Elon Musk has a way of thinking about first principles and solving problems that is absolutely gobsmacking brilliant. Just a few weeks ago Elon had a wide ranging conversation with Chris Anderson at the latest TED conference. Instead of talking about Tesla they started on a project that I knew… read more →
The other day I heard someone say that a particular person was their own worst enemy. An idea that is familiar to many of us. The good news is – that just as it is possible to talk oneself “down” it is also possible to do the opposite – to… read more →
Back in the early 90’s I read a book called ‘Maverick’ by Ricardo Semler. In it he tells the story of of how the hyperinflation of Brazil opened his eyes to a radical re-thinking of the way that companies worked. The story told in the Maverick book was an eye opener… read more →
TED 2015 is on right now in Vancouver and while I am not there (one day:) I have been watching the various media streams when I have a moment. What I was struck by on the first day was what I think is a profound dissonance between a couple of… read more →
Last week Ed Snowden appeared at the TED 2014 conference via telepresence robot. Of the 2046 registered TED members who have rated that talk so far most of the votes were that the presentation was “courageous” and “informative”. I would encourage everyone who is interested in the balance between individual… read more →
Back in Oct 2012 I spotted a new book by economist Dambisa Moyo on the rise of the Chinese economy and the pressure on global resources. The thesis of that book was challenging then and now in 2014 we are getting used to the idea it is the Chinese economy… read more →
Sheryl Sandberg wrote a book called Lean In – here is what has happened since then. I watched this clip last night and just loved hearing the update. This was recorded in Dec 2013 for TEDxWomen. An excellent clip for men (and women) to listen to and learn from. “Sandberg… read more →
One of the big idea talks at this years TED Conference was professor James Flynn on Why our IQ levels are higher than our grandparents. Prof Flynn taught at Otago University in Dunedin for many years and is a global expert on his topic. In simple terms our kids (… read more →
One of the meta ideas that I have been thinking about for years now is how great ideas can appear from anywhere and sometimes these ideas overlap because of culture, education and our global mobility. I know many of you who have extensive personal networks in more than one country… read more →
So what happens to jobs when we connect up all of the trend lines on what is already showing up in various economies around the world? We know certain jobs are disappearing because of automation and the flow on effects of this for everyone in the job markets is something… read more →