Posted by Philip Smith
on 11 November 2019
Will the Answer matter?
For more years than I care to remember I have beaten this drum - If we pose the wrong question the answer is irrelevant and any action based on the answer, likely to be futile.
Last month I wrote about how red tape is drowning not just the public service but private enterprise as well. - Link
During this last month there has been a raft of incompetence revealed in the media and somehow, a day later, it is forgotten only for the next bit of lunacy to take...
Posted by Philip Smith
on 10 October 2019
Are we paying attention to our economy ?
"The track record of economists in predicting events is monstrously bad. It is beyond simplification; it is like medieval medicine." - Nassim Nicholas Taleb
During the last few months I have followed ongoing commentary regarding the state of the Australian economy.
The clever people, economists, academics, think tanks ( oxymoron ), celebrities, the mainstream media, financial gurus, reporters and television "talking h...
Posted by Philip Smith
on 10 September 2019
Our perception are often wrong.
My eldest grandson, Jack, is 8 years old and very worried about the farmers, the drought and the fires.
Last year he raised $ 25.50 for the farmers, all off his own volition, and this year he was determined to do better. Read how he raised the $ 25.50.
Once more I watched this little man gear himself up for raising more money. We ( he ) decided that a garage sale would be a good idea, because we ( I ) had lots of stuff we could sell.
He contribu...
Posted by Philip Smith
on 9 August 2019
Until they don't.
We live in an age of numbers. From quarterly results, production efficiencies to the good old KPI's ( aka KBSI ).
The real question we have to ask is whether these numbers mean anything. Do they add value to our decisions or clarify a problem or provide better service to our customers or just what is the purpose of the numbers we seek.
By way of example Toyota management has an interesting approach to numbers and I will quote a short section from "...
Posted by Philip Smith
on 7 July 2019
Are some of our habits driven by our fears or are our fears driven by some of our habits?
A Harvard study "Do I dare say something" shows how people are often driven by fear of consequences, in determining whether they should or should not mention an idea or make a suggestion.
Whether or not we make the effort to contact a new client, is often subject to this same set of conditions of Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt, the good old FUD factor.
Fear can easily become a habit...
