Alphabet is home to a dozen innovative companies. Look at the company that is simply called X, which runs “moonshot” projects. Google X chooses to focus on the future as it chooses what problems to solve. In keeping their innovation projects in-house, they use their massive cash reserves to focus on problems that would not get venture capital funds or those that have very long time horizons.
Firms that are targets of acqui-hiring are often a great talent pool of people who have niche technical skills. It is the fastest way of hiring several people with cutting-edge skills. It gives you access to the pool of customers of the acquired company. In some cases, acqui-hiring is a great way to remove competition for the firm that is buying out the smaller firm. Cash-strapped founders who do not have deep pockets often have no choice but to sell their firm to the bidders and make an exit. But is it right for you?
How do you get to Carnegie Hall?”The answer: Practice, practice, practice.If you have not heard that one then you have certainly been told as a child, “Practice makes a man (or woman) perfect.”What if I told you that both the sayings are wrong? Maybe I should say that they misguide you to believe that if you practice, there is no reason for you not to be at the top of your vocation. The reality is that practice does not help you achieve perfection — “deliberate practice” does.
To be able to survive, these migrants have to keep moving. When the war for independence began in 1983, South Sudan had as many as 80,000 elephants; today the figure has plummeted to about 2,000. The sedentary species risk dying. In comparison, the antelope population has remained stable. They are always on the move. Migrants survive because they move out of their comfort zones.
Our cultural traditions have always had a place for a sidekick. Our folk theater has had a jamura who acts as a sidekick to the main performer or madaari. Without the jamura, the madaari’s show is incomplete. From royalty to musicians, there is always place for a sidekick. That may be an opportunity for India as tech becomes Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva in the pantheon of jobs.
Before the founding team makes their first hire, they must ask what behaviors the candidate must display and assess against them. Assessing for values impacts the culture of the organization. Strategy is on paper, whereas culture determines how things get done.
Personal power is a barrier to be able to empathize. Today’s leaders need to be rubbing shoulders with their teams, talking to consumers and being accessible in real time. They can no longer stand at the top of the pyramid and survey their empire. Maybe it is time to ask if the cult of the star CEO is still relevant. Read on...
The digital shifts will see this getting played out once again. Until the other day, driver-less cars seemed like a page out of a science fiction novel. What made the news even more unbelievable was that the car was being built by a company known for its search engine. Baidu and Google are no longer the only ones making driver-less cars. Singapore, Helsinki and Perth have tested driver-less cars, buses and taxis. Uber is in the game. Yutong is running trials in China. It is no longer a weak signal. It is a digital tsunami that is going to disrupt drivers, auto manufacturers and insurers and many more. The disruption is just beginning.
