by Lance Haun on June 10, 2010
I believe in hustle.
Hustle to me is a state of mind. It is a combination of working hard and working quickly. You make mistakes quicker, you make adjustments quicker and you have success quicker. Not only that but once you find success, you sustain that success through continuing the cycle.
Hustle doesn’t take a college degree or pedigree. You don’t have to be privileged to hustle. In fact, those with lesser talent, education or advantage can put hustle to better use and see a greater increase in results.
Lance sums up my work philosophy better than I ever will. Link to the article on his blog: Rehaul.com.
His blog's core focus is Human Resources, and the rest of his article gets quite technical for non RHers.
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Friday, July 30, 2010
Managing priorities and the day to day routine
Managing priorities - Covey's Quadrants
Take a blank piece of paper, divide it into 4 equally sized rectangles.
QI - Important and Urgent
QII - Important but Not Urgent
QIII - Not Important but Urgent
QIV - Not Important and Not Urgent
Classify all your tasks in these 4 quadrants (remember that long term projects need to be broken into individual short term tasks), and just write them off when you're done.
The key here are the following points:
- "Important activities have an outcome that leads to the achievement of your goals".
- "Urgent activities demand immediate attention, and are often associated with the achievement of someone else’s goals."
- The secret to being effective is making sure you focus enough on QII. QII is what drives the value of your work daily.
Of course, priorities are always shifting, hence I create a new quadrant every week.
Tweaking the quadrant
The quadrant is simple, efficient and changed my life (at work at least). However, I did tweak it a little when I started managing.
This is what my quadrant used to look like before I was managing.
Today this is what my quadrant looks like.
You will notice I added a "sub quadrant" where I list my managees' priorities.
I also added a sub section to QII: even though the quadrant is supposed to be weekly, I like to keep a small space on the page where I write down the important slightly longer term priorities (full market study for country X for example). This helps me keep the bigger picture in mind.
Even though my version of the quadrant is now slightly more cluttered, it still works for me. I no longer use up energy and brainpower every time i finish a task to think about what I should do next.
Furthermore, I can summarize what needs to be done and what's a priority with just a quick glance at the sheet. This is great for impromptu reporting requests.
The quadrant is an invaluable tool in my priority management and has a great impact on my productivity. Try it, you'll be surprised.
And finally: I draft my quadrant the old fashion way: pen and pencil. I am way more focused and clear headed when I'm not staring at a computer screen.
My Day to Day routine
Ending the day
- Clean and organize my desk to have a clear workspace waiting me next morning.
A clean desk is kind of a zen exercise for me: it helps me start the next day super focused and reduces my stress level.
- Identify the 3 to 5 important tasks I need to complete the next day.
Make sure the timing is realistic. Stick a post-it on my keyboard, so it's the first thing I see the next morning.
It's important to do this at the end of the day, when your brain is still "enjoying" the day's momentum.
The interesting thing about this is that research has shown that motivation and happiness at work is closely linked to getting things done and moving ahead (more than money and peer appreciation for example). Hence by completing a limited and realistic number of tasks each day, not only are you moving forward because you completed tasks that you intelligently chose, but you are going to be feeling great about it and it'll strongly motivate you.
Starting the day
- Spend the necessary time WITHOUT turning on e-mails and making/taking telephone calls. Use this "no communication" time to complete at least one to three of the important tasks.
Once this is done:
- review quadrant
- fire up Outlook and dive in the "operational overload" phase of your day :p
Managing e-mails
- Disable Outlook's email notifier.
It's insane how an email notice systematically breaks my concentration and rythm.
- Don't create a gazillion inbox subfolders.
Subfolders are helpful, but I wouldnt go overboard with it. Today's email search engines and organisation option makes it easy to find that specific e-mail you are looking for, so several subfolders per project folder seems excessive.
Other concepts:
- "Act on, file, or toss every document I touch".
Take action EACH TIME you have a document in hand.
- "Pay attention to the times of day when you feel that you are at your best; do the most important work then". In my case its early in the morning, during my "no communication" time.
