How to write a book in spite of yourself

“It’s extremely difficult to do something big. I think setting out to do something small is easier and more likely to work.”  Seth Godin If you are reading this, I will assume that you writing a book or are thinking about writing a book.  What is holding you back?  What obstacle sits between you and … Read more

3 Leadership Lessons from Carlos Ghosn

In the last issue of IESE Insight magazine, Carlos Ghosn offered three key lessons he has learned during his career. First, he said, “Every problem has a solution,” but business leaders have to be prepared to pay the personal or collective price that will come with a given solution. Second, things have to get worse … Read more

Eliminate the Unnecessary

“Art is the elimination of the unnecessary.” Pablo Picasso I finished a wonderful 3 day seminar this week in Madrid with 30 directors ranging from industries as diverse as agriculture, to mobile handset makers, to pharmaceuticals to drinks. The course began on Tuesday morning at 9am as the participants introduced themselves, their challenges and their … Read more

How can I learn to be more Influential?

Daniel Shi gives a simple but profound answer to “How can I learn to be more Influential?” over on Quora: I think that you can certainly become influential without having to do something “extraordinary.” 7 Steps to become more Influential Connect with many people. Learn that just because someone may not be important today, it doesn’t … Read more

Resources for Wayra Week Barcelona 20 Feb 2012

This is a resource page for the session at Wayra Week Barcelona on 20th February 2012. Event Hashtag: #wwbcnOrganiser: @Wayra Wayra.org Follow Today’s Speakers (Bios here)  @rfauria @chemaalonso @ferranadria @rhuguet @cuchullainn  Preparing a Pitch The 7 elements of a Pitch to Investors How much should I practice?  Improve your Speaking email course:  http://bit.ly/practicespeak Video Lessons: 4 Steps to Great speaking 5 Aspects … Read more

Social Media is about Relationships

“Social Media is not about technology, it is about the relationships you can form” Charlene Li, author of Groundswell. I had the privilege of having coffee with Charlene Li before she spoke to 400 people in IESE Business School’s Aula Magna in Barcelona at the HSM Social Media event.  Watch the video of our interview on the … Read more

Deliberate Ignorance

There are two types of ignorance: Deliberate Ignorance and Understandable Ignorance. Understandable Ignorance A non-financial expert is not expected to know how to calculate discounted cash flow valuations for publicly listed firms.  A European is not expected to know how baseball scoring works.  A non-programmer is not expected to understand the syntax of C++ or php … Read more

Beware of Experts

Experts get it wrong. The price we pay in trusting experts to take the important decisions for us is huge. We don’t like uncertainty.  Experts give us a sense of certainty. I don’t know what to do with my savings.  I go to a financial “expert”.  He tells me what to do.  I hand it … Read more

The 6 Moments of Power. Do you use them?

Professor Robert Cialdini in his book “Influence: The Science of Persuasion” outlines six principles of ethical persuasion: reciprocity, scarcity, liking, authority, social proof, and commitment/consistency. Reciprocation – People tend to return a favor. Thus, the pervasiveness of free samples in marketing. In his conferences, Cialdini often uses the example of Ethiopia providing thousands of dollars … Read more