Category: Strategy
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Difficult job of focusing in a large organisation
It is time to work through our division operating plan for 2025. We’ve had many hours of discussions around which customers to focus on, volatility in the market, where we should build trust with customers and what kind of initiatives will amount to strong growth. I find it energising to spend time thinking about these.…
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Investing to catchup vs leapfrog
It helps to find your own path to success. Good read about investing on catchup vs investing to leapfrog. …if your competitor’s boat gets ahead of you at the starting line, the instinct is to chase it. To tack where it tacks on the same path. But if you do, you will always be behind,…
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Strategy and focus
Great quote from “Good Strategy/Bad Strategy: The difference and why it matters” by Richard Rumelt: “If the business is really successful, then there is usually a good strategic logic behind that success, be it hidden or not. But the truth is that many companies, especially large complex companies, don’t really have strategies. At the core,…
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Thoughts on “Scaling Technology”
I had the privilege to take part a panel discussion on “scaling technology” for go1’s offsite. It got me thinking… Software products are (usually) written to meet product outcomes. Initially, these outcomes tend not to include deliverables like “used by millions” or “developed by 1000s”. As a product grows and matures, these concerns start to…
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Why Facebook is having a tough time regulating content?
It is a diversity problem. Facebook sees its users as a singular global community, much like how we are all citizens of planet Earth. Facebook regulates by having a common set of rules it has decided as the community standard. This standard evolves and changes all the time as it is challenged with new and…
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Attributing value to teams in large organizations
In a large tech company, there are layers and layers of teams that contribute to the success of a product or service offered. Many of these layers tend to only have indirect impact on customers. Teams that have a direct relationship with customers tend to have a lot of power. They bear the burden of…
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A litmus test for strategy
Recently, I was questioning why I felt uneasy about some strategy talks I’ve been having with my peers. While something felt off, I was unable to articulate the why. Things didn’t come together till my friend, Scott Horn, threw in this great heuristic. It is a wonderful litmus test if you are thinking strategically about…
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Product development is like…
…driving a car. Sometimes, the path is clear. You can see far ahead. You can go fast.Other times, the road is windy. You have to take it slow.Some roads lead nowhere. Some are shortcuts. What’s important is to keep the destination in mind.And enjoy the ride.
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Do “basics” well
High performing teams are about interperson chemistry that is built on a foundation of the “basics”. Take sports for example. Learning to play a sport require you to learn the rules and develop basic skills to play. For soccer, it would be passing, tackling, lobbing and shooting. When you join a team, there’s drills, runs…
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Time for a reset
I have been writing my Squarespace blog for about two years now. Yet, I can never achieve a consistent writing routine. Months go by without any posts. Over the Christmas break, I thought about why this was the case. While the blog represents my thoughts, they do not belong to a topic or theme. I…