I'm surfing the wave of pure pleasure these days. I have left the life of cubicles and meetings in the search for freedom. I'm slowly getting my laissez faire lifestyle back and slowly realizing that I'm not pissing off as many people any more. I don't even piss off myself which is a goddamn accomplishment.
[Knocking off a bottle of Chateau Lalande-Borie while waiting for the women of my dreams to come home and make me dinner.]
Oh well, a few are still on my shitlist but I'm knocking them of by the hour. Recently our house gnome got to feel the Nordic, surpressed fury. One has the draw the line somewhere. Noone wants to be an accommodating yes-sayer with kneepads.
[Listening to a cover of the James Bond soundtrack by an overzealous, soon-to-overdosed-dj-wannabe.]
Let me quote 'Office Space": "It's not that I'm lazy, I just don't care anymore". Yeah, it has gotten to that pivotal point which is about time. Most people don't challenge their minds, demand enough of live to actually get there. There is where you just say no, stop, nunca, never more, wait a second et cetera. Try it, it feels damn good!
[Hope the missus comes home soon because otherwise this bottle of red wine will be long gone. If I wasn't in enough trouble...]
Leaving something great means that you just have something better coming around the corner. Maybe not visible right now but intuitively (pre-knowledge kind of sense) you can feel it. It's the beginning of your life the way you'd like to live it. I'd pay a buck or two to be in my shoes right now!
Wednesday, August 31, 2005
Friday, August 26, 2005
Sensational Siesta
Nat was here for dinner yesterday and we knocked off a bottle of Italian Villa Antinori from Tuscany and an Argentinian Felipe Rutini Malbec from Mendoza. Both executed with no or very little effort.
The best day-after strategy is to get up early, drink tons of coffee, work hard and focused and then have a reviving siesta in the afternoon. Since I'm a strong follower of sticking to the plan and executing a tight aggressive strategy that's what I did. You have to use your value position well.
The best day-after strategy is to get up early, drink tons of coffee, work hard and focused and then have a reviving siesta in the afternoon. Since I'm a strong follower of sticking to the plan and executing a tight aggressive strategy that's what I did. You have to use your value position well.
Thursday, August 25, 2005
Mac Mini
We just bought a Mac Mini with 1GB memory, superdrive and wireless keyboard + mouse. Do I hear couch potato?
I bet it's more expensive than an ugly gray PC box but it's fun, has a soul and passion. But who cares (that it's more expensive). This bad boy is going to ripp DVD's, trade stocks, save our photos, show our movies et cetera for a few years to come - all from the comfort of our own couch (or as I prefer to call it - sofa).
I bet it's more expensive than an ugly gray PC box but it's fun, has a soul and passion. But who cares (that it's more expensive). This bad boy is going to ripp DVD's, trade stocks, save our photos, show our movies et cetera for a few years to come - all from the comfort of our own couch (or as I prefer to call it - sofa).
Visit to CompUSA
I swung by CompUSA on my way to the Apple Store today. I found one young man that I recognized as a sales representative for the company and decided to ask him for his expertize on a wireless printer. The following conversation took place:
Buyer: Hi, I'm interested in a laser printer for the home office with wireless capabilities.
Sales person 1: Hmm, I don't know if we have that. Let me see. (Searching on this computer. A second sales person arrives).
Sales person 1 asks Sales person 2: Do you know if we have wireless printers.
Sales person 2: Well, any printer we have could be wireless. But noone is wireless of the bat, you either need a wifi-card or a server box.
Buyer: That's okay (sporting a Yahoo! cap). Anyway that I can avoid having cords across the home office would be great. (This is when sales person 2 disappears, saying he has got another customer. I then turn back to sales person 1 but he seems to have forgotten me, being busy flipping through what looks like a bunch of invoices.)
Buyer: Hi - again - I'd like to take a look at these wireless printers. They don't need to be color, just black and white. What do you offer?
Sales person 1: Well (pointing into the store) you can find the HP's over there. (Then he turns back to flipping his papers.)
