After reading the biographies of two exceptional leaders from countries other than the United States, I find it astounding how different these leaders are from the conventional Western leaders, yet how effective they are. Deng Xiaoping, known for his restrained demeanor and competent leadership, was able to steer China away from a road that would…
When you read a long book, such as Walter Isaacson's biography of Leonardo da Vinci [over 600 pages] or The Transformation of China [over 900 pages], it becomes simpler to read an average book of 300 pages. When you are used to reading books of 150 pages, an average book of 300 pages will seem…
No one is ignoring you, they are just simply waiting for you to succeed. They are waiting for you to announce your accomplishments before they move you up on their priority list. It's all a status game. When you're a no-one, no one cares about you. When you become successful, everyone around you will suddenly…
It is true that the process is a leading indicator, but this does not guarantee that we are on the correct track. As a result, we can draw the universally applicable conclusion that when in doubt, use a "and" instead of a "or." In order to determine if the process is working, it's important to…
I just recently started reading The Chancellor: The Remarkable Odyssey of Angela Merkel by Kati Marton and on page 75, the following is said about Angela Merkel in reference to her reserved manner of dealing with debates and in this case with Gerhard Schröder: Keeping silent, she [Angela Merkel] let Schröder bluster on. This is her power:…
At some point, the real truth about China has to be told. A day will come in the future when Chinese historians are free to practice their subversive trade without interference or censorship, and their verdict will be that Deng Xiaoping should be revered far more than Mao Zedong. After defeating the Kuomintang and the…
Malcolm Gladwell tells the story of how Malcolm McLean, the person who was responsible for revolutionising the world of container shipping, reframed the way in which we should approach the problem. Before the year 1956, the import and export trade was plagued by inefficiency, controversy, and the involvement of organised crime [the mafia]. At each…
As a result of decades of public policy efforts, people began to buckle up in the 1980s, making it the greatest successful social transformation of the last century. How did this transformation happen? With public service announcements, newspaper commercials, and even a push from car manufacturers to make automatic seatbelts, the government has been trying…
When radio was first introduced in 1921, the technology struggled to acquire widespread acceptance in the home. There were paperboys advertising a new print edition of a newspaper three times a day, and RCA, the market leader in radio box production, couldn't change the idea in the market that radios were merely another delivery mechanism…
In his book Tribe of Mentors, Tim Ferriss explains the question he asks himself whether considering a business decision, personal relationship, etc. What would this look like if it were easy? “This” could be anything. It is such a nice question, but it is also one that is used in a deceitful way. It's not hard…
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