have the potential to provide scalable solutions MICHAEL PORTER makes an astute observation – the world is full of social problems. From environmental degradation and disease to unemployment and inequality, solving social problems has traditionally been the domain of NGOs, the government and philanthropists. Meanwhile, […]
Loss aversion can lead people to favour the status quo, and so clever marketing is sometimes needed to convince people to buy new products LOSS AVERSION can lead people to favour the status quo. How so? Well, when a consumer considers replacing a good, the presence of loss aversion can lead her to experience more pain […]
“It’s an incredibly exciting thing, this one meaningless life of yours” (Tim Minchin) “TIM Minchin is a genius, pure and simple. He is to musical comedy what Charles Darwin was to evolution” (Tim Arthur, CEO of TimeOut Magazine). We tend to agree. For those of you unfamiliar with Tim’s work, you can check out some […]
Social Customer Service allows customers to ask questions, and have them answered by a staff member or another customer AT THE CORE of every successful business are a few key ingredients, and customer service is one of them. Customer service can be used to delight customers, boost customer retention and generate positive word of mouth. For […]
Boards of public companies, responding to investor demands, often pressure management to meet short term earnings estimates DOMINIC Barton, global MD at McKinsey, talks with Tom Keene about how corporate boards of publicly listed companies tend to be too short term focused. Barton explains that corporate boards, responding to investor demands, often pressure management to […]
If you can imagine it, then it can become a reality ADAM Spencer (no relation) gives a wonderful speech about the beauty of mathematics, the search for the largest prime number, and the age in which we now live – the age of machine aided human discovery. As Adam poetically states, “numbers are the musical notes […]
“We’ve put charities in a box for far too long, let’s set them free.” ~ Nat Ware, CEO of 180 Degrees Consulting IN an informative and timely TED Talk, Nat Ware explains how society’s traditional notions of ‘charity’ often constrain the ability of charities to have a meaningful social impact. Below we highlight three beliefs about […]
When adversity strikes, branding gives you resilience This guest post is by Ryan Currie. Ryan is a product manager at BizShark.com with 5 years experience in online marketing and product development. He is on the cutting edge of developments in emerging technologies and open source projects. IN BUSINESS, branding is crucially important. If your business doesn’t have a […]
Change is a process IN the industrial age, change was seen as an event which could be managed: launch a new product, introduce a new feature, enter a new market. But this was never true. As the Greek philosopher Heraclitus rightly pointed out: “Change is Constant”. In the information age, change is now happening so quickly that […]
THE YEAR is 2050. Imagine waking up in a world where you feel positive and motivated about going to work, knowing that your work provides value to customers in a way that is sustainable and responsible. Your employer operates with the express aim of benefiting members of the community and reinvests all profits to further its […]
Fear, Laziness, and Pessimism YOU are capable of producing great work. But are you? It is possible that you merely producing the minimum required of you. You may even have a list of sensible sounding reasons why now is not the right time to take bold action to achieve success: you’re too old, you’re too young, […]
Fail fast. Your success depends on it BACK in high school, you teachers probably trained you in ‘exam technique’. For example, your maths teacher probably gave your class exam-prep advice which sounded something like this: “do the easy questions first, skip anything you don’t understand and come back to it at the end of the […]
Are you? THE scientific method is a formal way of investigating the world by testing your guess about a certain situation, correcting your mistakes, and thereby improving your understanding of the world. If something doesn’t work out for you, do you get angry? Or do you ask yourself, “what went wrong in this experiment?” Learn, grow […]
Hint: this post has nothing to do with ghosts HAVE you ever seen a ghost? Or been told a ghost story by someone who claims to have seen one? I recently had a conversation with a friend who explained to me that his apartment is inhabited by an unfriendly ghost. How do you ward off a […]
Identify the source, weigh your options, and take action DO you suffer from worry? Worry is an obstacle which can prevent otherwise talented students and business people from setting and achieving goals; even ones that should be well within their reach. Do you ever twiddle your thumbs for five minutes (or an hour) before making a […]
Today well lived makes every yesterday a dream of happiness Look to this day! For it is life, the very life of life. In its brief course Lie all the verities and realities or your existence: The bliss of growth The glory of action The splendor of achievement. For yesterday is but a dream And […]
Accept what you have, visualise what you want, and orient yourself in the right direction DO you ever feel like ‘success’ eludes you? Like you should be achieving more? Like you’re not making progress with your studies, career, or business? There are 3 steps you can use to achieve greater focus: Acceptance: understand where you are […]
Giving you a chance to show how badly you really want it ARE you experiencing unexpected difficulties? Has your progress stalled? Have you hit a wall? You may feel irritated, angry and frustrated, but be thankful. Brick walls are there for a reason. They are there to stop your competition, to challenge and test you, […]
People don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it Why do you get out of bed in the morning? Why do you do what you do every day? Why should we care? What drives you?