Buyer: Over where?
Sales person 1: Over there, by the wall, Sir.
Buyer: Well, thank you. I'd appreciate if you could help me out a little more here.
Sales person 1: Well, you will find all the printers we have over there.
At that point it was very clear to me that this person wasn't interested in helping me out. It would have been so easy though to find out what I wanted and needed, suggesting a few options and then close the sale. So I politely thanked him for his excellent services (really) and walked out the door (no index finger in the air - promise). Then I headed to the Apple Store where I was serviced as soon as I stepped into the store. No wonder the APPL stock is flying. Sometimes I pays off to use head AND feet.
Buyer: Hi, I'm interested in a laser printer for the home office with wireless capabilities.
Sales person 1: Hmm, I don't know if we have that. Let me see. (Searching on this computer. A second sales person arrives).
Sales person 1 asks Sales person 2: Do you know if we have wireless printers.
Sales person 2: Well, any printer we have could be wireless. But noone is wireless of the bat, you either need a wifi-card or a server box.
Buyer: That's okay (sporting a Yahoo! cap). Anyway that I can avoid having cords across the home office would be great. (This is when sales person 2 disappears, saying he has got another customer. I then turn back to sales person 1 but he seems to have forgotten me, being busy flipping through what looks like a bunch of invoices.)
Buyer: Hi - again - I'd like to take a look at these wireless printers. They don't need to be color, just black and white. What do you offer?
Sales person 1: Well (pointing into the store) you can find the HP's over there. (Then he turns back to flipping his papers.)
Buyer: Over where?
Sales person 1: Over there, by the wall, Sir.
Buyer: Well, thank you. I'd appreciate if you could help me out a little more here.
Sales person 1: Well, you will find all the printers we have over there.
At that point it was very clear to me that this person wasn't interested in helping me out. It would have been so easy though to find out what I wanted and needed, suggesting a few options and then close the sale. So I politely thanked him for his excellent services (really) and walked out the door (no index finger in the air - promise). Then I headed to the Apple Store where I was serviced as soon as I stepped into the store. No wonder the APPL stock is flying. Sometimes I pays off to use head AND feet.
Wednesday, August 24, 2005
[Food & Wine] Light Chicken Salad with Malbec
If you are looking for a lighter dinner then any kind of Arugula salad spiced with roasted chicken, onions and greek feta cheese fits like a glove. Just sprinkle some extra virgin oil and balsamic vineager, peppar and salt and you have a very tasy, healthy mediterranean evening meal. We opened a bottle of Catena Zapata Malbec from 2002 ($15) which is slightly to heavy but works.
Like Water Off a Duck's Ass
I use teflon pans sometimes when I cook. The great thing is that nothing sticks. That works for simple dishes like omelet and pancakes.
I also use the teflon trick - non-stick - in daily situation. It's easy to get effected by other people's frustrations or anger. To get pulled into their darkness and get exposed to their personal demons. That's when I become the teflon man and everything slides of me like water of a duck's ass. If that doesn't work, use the pan to geth physical. It gotta weight at least 2 lbs.
I also use the teflon trick - non-stick - in daily situation. It's easy to get effected by other people's frustrations or anger. To get pulled into their darkness and get exposed to their personal demons. That's when I become the teflon man and everything slides of me like water of a duck's ass. If that doesn't work, use the pan to geth physical. It gotta weight at least 2 lbs.
Tuesday, August 23, 2005
Groove is in the Heart
Like they said - Groove is in the heart. Where there is heart, there is passion. Where there is passion there is energy, guts, blood, sweat and tears. Where there is all that there are cojones. Big freekin' dino cojones, like pears dinge-linge-ling from the trees.
Lo mas importante es la pasion, la corazon. That's easy to forget in the fast-paced, high-energy and over zealous corporate sandbox. The performance / perception cycles are short, mostly quarterly like a pump and dump scheme. It's truly a momentum play. Buy and hold is a novel idea in the context.