- Group similar tasks together (outstanding phone calls, Excel reviews, answer urgent emails...). The brain works best when doing repetitive tasks.
Sources: almost exclusively HBR's "managing yourself' collection.
Covey's Quadrant is from "The 7 habits of highly effective people".
Take a blank piece of paper, divide it into 4 equally sized rectangles.
QI - Important and Urgent
QII - Important but Not Urgent
QIII - Not Important but Urgent
QIV - Not Important and Not Urgent
Classify all your tasks in these 4 quadrants (remember that long term projects need to be broken into individual short term tasks), and just write them off when you're done.
The key here are the following points:
- "Important activities have an outcome that leads to the achievement of your goals".
- "Urgent activities demand immediate attention, and are often associated with the achievement of someone else’s goals."
- The secret to being effective is making sure you focus enough on QII. QII is what drives the value of your work daily.
Of course, priorities are always shifting, hence I create a new quadrant every week.
Tweaking the quadrant
The quadrant is simple, efficient and changed my life (at work at least). However, I did tweak it a little when I started managing.
This is what my quadrant used to look like before I was managing.
Today this is what my quadrant looks like.
You will notice I added a "sub quadrant" where I list my managees' priorities.
I also added a sub section to QII: even though the quadrant is supposed to be weekly, I like to keep a small space on the page where I write down the important slightly longer term priorities (full market study for country X for example). This helps me keep the bigger picture in mind.
Even though my version of the quadrant is now slightly more cluttered, it still works for me. I no longer use up energy and brainpower every time i finish a task to think about what I should do next.
Furthermore, I can summarize what needs to be done and what's a priority with just a quick glance at the sheet. This is great for impromptu reporting requests.
The quadrant is an invaluable tool in my priority management and has a great impact on my productivity. Try it, you'll be surprised.
And finally: I draft my quadrant the old fashion way: pen and pencil. I am way more focused and clear headed when I'm not staring at a computer screen.
My Day to Day routine
Ending the day
- Clean and organize my desk to have a clear workspace waiting me next morning.
A clean desk is kind of a zen exercise for me: it helps me start the next day super focused and reduces my stress level.
- Identify the 3 to 5 important tasks I need to complete the next day.
Make sure the timing is realistic. Stick a post-it on my keyboard, so it's the first thing I see the next morning.
It's important to do this at the end of the day, when your brain is still "enjoying" the day's momentum.
The interesting thing about this is that research has shown that motivation and happiness at work is closely linked to getting things done and moving ahead (more than money and peer appreciation for example). Hence by completing a limited and realistic number of tasks each day, not only are you moving forward because you completed tasks that you intelligently chose, but you are going to be feeling great about it and it'll strongly motivate you.
Starting the day
- Spend the necessary time WITHOUT turning on e-mails and making/taking telephone calls. Use this "no communication" time to complete at least one to three of the important tasks.
Once this is done:
- review quadrant
- fire up Outlook and dive in the "operational overload" phase of your day :p
Managing e-mails
- Disable Outlook's email notifier.
It's insane how an email notice systematically breaks my concentration and rythm.
- Don't create a gazillion inbox subfolders.
Subfolders are helpful, but I wouldnt go overboard with it. Today's email search engines and organisation option makes it easy to find that specific e-mail you are looking for, so several subfolders per project folder seems excessive.
Other concepts:
- "Act on, file, or toss every document I touch".
Take action EACH TIME you have a document in hand.
- "Pay attention to the times of day when you feel that you are at your best; do the most important work then". In my case its early in the morning, during my "no communication" time.
- Group similar tasks together (outstanding phone calls, Excel reviews, answer urgent emails...). The brain works best when doing repetitive tasks.
Sources: almost exclusively HBR's "managing yourself' collection.
Covey's Quadrant is from "The 7 habits of highly effective people".
Monday, July 26, 2010
On Managing people
People management is not nuclear physics ok?
The fact that it’s not an exact science doesn’t make it a highly complex discipline, unlike many managers would like you to believe. Also, you are not BORN a manager. Ok sure, some people have predispositions for management, but just like any other skill you can hone it with experience.
