Epiphany Epiphany: the moment of revelation, when something becomes absolutely clear. Viruses don’t respect boundaries – national, social, economic or physical. So borders are connection points, not barriers. And essential workers grow, make, care, pick, stack & deliver. But many doing these tough jobs are on low wages with no job security. Light through the…
Category: E
Emphasis Business covid- survival tactic: change product/service emphasis, to be more visible & relevant. Having a basic plan, a fallback plan & an alternative plan enables us to take a long-term view, but make short-term decisions. Physical & virtual shops must co-exist; trained staff & helpful videos make them ‘magic cubes’. Online launches & virtual fairs…
Empathy Covid survival lesson from the US President-Elect: above all, have empathy. In business, that means – Respect the client. Listen to what they’re saying. Respond kindly. In the process, add value by rethinking roles & procedures at key customer touch-points, like phone calls & emails. Empathy can’t be taught or bought, but can definitely…
Exaggerate Do politicians exaggerate because they think looking impressive is more important than being true? Fiction can unleash genuine emotion, which may translate to compliance, or votes. But when firms & business leaders tell it like it isn’t, sooner or later they find they’re strutting alone. No questions at this time Guessed the Word? …
Ego The best leaders socially distance from their egos. And they don’t get excited about themselves. The great leveller, Covid-19 doesn’t spare the important, the popular, the famous nor the rich. Hero to zero? Guessed the Word? Series 65 (4/9) …
Extract Investors now favour Tech Giant services based on data extracted from users. But Silicon Valley’s original focus was on products to empower customers. Now we need Governments to strictly regulate firms with extraction business models – to protect our privacy, public health, innovation, the economy & democracy. This won’t hurt a bit Guessed the…
Elegant Boeing 747: Beautiful, elegant “Queen of the Skies” launched Feb 1969. The 1st jumbo jet. Her classic design exudes sleek style, confidence, advanced technology & dolphin-nose friendliness. Poetry in flight. Flagship of the world’s airlines. Postage stamp famous. Commercial flight icon. Hollywood status. Flown over 120bn km and 5.9bn passengers. Now retiring from service. …
Everything Covid-19 is the ‘everything crisis’. Its impact is sharper, deeper & less predictable than previous shocks. Even good firms & talented workers will be affected. Don’t put all the eggs in one basket – diversifying reduces risk of running out of cash before recovery starts. To get an omelette, we have to break eggs. …
Ended Workplace practices ended by Covid-19: Live group brainstorming. (The boss’s idea wasn’t always the best anyway). Allocation of resources by the ‘invisible hand’ of the market. (Replaced by the long arm of the government, in return for loans & grants). Handshakes at the start & end of meetings. (Say it with flowers) Guessed the…
Euro Midnight 1 Jan 1999: Launch of the virtual euro in 11 European countries. 2002: € notes & coins start to circulate, & 1st purchase using them was on the French island of Reunion in the Indian Ocean – to buy 1 kg of lychees. US$ – € exchange rate on 1 Jan 1999 was…