Lo mas importante es la pasion, la corazon. That's easy to forget in the fast-paced, high-energy and over zealous corporate sandbox. The performance / perception cycles are short, mostly quarterly like a pump and dump scheme. It's truly a momentum play. Buy and hold is a novel idea in the context.
Monday, August 22, 2005
Mini-Vans
I gotta hand it to Lee Iacocca: the Mini-Van can kick butt and did very much so today. A quick trip to IKEA that with any other car would have been a nightmare was nicely handled by the in-laws' Mini-Van. The seats disappeared in the floor and all our packages slid easily in and out of the car. And it's comfortable to ride in.
Live Your Dreams
It comes a time when you realize that there is a life outside the cubicle. It's a shocking statement since it's challenging the status quo and forces you to think. It's a little like moving out from your teenage room or the dorm. A sense of uncertain and sometimes scary new times emerges: leaving the security of the past without any for the future. Sort of being in mid air.
But there comes a day when the grass is definitely greener and the desire to jump becomes to big too surpress. The only thing holding back is what is also pulling you forward: the fabulous, daring uncertainty. Suddenly the safety net is gone and the excitement is back. Life - as it should be - is right in front of you, ready to be conquered and won. Man, it needs the very best of you.
I'm thinking days full of spanish lessons, gitarr playing, music listening, trading, cooking, reading, siesta having, blog writing, luncheons and dinner discussions. Did I mention wine drinking and cigarr smoking?
But there comes a day when the grass is definitely greener and the desire to jump becomes to big too surpress. The only thing holding back is what is also pulling you forward: the fabulous, daring uncertainty. Suddenly the safety net is gone and the excitement is back. Life - as it should be - is right in front of you, ready to be conquered and won. Man, it needs the very best of you.
I'm thinking days full of spanish lessons, gitarr playing, music listening, trading, cooking, reading, siesta having, blog writing, luncheons and dinner discussions. Did I mention wine drinking and cigarr smoking?
Sunday, August 21, 2005
Simplicity
We realized that it was time for a house makeover and started to make plans short after the morning lattes. It ended up with most furniture being moved around and some thrown out. Or at least put in a pile to be thrown out.
It's a great feeling to rethink your previus plans and to create something new. Our mission was to create space and increase the storage. In most cases people buy more furniture or potentially start to look for a new house. Well, saying that we are like most people would be an insult to most people... and to us.
Our approach was to simplify as well as enrich our living. Big words but we found out that they actually work. We started with identifying the things we could live without. Then we identified what kind of usage we wanted from each room. Finally we looked to create options for our favorite activities. Every room had to have a lounge chair so we could watch movies, read or dose off.
We ended up with much more space and a huge pile that's either going to the storage or the dump. It's funny how people attach so much history and emotions to physical things instead of looking at use and need. A house shouldn't be a museum but a hideaway that works. How can anyone have an emotional connection to a table from IKEA, a sofa from Jennifer Convertibles or a bed from Mattress Discounters?
It's a great feeling to rethink your previus plans and to create something new. Our mission was to create space and increase the storage. In most cases people buy more furniture or potentially start to look for a new house. Well, saying that we are like most people would be an insult to most people... and to us.
Our approach was to simplify as well as enrich our living. Big words but we found out that they actually work. We started with identifying the things we could live without. Then we identified what kind of usage we wanted from each room. Finally we looked to create options for our favorite activities. Every room had to have a lounge chair so we could watch movies, read or dose off.
We ended up with much more space and a huge pile that's either going to the storage or the dump. It's funny how people attach so much history and emotions to physical things instead of looking at use and need. A house shouldn't be a museum but a hideaway that works. How can anyone have an emotional connection to a table from IKEA, a sofa from Jennifer Convertibles or a bed from Mattress Discounters?
On Any Given Sunday
We celebrated my birthday yesterday in the best way possible. Well, I actually sneaked up ahead of the missus which is a big birthday comme-il-faut. You are supposed to stay in bed until your hear the happy birthday song and see the candles. But I'm too old for that.