So what is, IMO, at the core of people management? What is the most important trait of a good manager? Simple:
You need to be focused on your team’s problematics, and you need to solve them. Period.
If you don’t apply this concept, all the rest is useless. Clutter. Cheap management guru talk.
Imagine a Manager who’s a great communicator and has great charisma and knows how to push his team to perform well. Everybody loves him, yay! Ok.
Now imagine a Manager with bad communication skills and no charisma, but that correctly identifies all a department’s issues and solves them one by one, hence removing all obstacles and clearing the way for his team to perform optimally.
As a CEO, who would you rather have running your sales department, your IT department, your M&A department?
Furthermore, what makes problematic focused managers so cool is that if they lack some specific management skills, well that’s a problematic! And they solve it (through personal/professional development, coaching etc...).
Management: identify your team’s problematics and solve them.
PS: for those who doubt “problematic” is even a noun (I imported it from French) I admit I do to. But: http://www.yourdictionary.com/problematic.
The fact that it’s not an exact science doesn’t make it a highly complex discipline, unlike many managers would like you to believe. Also, you are not BORN a manager. Ok sure, some people have predispositions for management, but just like any other skill you can hone it with experience.
So what is, IMO, at the core of people management? What is the most important trait of a good manager? Simple:
You need to be focused on your team’s problematics, and you need to solve them. Period.
If you don’t apply this concept, all the rest is useless. Clutter. Cheap management guru talk.
Imagine a Manager who’s a great communicator and has great charisma and knows how to push his team to perform well. Everybody loves him, yay! Ok.
Now imagine a Manager with bad communication skills and no charisma, but that correctly identifies all a department’s issues and solves them one by one, hence removing all obstacles and clearing the way for his team to perform optimally.
As a CEO, who would you rather have running your sales department, your IT department, your M&A department?
Furthermore, what makes problematic focused managers so cool is that if they lack some specific management skills, well that’s a problematic! And they solve it (through personal/professional development, coaching etc...).
Management: identify your team’s problematics and solve them.
PS: for those who doubt “problematic” is even a noun (I imported it from French) I admit I do to. But: http://www.yourdictionary.com/problematic.
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Entrepreneurial ideas
Just an hour ago I was chatting with a friend that was totally drunk. Thankfully, us geeks have mastered the art of typing on gtalk while highly intoxicated.
What he basically told me is he had spent the evening in a bar that closed at 1am. Once he got kicked out, he and his group wanted to continue partying and they went back to his place... where they called an "late night alcohol delivery service".
Awesome. Ownage.
I checked out the Internet, and several companies exist in Paris. Interesting. I'm convinced there is potential in this.
What he basically told me is he had spent the evening in a bar that closed at 1am. Once he got kicked out, he and his group wanted to continue partying and they went back to his place... where they called an "late night alcohol delivery service".
Awesome. Ownage.
I checked out the Internet, and several companies exist in Paris. Interesting. I'm convinced there is potential in this.
Aim High
Another great concept that I found on jeunerebeumillionaire.com's podcast.
Unless you set very high objectives, you will never achieve anything. Even though you may not reach these objectives, always always aim high.
Machiavelli in the Prince used a great metaphor which basically states that archers aim high to reach targets that would normally be out of reach.
" [...] prudent archers, who, seeing that the mark they plan to hit is too far away and knowing what space can be covered by the power of their bows, take an aim much higher than their mark, not in order to reach with their arrows so great a height, but to be able, with the aid of so high an aim, to attain their purpose." -- Niccolo Machiavelli, The Prince
If you aim higher than what you believe you can do, you will end up higher. Aim for a CEO job, do everything it takes, and if you fail you will still have covered so much ground you'll be surprised.
"Shoot for the moon, if you miss it you will lay among the stars".
You need to be way more ambitious and audatious than your nature.
You will reach new levels in life that you never thought you would achieve.
Unless you set very high objectives, you will never achieve anything. Even though you may not reach these objectives, always always aim high.
Machiavelli in the Prince used a great metaphor which basically states that archers aim high to reach targets that would normally be out of reach.
