Most business leaders try to answer one question every morning.
How can I lead a happy life while containing business risk?
Its purposefully broad because I believe half the answer lies in asking the correct question - one which is most comprehensive of stake holders views and aspirations.
This question leads to several dilemmas. A few of them are:
- Innovation versus Stability
- Experience versus Fresh perspective
- Intuition versus Objectivity
- Long versus Short work hours
- External versus Internal motivation
- Viewing employees as dispensible pawns versus invaluable assets
- Belief in Magic versus Deliberate action
- Hiring an agency versus a freelancer
- MBAs versus Hands-on people
- Simple versus Complex designs
All of these dilemmas deserve rational answers. I’ll make an attempt in these essays. We’ll also look at simple and practical heuristics to apply those rationales on daily matters. Let me warn you upfront - don’t look for a summary.
The ideas are in the end simple but like a paradox it takes some effort to appreciate the simplicity. This is a work in progress and I’m going to update some sections based on reader feedback.
- Essay 1: When to say no to new Technology?
- Essay 2: Via Negativa
- Essay 3: System Design
- Essay 4: Build an Artesanal Team