I enjoyed my first - of many - birthday lattes at 5am pacific summer time. The missus joined around 7-ish with a second brew and a Quiche Lorraine. Yum. Then we just lounged around until 10am and had probably at least another latte. And I got my birthday present: a pair of fabulous Prada evening shoes. Life is good!
One thing leads to another and we started discussing housing. It's a popular subject in the USA these days due to the current real estate boom. We love our current place but would like to buy a place for the long-term. Historically that has been the best deal anyone could make. The challenge right now is that the cost of owning versus renting in the bay area is huge - close to 2x (net tax). Last time I bought it was 1:1 which made it much more of a nobrainer.
Anywho, we decided to stay in the Bay area but continue to rent until the current boom or bubble shows it's true colors. I doubt we'll see a decline in prices as long as the employment rate stays at current levels. But I do think we'll see the prices level out somewhat before the next run.
But it's all about perspective. We are looking for our dream place where we'll stay for the next 20 years so we got time to wait for a few years. We are not in the market to make a quick buck, just to find a great place in the right neighborhood. Until we find that place, we have a 50% discount on living in one of the most beautiful and fun cosmopolitan cities in the world. That ain't cat piss!
I enjoyed my first - of many - birthday lattes at 5am pacific summer time. The missus joined around 7-ish with a second brew and a Quiche Lorraine. Yum. Then we just lounged around until 10am and had probably at least another latte. And I got my birthday present: a pair of fabulous Prada evening shoes. Life is good!
One thing leads to another and we started discussing housing. It's a popular subject in the USA these days due to the current real estate boom. We love our current place but would like to buy a place for the long-term. Historically that has been the best deal anyone could make. The challenge right now is that the cost of owning versus renting in the bay area is huge - close to 2x (net tax). Last time I bought it was 1:1 which made it much more of a nobrainer.
Anywho, we decided to stay in the Bay area but continue to rent until the current boom or bubble shows it's true colors. I doubt we'll see a decline in prices as long as the employment rate stays at current levels. But I do think we'll see the prices level out somewhat before the next run.
But it's all about perspective. We are looking for our dream place where we'll stay for the next 20 years so we got time to wait for a few years. We are not in the market to make a quick buck, just to find a great place in the right neighborhood. Until we find that place, we have a 50% discount on living in one of the most beautiful and fun cosmopolitan cities in the world. That ain't cat piss!
Friday, August 19, 2005
24 hours Door-to-Door
It took us about 24 hours door-to-door to get home to San Francisco. We travelled via cab (10min), train (4hrs), airport express (20min), plane (13hrs) and car (30min) to get back where we started about a week ago. It made us realize that we have to have some guidelines for comfortable leisure travel. We do have them for our business travels so why not for leisure.
Four main themes developed: service level, choice, time and price.
Service level: We need to travel with a company that believes in service and gives us relevant options for seating, food, rest et cetera. Icelandair was not a good choice. It's a people shipping company, not a service company. Also, switching between methods of transportation is tiring and extends the time of travel. We should stick with United and American with as few lay-overs as possible. The lay-overs should be at bigger airports that can offer service and choice. That said, we loved the coffee shop at the train station in Gothenburg which served us great lattes at 6am.
Choice: I personally hate not having a choice. It's the most basic human need in a modern world and a sign of how healthy the economic and political system is. When choice is not on the menu, I'm not buying cause it's usually a rip-off.
Time: People assume that there is a 1:1 correlation between distance and travel time. That's not necessarily true, it's all up to how well the trip is planned. Anything over 15 hours is just crazy.
Price: The price is key and a function of several different things: competitive enviroment, service, target group brand et cetera. One way to use great brands and enjoy above par service is in off-seasons. I would avoid summer and christmas to save money but also to avoid the craziest crowds of vacationers. It's also important to factor in all costs in the planning. Travelling with a crap airline means buying your own food at the airport. Ouch, that is pricey.