" [...] prudent archers, who, seeing that the mark they plan to hit is too far away and knowing what space can be covered by the power of their bows, take an aim much higher than their mark, not in order to reach with their arrows so great a height, but to be able, with the aid of so high an aim, to attain their purpose." -- Niccolo Machiavelli, The Prince
If you aim higher than what you believe you can do, you will end up higher. Aim for a CEO job, do everything it takes, and if you fail you will still have covered so much ground you'll be surprised.
"Shoot for the moon, if you miss it you will lay among the stars".
You need to be way more ambitious and audatious than your nature.
You will reach new levels in life that you never thought you would achieve.
Dee Hock on hiring
"Hire and promote first on the basis of integrity; second, motivation; third, capacity; fourth, understanding; fifth, knowledge; and last and least, experience. Without integrity, motivation is dangerous; without motivation, capacity is impotent; without capacity, understanding is limited; without understanding, knowledge is meaningless; without knowledge, experience is blind. Experience is easy to provide and quickly put to good use by people with all the other qualities."
French version:
“Recrute d’abord sur la base de l’intégrité de l’homme. Evalue ensuite sa motivation avant d’examiner ses compétences. Si ces trois critères sont pour toi satisfaisants, focalise toi sur sa faculté de compréhension. Le cinquième critère à analyser est l’étendue de son savoir et le dernier, son expérience. Sans intégrité, la motivation est dangeureuse. Sans motivation, les compétences sont inutiles. Sans compétences, la compréhension est limitée. Sans compréhension, le savoir n’a aucun sens. Sans savoir, l’expérience est aveugle”
French version:
“Recrute d’abord sur la base de l’intégrité de l’homme. Evalue ensuite sa motivation avant d’examiner ses compétences. Si ces trois critères sont pour toi satisfaisants, focalise toi sur sa faculté de compréhension. Le cinquième critère à analyser est l’étendue de son savoir et le dernier, son expérience. Sans intégrité, la motivation est dangeureuse. Sans motivation, les compétences sont inutiles. Sans compétences, la compréhension est limitée. Sans compréhension, le savoir n’a aucun sens. Sans savoir, l’expérience est aveugle”
KFC
This article, from the now closed jeunerebeumillionnaire.com blog, had a big impact on me these past years.
And because I'm in a good mood (or bored...), I will translate it in english.
KFC does not mean Kentucky Fried Chicken, at least not in my book.
KFC is the smartly found acronym by an anonymous blogger who summarized his success in three letters.
- How did you succeed?
- Thanks to KFC
- What…?
- KFC… "K" pour "Know what you want to do". Do your own introspection. Understand what are your deepest aspirations. What makes you tick. This is the first step. Then comes the "F". "find out what you're getting". Is what you are doing today on the roadmap to where you want to go and what you want? If this isnt the case, are these things that you do part of a long term plan? Example? I work as an analyst in for Accenture, but I do not like my job... but I need to hold on because I want to become a "partner". "C" means "Change what you're doing". IF after this evaluation of what you want you realize that what you do everyday is not aligned with your ambitions, DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT. Quit your job, take a year of absence, write a book, go live in the amazon forest... I don't know... but CHANGE the course of what you are doing.
Once you're done. Repeat the process. Again… and again… and again.
Basic? Simplistic? I doubt it... really doubt it.
Personally, I think the hardest step is step K...
And ofc this can be applied to all parts of your life, not only your career.
And because I'm in a good mood (or bored...), I will translate it in english.
KFC does not mean Kentucky Fried Chicken, at least not in my book.
KFC is the smartly found acronym by an anonymous blogger who summarized his success in three letters.
- How did you succeed?
- Thanks to KFC
- What…?
- KFC… "K" pour "Know what you want to do". Do your own introspection. Understand what are your deepest aspirations. What makes you tick. This is the first step. Then comes the "F". "find out what you're getting". Is what you are doing today on the roadmap to where you want to go and what you want? If this isnt the case, are these things that you do part of a long term plan? Example? I work as an analyst in for Accenture, but I do not like my job... but I need to hold on because I want to become a "partner". "C" means "Change what you're doing". IF after this evaluation of what you want you realize that what you do everyday is not aligned with your ambitions, DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT. Quit your job, take a year of absence, write a book, go live in the amazon forest... I don't know... but CHANGE the course of what you are doing.
