Categories
Strategy

Lack of Perspective: When Determination Leads to Disaster

“Persistence” and “perseverance” are buzzwords you will find in almost every job description and in almost any interview. This article suggests that giving these words such stature and priority in the world of work is a mistake, since persistence alone may do more harm than good. Persistence refers to the notion of continuing a course […]

Categories
Career Advice

Passion Versus Profession – Are Management Consulting and Music Production Really That Different?

As an aspiring management consultant who has also been working as a music producer for several years, composing, arranging, and producing songs for multiple artists, I get a lot of questions about this seemingly strange combination of interests. “If you love music so much, why don’t you do it as a full-time job?” “If you […]

Categories
Leadership

Why Reducing Stress Stabilises Your Profits

As a small business consultant, I see the impact that stress has on people’s lives up close. Many times it is a good thing as it forces the business owner to adapt and excel so that his business thrives. Excelling, however, is contingent on the business owner knowing how to harness small doses of stress […]

Categories
Economics Strategy

What is an “asset”?

(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 […]

Categories
Excellence

Life moves pretty fast

Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it ~ Ferris Bueller THE FRENETIC pace of daily life in Ho Chi Minh City combined with incredible time lapse photography produce a short video that gives you pause for thought (hat tip to Mike Maier for the video). […]

Categories
Strategy

Looking beyond the adequate

WHEN posed with a business problem, there is always a temptation to accept the first solution that adequately addresses the problem. However, the “adequate” solution is usually not the only solution, and often not the best one. Adopting the first solution that “works” may get us from A to B and, once we have a […]