Life Lessons!

I have just finished reading Alibaba: The house that Jack Ma built by Duncan Clark. This is a brilliant book in the way the author presents the journey of Alibaba from Jack's small apartment to a billion dollar company, many of us have heard of Alibaba recently during the IPO but this book reminds us that success is as a result of hard work, perseverance, sacrifices and most of all loving what you are doing or  learning to do.  We see the influence that Jack Ma has established to move the company forward with the Jack Magic effect, something similar to Steve Jobs reality distortion field effect. One thing that I really loved was the clear outline of the growth of internet companies in mainland China, and a key lesson can be learned on how big tech companies in China have been able to replicate similar services and technology offerings of major players in the industry  by tailoring this to Chinese market, eg Google- Baidu eBay- Eachnet Amazon-JD.com/Alibaba ...

Recently I came across Amazon 2016 letter to shareholders. Jeff Bezos clearly articulates the company's strategy and emphasises on the difference between Day 1 and Day 2 type of companies. you can read it  here It is indeed insightful and there are valuable lessons that one can learn from this article. Day 1 company characteristic are in line with the startup mentality in lean thinking, development and continuous reinventing the model, however this also calls for change in leadership thinking and organization culture to emulate the right model of corporate governance, we've all seen what happened to uber , Uber is a Day 1 company however it has a weak organization culture. For an organization to be successful there is a need to change the mental model that sustains the business. Finding the right model to base your strategy is key for growth. For example Tesla thinks of itself as a technology company that manufactures cars, likewise Amazon thinks of itself as a techn...

I have been watching TED talks since my campus years, I remember the first TED talk I watched was on the "Sixth sense" by Pranav Mistry which was inspiring and visionary invention by MIT CSAIL, I knew that this was going to be revolutionary tool for our use, however more than 10 years down the line I have never heard of the sixth sense or what became of it, Pranav however went on to join Samsung .  You can watch the talk here: (https://www.ted.com/talks/pranav_mistry_the_thrilling_potential_of_sixthsense_technology) Since then TED talks have been a fundamental source of knowledge and insights into what the future holds and to learn some fundamental information from world leaders in different fields.  It gives one an opportunity to see things differently and enhance associative thinking. "  Discovery consists in seeing what everyone else has seen and thinking what  no one else has thought" Today i'll share some lessons I have been able to...

Recently I read a fascinating story on out running death, it was an interesting and funny story that has some lessons that you can ponder on. The book is "Appointment in Samara" , you can look it up and you'll enjoy it. The story goes " Once, many, many years ago, when the world was a very different place, a rich merchant lived in the city of Baghdad. One day, the merchant decided to hold a feast for his friends so he sent for his most trusted servant. “Ahmed,” he said. “I want you to go to the market place and search for food and drink that will astound and delight my guests when they come to dine with me tonight. Buy only the finest produce. My friends will expect nothing less than the best.” “Don”t worry, master,” said Ahmed. “You can rely on me not to let you down.” Ahmed bowed and hurried off but he wasn’t looking forward to his task. The day was hot and he knew the market place would be filled with bustling crowds. He was right. People were pushi...

Most of us want financial freedom and ways through which we can get out of the rat race, however what I've come to realise is that most of us don't give a damn in pursuing a financial healthy lifestyle by knowing the end game, and taking the necessary steps to achieve this goal. I have come to notice a couple of mistakes that many of us make regarding their finances and today I would like to clarify some of these mistakes and enable us to have a sound financial health status. 1. Not having a financial Plan Most of us do not have a clear strategy on what they are aiming to achieve when it comes to personal finance, we don't have a clear goal and plan on what we need. I have found that having a financial plan is key in helping one to clearly understand how to minimize expenses and ensure that money is allocated appropriately depending on the financial strategy that has been set out.  Having a plan helps you to clarify on your choices, failing to set financial goals...

I have been following some interesting stories of great political strategic thinkers of our time, I came across some interesting story about hunting field mice or Antelopes, this is in reference to Newt Gingrich the governor who heavily supported Trump during last year's' election. This excerpt is truly defining and distinct, it gives a clear picture of pareto principle and as well as knowing what key task needs to be accomplished to make most of the time available. Here is the excerpt " Newt Gingrich is one of the most successful political leaders of our time. Yes, we disagreed with virtually everything he did, but this is a book about strategy, not ideology. And we’ve got to give Newt his due. His strategic ability—his relentless focus on capturing the House of Representatives for the Republicans—led to one of the biggest political landslides in American history. Now that he’s in the private sector, Newt uses a brilliant illustration to explain the need...

I have been researching some of the great philosophers and stumbled upon to great movements which from my perspective accurately gives meaning to the way of life. The serenity of life and all that we are seeking are all around. Two of these movements that has captured my attention are; 1. Stoicism 2. Taoism According to online Library Stoicism   According to its teachings, as social beings, the path to happiness for humans is found in accepting that which we have been given in life, by not allowing ourselves to be controlled by our desire for pleasure or our fear of pain, by using our minds to understand the world around us and to do our part in nature's plan, and by working together and treating others in a fair and just manner. Taoism  The Tao is a fundamental idea in most Chinese philosophical schools; in Taoism, however, it denotes the principle that is both the source, pattern and substance of everything that exists. Taoism differs from Confucianism by ...