Once you're done. Repeat the process. Again… and again… and again.
Basic? Simplistic? I doubt it... really doubt it.
Personally, I think the hardest step is step K...
And ofc this can be applied to all parts of your life, not only your career.
Power Quote
"Do what you do so well that other people cant resist to tell others about you."
W. Disney
W. Disney
MANAGE YOUR ENERGY, NOT YOUR TIME
Tony Schwartz and Catherine McCarthy
"Time is a finite resource, but energy can be systematically expanded and renewed. Schwartz and McCarthy of the Energy Project describe how to establish rituals that will build energy in four key dimensions: the body, emotions, mind, and spirit. For instance, harnessing the body's ultradian rhythms by taking intermittent breaks restores physical energy. Rejecting the role of a victim and instead viewing events through three hopeful lenses defuses energy-draining negative emotions. Avoiding the constant distractions that technology has introduced increases mental energy. And participating in activities that give you a sense of meaning and purpose boosts the energy of the spirit. The new workday rituals succeed only if leaders support their adoption, but when that happens, the results can be powerful: individuals respond by bringing all their energy wholeheartedly to work -- and both companies and their people grow in value."
Highly recommended reading. Check out HBR.org.
"Time is a finite resource, but energy can be systematically expanded and renewed. Schwartz and McCarthy of the Energy Project describe how to establish rituals that will build energy in four key dimensions: the body, emotions, mind, and spirit. For instance, harnessing the body's ultradian rhythms by taking intermittent breaks restores physical energy. Rejecting the role of a victim and instead viewing events through three hopeful lenses defuses energy-draining negative emotions. Avoiding the constant distractions that technology has introduced increases mental energy. And participating in activities that give you a sense of meaning and purpose boosts the energy of the spirit. The new workday rituals succeed only if leaders support their adoption, but when that happens, the results can be powerful: individuals respond by bringing all their energy wholeheartedly to work -- and both companies and their people grow in value."
Highly recommended reading. Check out HBR.org.
The corporate world is NOT a meritocracy, part II
I take a lot of notes, all the time. About what I'm thinking, what I should improve, what negative patterns I need to correct etc... While I was reviewing some of last year's note I found this one:
"In a company, there are two types of people.
Type A: their only focus is to climb the corporate ladder. They spend all their time and energy to make sure they move up, and are experts in announcing "good news" to reach their goals and polish their image. They will however hide bad news and mistakes.
Type B: they work hard to move the company forward, build business and are confident about the quality of their work. Because of this, they are not afraid to admit mistakes or announce bad news to the CEO."
What I was basically noting was that some people are experts in self marketing, while others are "honnest and have integrity" and don't play the game. This over simplified manichean view of the corporate world brings me back to my previous post.
Type A, obviously a theoritical extreme, is an expert in the political and networking game, hence his climing of the corporate ladder.
Type B, the other extreme, is the nice guy that relies on the judgement of his CEO or apraiser.
The problem with Type B is that often times the apraiser is several levels above him hence he does not have a clear vision of Type B's work and results. Furthermore Type B's apraiser can be influenced by Type As. To climb the corporate ladder, Type B is basically only relying on the fact that his appraiser has 100% clear vision and will see him for the diamond in the dirt he is.
Pfff, yeah right! If hard work and ethics always paid out, we would know.
Type B believes that the world is Rational, which isnt the case. Tons of Economics studies have shown that the rational choice theory is wrong. Consumers, investors, humans in general are NOT rational. There is no reason to believe that the corporate world is either.
Time to walk the political walk. The world is not black and white and progress is not linked to performance alone.
PS: what would be the best time allocation ratio between being a Type A or Type B? I would say roughly 20 / 80. Spend 20% of your time being political.
"In a company, there are two types of people.
