October 19, 2006
New Amazon Functionality
In most cases, when I see a book I want to purchase, I do a Nike and just do it. Recently, I noticed some new functionality on the Amazon.com web site. First, is an author interview that is included for books like Tough Choices: A Memoir by Carly Fiorina. Not only is the text included but a video of the author as well. This is really interesting and a great new service that exposes the author in a different way. The second component is the book search utility that actually searches the full text of the book and not just the metadata. This was very useful when trying to find a page number for a reference that I forgot on a recent paper. I searched the text and the page popped right up. Of course, I tried it again on Seth Godins book: The Purple Cow. I searched for househusband that appeared on page 90. Sure enough, the search utility found the correct page and showed me a partial sentence where the word was found. Unfortunately, the entire page couldn’t be seen due to copyright issues. Still, this is an innovative use of the technology and content you already have.
Posted by Todd at 11:55 AM
May 2, 2006
Gas Prices
Ouch! For the first time, filling up my six cylinder truck went to $50.00. How should I feel about this? As a consumer, it sucks. Assuming normal mileage in a year, my gas bill could top $5,000. The problem is that in order to buy a more fuel efficient vehicle, I would need to spend $25,000. Even if the new car cut my gas bill in half, it would take 10 years to recover my investment; ignoring opportunity costs. As an investor, I am thrilled with the huge profits the gas companies are making. My hope is that .09 cents of every dollar they make will go into new technologies and energy R&D. Is 9% profit too much? Is Wal-Marts 6% too much? What about the federal government making .18 cents per dollar off of gas, plus the tax on the corporate profit which would raise their stake to 20% of the dollar. Wonder why the media isn’t crying about that? More than likely everyone believes that the money will go into our education system which continues to drop to the bottom of the industrialize world. So as a tax payer, I am neutral in the gas prices since I am not sure where they are going to spend the money, maybe I’ll get that $100 someone promised last week. Ok, enough crying…. :-}
Posted by Todd at 1:10 PM | Comments (2)
CIO Positions
The new issue of HBR arrived today and I noticed one again the focus of articles toward C positions (COO, CIO, Executive). Yet, if one were to look at the vast majority of positions in the organizations there are only 3 or 4 versus thousands of other lower positions. In fact, I would say that 99% of the people reading CIO Magazine, HBR, etc are not C level positions but rather 6-7 levels below that. I suppose the arguments is that if you think and act like the CEO then you too can attain to such lofty positions. Interesting dynamic, to say the least.
Posted by Todd at 2:14 AM
March 2, 2006
Book Review: The Big Moo
Seth Godin has brought together a collection of writers to publish a book that is not only fun to read but has some interesting value. One of my favorite quotes is from Steve Jobs: Artists Ship. The message is clear in this section that you can talk all day long about what should be done and why it should be done, but it’s the how that seems to create stagnation.
Read Book Review
Posted by Todd at 1:34 AM
January 6, 2006
Starting from Scratch: Secrets from 21 Ordinary People ... by Wes Moss
This was a very fun to book to read during the holidays as Wes Moss invites you to meet several entrepreneurs that have been successful on several fronts. Each chapter provides examples and success stories for his four key points: harness what you have, underestimate your obstacles, notice your network, and take the first step.
Read Book Review
Posted by Todd at 1:01 AM
November 9, 2005
Great Article on Simplification
Great Article in this month’s Harvard Business Review by Mark Gottfredson and Keith Aspinall on getting the appropriate level between innovation and complexity. The authors refer to the Innovation Fulcrum as the point where customer satisfaction and operating complexity is perfectly balanced.
Complexity begins with the product line and then spreads outward through every facet of the organization operations. Organizations that find the right balance can reduce their costs by 35% as well as increase revenues by 40%. Clearly organizations that prune their offerings to better fit the needs of the customers, they do more than cut costs; they often increase revenues.
Simplification! What a concept.
Posted by Todd at 3:00 PM | Comments (1)
October 30, 2005
The Elephant and the Flea by Charles Handy
This month I took time to read a gem of a book by Charles Handy. The title of the book was The Elephant and the Flea; the elephant was analogous to a large organization while the flea represented a free agent or independent worker. The book itself is broken up into three main parts. The first focus on life in the organization where the author describes is journey through Shell, Windsor Castle and many other organizations. The similarities between his experiences mirror my own and considering his path was 20 years ago, not much as changed. The middle section focused on the basic economics of a capital society. The most interesting part was when he compared four different countries attempt at capitalism and his analysis of why it works so well here in America. As a hint, he lays the historical foundation of our no excuses and self dependences. The final section describes his journey in the world of fleas. For anyone ever pondering the jump, Mr. Hardy gives you the Clint Eastwood version; the good, the bad, and the ugly. I especially enjoyed the analysis of the four different type of work: paid, gift, study, and home. My wife and I enjoyed discussing the different percentages we focus at our home. Without a doubt, one of the better books I have read this year.
Posted by Todd at 6:39 PM
October 18, 2005
Business Books
This is hard to believe but over the weekend I heard a speaker make the statement:
The average business person only reads 0.70 business books every five years.The reason I find this hard to believe is that people that are in position of leadership constantly reference different books that they read. Reading the opinions and diverse perspectives of business authors are critical in forming your own leadership perspectives. Please, I beg of you to read as many business books as you possibly can. Why not make a goal to reading 6 per year?
Posted by Todd at 1:21 PM
August 12, 2005
Blue Ocean Strategy
Some books you can fly through and read like a Harry Potter Book while others stop you in your tracks. Recently, I read a book that had absolutely nothing to say until the seventh chapter. And even then, most of the material was repeated from other authors I have read. However, a couple of weeks ago I started reading the Blue Ocean Strategy and I have not got past the second chapter. Why? Because this book is making me think about how I am deploying metadata, collaborative services, and information technology and how it competes within the organization. Believe me, not many books stop me cold as this one has. The Eliminate-Reduce-Raise-Create Grid is awesome and the Strategy Canvas is elegantly simple. Just these first two chapters are worth the price of admission.
The book is authored by W. Chan Kim and Renee Mauborgne; Published by HBR Press.
Posted by Todd at 11:59 AM | TrackBack
July 22, 2005
Job Cuts 2006
Have you noticed all of the job cuts in the last 30 days? The number of job cuts announced by U.S. employers in June rose to the highest monthly level since January 2004, according to a survey by outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas Inc.
HP: 15,000
Kodak: 10,000
Ford: 10,000
Kimberly-Clark: 12,000
Has the Free Agent Nation Movement kicked into overdrive?
Posted by Todd at 7:57 PM