There will always be greener pastures. Accept what you have, and build from there YOU may have found yourself envying the position of others. In a former life, I worked as a finance lawyer and often dealt with investment bankers. They worked about the same hours as I did, their job seemed much less challenging […]
INTRODUCING Ashley. We have chosen the talented Ashley Sherman to be an Editor of the Consulting Blog for 2013/14. Ashley was previously a Staff Writer for the NYU International Business Journal. An accomplished Business & Political Economy student at NYU Stern, Ashley brings passion, keen intellect, and a unique perspective to the Consulting Blog. Currently […]
Seize the happiness advantage SHAWN ACHOR explains, in a fascinating and amusing TED Talk about the happy secret to better work, that being more positive in the present is shown to improve performance. Happiness releases dopamine, a chemical which stimulates the learning centres in the brain and enables you to operate with more intelligence, creativity, and […]
Different is Better
Lack of a sustainable ‘business engine’ is a Social Enterprise’s Kryptonite IT’S a charity … It’s a for-profit … No, it’s a social enterprise! Social enterprise is on the rise (the number of social enterprises in Australia has grown by 37% in the last 5 years). Just like a regular business, but with one key difference; a […]
Happy Australia Day to Dick Smith, a true blue Aussie legend TODAY is Australia Day, a day to spend time with the family, stand around the barbecue, and go for a swim at the local pool or nearest beach. However, while most Australian’s are doing what Australian’s do best, one Aussie veteran is promoting a new […]
https://www.youtube.com/v/5tknowAM50Y Burn all other bridges
Hint: taking audacious action is not the answer THERE are many things worth having. What do you want? You may want to work for McKinsey, start your own firm, or fly to the moon. Be specific. What exactly is your audacious goal? If nothing comes to mind, then don’t worry. The reason that most people have […]
It ain’t about how hard you hit, it’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward YOU have what it takes to be successful, but unless you believe in yourself, you’re not going to have the life you want, or the life that you know you deserve. Keep fighting. Don’t let anybody […]
Believe that the dots will connect down the road, love what you do, and remember that you are going to die STEVE JOBS was one of the world’s great visionaries, entrepreneurs and businessmen. On October 5th 2011, he departed. People knew that he was sick, but nobody expected him to leave so soon. I remember […]
Keep expectations low, and exceed them
The approach a new CEO takes during their first 100 days can determine whether they succeed or fail FIRST impressions count! The approach that a new CEO takes during their first 100 days can largely determine whether they succeed or fail. But how to get it right? In an article in the second issue of the SVA […]
SOCIAL VENTURES Australia (SVA) is a relatively new non-profit organisation. Founded in 2002, SVA invests in social change projects to help increase the impact and build the sustainability of high potential organisations in the social sector. SVA currently supports a range of promising organisations including AIME, STREAT, and Teach for Australia. The consulting arm of SVA, aptly […]
Your passion is what stays with us There was a very cautious man, Who never laughed or played. He never risked, he never tried, He never sang or prayed. And when he one day passed away, His insurance was denied. For since he never really lived, They claimed he never died. ~ Anon.
Disruptive innovations often beat successful incumbents CLAYTON Christensen, author of The Innovator’s Dilemma, is an authority on disruptive innovation, a process by which a product or service initially takes root in simple applications at the bottom of a market and then moves ‘up market’, eventually displacing established competitors. Christensen gave an insightful talk back in 2009 at the ECS National Forum […]