Type A: their only focus is to climb the corporate ladder. They spend all their time and energy to make sure they move up, and are experts in announcing "good news" to reach their goals and polish their image. They will however hide bad news and mistakes.
Type B: they work hard to move the company forward, build business and are confident about the quality of their work. Because of this, they are not afraid to admit mistakes or announce bad news to the CEO."
What I was basically noting was that some people are experts in self marketing, while others are "honnest and have integrity" and don't play the game. This over simplified manichean view of the corporate world brings me back to my previous post.
Type A, obviously a theoritical extreme, is an expert in the political and networking game, hence his climing of the corporate ladder.
Type B, the other extreme, is the nice guy that relies on the judgement of his CEO or apraiser.
The problem with Type B is that often times the apraiser is several levels above him hence he does not have a clear vision of Type B's work and results. Furthermore Type B's apraiser can be influenced by Type As. To climb the corporate ladder, Type B is basically only relying on the fact that his appraiser has 100% clear vision and will see him for the diamond in the dirt he is.
Pfff, yeah right! If hard work and ethics always paid out, we would know.
Type B believes that the world is Rational, which isnt the case. Tons of Economics studies have shown that the rational choice theory is wrong. Consumers, investors, humans in general are NOT rational. There is no reason to believe that the corporate world is either.
Time to walk the political walk. The world is not black and white and progress is not linked to performance alone.
PS: what would be the best time allocation ratio between being a Type A or Type B? I would say roughly 20 / 80. Spend 20% of your time being political.
The corporate world is NOT a meritocracy.
I think that after 8 years of work experience I finally got it. The business world is absolutely not ruled by a meritocratic system.
I spent my first 8 years working hard, very hard, with my eyes only set on getting my job done in record time, closing deals, and what I call "turning the pages" of project after project after project. So yeah, I was pulling my companies forward, and everyone liked me for it. I even had the necessary ammo to negociate my salary raises and my 1st level promotions into middle management.
However, every once in a while I would take the time to study my environment and look around me. I would see incompetents running projects, departements or even companies, making way more money than me and working way less than me. I would ask myself: how do these "loosers" reach such high ranking positions?
Well, I finally got it: the corporate world is NOT a meritocracy. People like me can climb the ladders up to a certain point, then they hit a glass ceiling. What ceiling is that? It's the POLITICAL and NETWORKING ceiling.
And yes, it exists. You may not want to accept it, and in that case it's your loss, but it's there, right above the middle management floor.
So from now on, instead of only working insanely hard on the tasks at hand, I will make sure to spend the necessary time on networking, showing interest in others, having lunch with other departments, keeping that smile on my face, and working on my behavior to make sure it sticks to the behavior found in upper management.
It is of course key to be recognized for the excellence you always deliver in your work, but you also need to broaden your horizon and start walking the political walk. Consider it as part of your job, and allocate time to it as you would allocate time to any other tasks.
Finally, and to expand on the meritocracy idea, I recommend the TED video "Wrong Philosophy of Success". The topic goes way beyond the topic of this blog entry, however it does touch on the idea that the WORLD is not a meritocracy.
Ted talk on a "kinder, gentler philosophy of success".
Here are a few key points of this talk:
- the real world is not a meritocracy
- if you believe it is, then you believe that everyone who enjoys success deserves it... and all those that don't deserve it as well.
- this train of thought makes failure way more crushing then it should be (bad karma / negative vibes imo) and for some people this can be psychologically very rough.
- it's crazy to believe we live in a meritocratic world. What about accidents at births? Illnesses? Being born into power or povrety?
Lets end this on a quote from St Augustin: "It's a sin to judge any man by his post (his business card) as you do not know what someone's true value is".
I spent my first 8 years working hard, very hard, with my eyes only set on getting my job done in record time, closing deals, and what I call "turning the pages" of project after project after project. So yeah, I was pulling my companies forward, and everyone liked me for it. I even had the necessary ammo to negociate my salary raises and my 1st level promotions into middle management.
