Author: gabassig@gmail.com

A classic book by Israeli business management guru Eliyahu Goldratt, who invented  the Optimized Production Technique, the Theory of Constraints, the Thinking Processes and many other productivity methodologies. In The Goal, Elihayu defines productivity as getting closer to the goal – every action that brings you closer to the goal is productive. Every action that […]

If I were just starting out writing, say, a novel or a screenplay, or maybe starting up a new software company or an online retail business, I wouldn’t try to quit my job in order to make this big, dramatic, heroic-quest thing about it. I would do something far simpler: I would find that extra […]

    Memorable quotes What makes o ur intervention with athletes unique is that we spend no time focusing on the ir technical or tactical skills. Conventional wisdom holds t h at if you find talented people and equip them with the right skills for the challenge at hand, they will perform at their best. […]

    Memorable quotes This gap has wide implications. One US general described to us how “understanding cyber is now a command responsibility,” as it affects almost every part of modern war. And yet, as another general put it pointedly, “There is a real dearth of doctrine and policy in the world of cyberspace.” His […]

  Memorable quotes “The conventional wisdom is often wrong.” “An incentive is a bullet, a key: an often tiny object with astonishing power to change a situation” …Feldman’s presence had deterred theft. Not only that, but those bagel eaters knew the provider and had feelings (presumably good ones) about him. A broad swath of psychological […]

A wellknown principle of human behavior says that when we ask someone to do us a favor we will be more successful if we provide a reason. People simply like to have reasons for what they do.  …quality of modern life when he asserted that “civilization advances by extending the number of operations we can […]

  Memorable quotes   But his more important goal, he said, was to do what Hewlett and his friend David Packard had done, which was create a company that was so imbued with innovative creativity that it would outlive them. “Then I read something that one of my heroes, Edwin Land of Polaroid, said about […]

Memorable quotes Then I have a single question for you: Are you prepared for the consequences of letting me do this right? Now don’t answer right away. ” She caught him just as the words were coming out of his mouth.“Think about it for a second. ” She let the question sit there before continuing.“This […]

Memorable quotes Almost every project could be done better, and an infinite quantity of information is now available that could make that happen.  We (1) collect things that command our attention; (2) process what they mean and what to do about them; and (3) organize the results, which we (4) review as options for what […]

Written by two former and  hardcore U.S. Navy SEALS, Jocko Willink and Leif Babin, Extreme Ownership is an eye opening read on leadership. It includes many military stories from the battlefield with learnings that can be transferred into everyday business. With today’s trend towards self-organising team, it was a timely read on how to balance […]

An interesting read by Chris Guillebeau, an entrepreneur, writer, and avid world-traveler who also runs the blog The Art of Non-Conformity.  I like the emphasis Chris puts on taking action – a key principle in any entrepeneurial work – focusing on action rather than over analysis/perfection. The book  introduces clear steps to start a side […]

Intersting, thought-provoking book by Malcolm Gladwell about what makes high-achievers different. The factors include opportunity (right place), 10,000 hours (yes, the time needed to become an expert within a subject was coined in this book), timing (Rockefeller & Co were riding an industrial wave), upbringing (involved parents), meaningful work (with real purpose, work that is […]

    Asymmetrical information creates all sorts of headaches. If the seller knows much more about the product than the buyer, the buyer understandably gets suspicious. What’s the seller concealing? Am I being hoodwinked? If the car is so great, why is he getting rid of it? As a result, the buyer might be willing […]

Memorable quotes In his book Exponential Organizations, Singularity University global ambassador and former head of innovation at Yahoo Salim Ismail defines an exponential organization as one whose impact (or output)—because of its use of networks or automation and/or its leveraging of the crowd—is disproportionally large compared to its number of employees.  A linear organization—like, say, […]

This book explains the methods, part of a program to get the most out of your job, marriage and family life, as well as community. It’s not so much about being an intellectual or talent, as in learning and understanding the habit of thinking and behaving in ways to get there. A  bit similar philosophy […]

Following that lead, I have assembled these rules of thumb by asking these questions: How do our tools shape our destiny? What kind of an economy is our new technology suggesting? Any network has two ingredients: nodes and connections. In the grand network we are now assembling, the size of the nodes is collapsing while […]

Nathaniel Branden, the godfather of self-esteem – outlines the pillars to feel really great about yourself.  Memorable quotes As an extension of human intelligence, a machine substitutes the power of thought for the power of muscles. While making physical labor less demanding, it makes it more productive. As technological development keeps evolving, the ratio keeps […]