However, every once in a while I would take the time to study my environment and look around me. I would see incompetents running projects, departements or even companies, making way more money than me and working way less than me. I would ask myself: how do these "loosers" reach such high ranking positions?
Well, I finally got it: the corporate world is NOT a meritocracy. People like me can climb the ladders up to a certain point, then they hit a glass ceiling. What ceiling is that? It's the POLITICAL and NETWORKING ceiling.
And yes, it exists. You may not want to accept it, and in that case it's your loss, but it's there, right above the middle management floor.
So from now on, instead of only working insanely hard on the tasks at hand, I will make sure to spend the necessary time on networking, showing interest in others, having lunch with other departments, keeping that smile on my face, and working on my behavior to make sure it sticks to the behavior found in upper management.
It is of course key to be recognized for the excellence you always deliver in your work, but you also need to broaden your horizon and start walking the political walk. Consider it as part of your job, and allocate time to it as you would allocate time to any other tasks.
Finally, and to expand on the meritocracy idea, I recommend the TED video "Wrong Philosophy of Success". The topic goes way beyond the topic of this blog entry, however it does touch on the idea that the WORLD is not a meritocracy.
Ted talk on a "kinder, gentler philosophy of success".
Here are a few key points of this talk:
- the real world is not a meritocracy
- if you believe it is, then you believe that everyone who enjoys success deserves it... and all those that don't deserve it as well.
- this train of thought makes failure way more crushing then it should be (bad karma / negative vibes imo) and for some people this can be psychologically very rough.
- it's crazy to believe we live in a meritocratic world. What about accidents at births? Illnesses? Being born into power or povrety?
Lets end this on a quote from St Augustin: "It's a sin to judge any man by his post (his business card) as you do not know what someone's true value is".
1st post.
Hidden business advice in Entourage (aka Sex in the City for guys)
Yes I admit it, I like Entourage. I like to dream about cash, fast cars, big houses and hot chicks, even though it messes up my moral.
My show's favorite caracter and probably the only reason i watch the show is Ari Gold. The superstar agent that rose to his elite position simply through hard fucking work and great business skills. He is a source of inspiration for me. Is that sad or immature? Dunno, dont care.
Anyway, in one episode the caracter "Turtle" comes to him with nothing else than what he thinks is a good business idea and asks for funding. In less than 30 seconds, Ari proceeds to bring Turtle back to earth with an epic tongue lashing that I think any guy with a business idea should suffer through at least once.
Here's an extract. Pay attention: this is Business explained in 4 questions.
"All idiots have ideas. Can they EXECUTE IT?
In this life, NO ONE IS GOING TO INVEST BECAUSE YOU THINK YOU CAN.
Do you have a BUSINESS PLAN?
What do you need?
Office space, insurance, how many employees, what do you project to earn, what do you need to break even, AT WHAT POINT CAN YOUR INVESTORS SEE SOME PROFIT?"
Simple, straight to the point. Read and reread: truer words were never spoken.
Update: Found the video on YouTube.
Yes I admit it, I like Entourage. I like to dream about cash, fast cars, big houses and hot chicks, even though it messes up my moral.
My show's favorite caracter and probably the only reason i watch the show is Ari Gold. The superstar agent that rose to his elite position simply through hard fucking work and great business skills. He is a source of inspiration for me. Is that sad or immature? Dunno, dont care.
Anyway, in one episode the caracter "Turtle" comes to him with nothing else than what he thinks is a good business idea and asks for funding. In less than 30 seconds, Ari proceeds to bring Turtle back to earth with an epic tongue lashing that I think any guy with a business idea should suffer through at least once.
Here's an extract. Pay attention: this is Business explained in 4 questions.
"All idiots have ideas. Can they EXECUTE IT?
In this life, NO ONE IS GOING TO INVEST BECAUSE YOU THINK YOU CAN.
Do you have a BUSINESS PLAN?
What do you need?
Office space, insurance, how many employees, what do you project to earn, what do you need to break even, AT WHAT POINT CAN YOUR INVESTORS SEE SOME PROFIT?"
Simple, straight to the point. Read and reread: truer words were never spoken.
Update: Found the video on YouTube.
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