PS. I feel sorry for the guy that sat next to this mother of six (6) kids (age 5-8), all on crack and with developing ADD. The mother had given up and let them roam around the cabin as they pleased. The guy was too polite to say anything and just suffered quietly.
Four main themes developed: service level, choice, time and price.
Service level: We need to travel with a company that believes in service and gives us relevant options for seating, food, rest et cetera. Icelandair was not a good choice. It's a people shipping company, not a service company. Also, switching between methods of transportation is tiring and extends the time of travel. We should stick with United and American with as few lay-overs as possible. The lay-overs should be at bigger airports that can offer service and choice. That said, we loved the coffee shop at the train station in Gothenburg which served us great lattes at 6am.
Choice: I personally hate not having a choice. It's the most basic human need in a modern world and a sign of how healthy the economic and political system is. When choice is not on the menu, I'm not buying cause it's usually a rip-off.
Time: People assume that there is a 1:1 correlation between distance and travel time. That's not necessarily true, it's all up to how well the trip is planned. Anything over 15 hours is just crazy.
Price: The price is key and a function of several different things: competitive enviroment, service, target group brand et cetera. One way to use great brands and enjoy above par service is in off-seasons. I would avoid summer and christmas to save money but also to avoid the craziest crowds of vacationers. It's also important to factor in all costs in the planning. Travelling with a crap airline means buying your own food at the airport. Ouch, that is pricey.
PS. I feel sorry for the guy that sat next to this mother of six (6) kids (age 5-8), all on crack and with developing ADD. The mother had given up and let them roam around the cabin as they pleased. The guy was too polite to say anything and just suffered quietly.
Tuesday, August 16, 2005
Swimmer's Ear
I'm still in doubt but after a quick visit to the doctor here in Gothenburg I learned that I got Swimmer's Ear. I guess I got it while showering last week cause that's when the first slight discomfort started.
Swimmer's Ear means that a little bit of fluid is trapped in the ear canal which enables bacteria to multiply faster and results in an infection. The symptoms are blocked ear, drainage, fever, decreased hearing, intense pain and a swollen outer ear. In layman terms: It feels like someone stuffed a towel in my ear with a baseball bat.
So now I'm on Terracortril with Polymyxin B for the next few weeks. We also decided to cut the trip short not to jeopardize the healing. So good old San Francisco - here we come!
Swimmer's Ear means that a little bit of fluid is trapped in the ear canal which enables bacteria to multiply faster and results in an infection. The symptoms are blocked ear, drainage, fever, decreased hearing, intense pain and a swollen outer ear. In layman terms: It feels like someone stuffed a towel in my ear with a baseball bat.
So now I'm on Terracortril with Polymyxin B for the next few weeks. We also decided to cut the trip short not to jeopardize the healing. So good old San Francisco - here we come!
Monday, August 15, 2005
Hotel Management 101
The missus and I recently reserved a room at a what we thought would be a quaint little B&B - Kosterbaden - on the most northern island off the swedish west coast. Once we arrived we realized that this was the dump of the century (lacked service attitude, really worned down, likely stolen bed linnen, broken windows et cetera).
I explained to the jaded owner that this establishment was neither up to code nor up to our humble expectations. His response was: Then please leave. I know a number of friends who would have pulled out their inflatable titanium baseball bat and gone midevil on his sorry Norweigan ass. I, on the other hand, took it rather calmly, threw him the key and said: Hasta la vista, baby!.
The more I thought about it the more I realized that this would never happen in a real market economy, where the customer is God and not seen as the necessary Evil. But I was bathered by the fact that he didn't feel obligatated to live up to his business commitments of providing us a decent stay.
We later learned that the B&B will be torn down after this season to be replaced by a fancy condo / island hotel. So I guess he was just milking it for what it was worth.
Sadly, but even more so: I doubt that he will ever get punished for his subpar business values. The market economy relies on strong, critical consumers that are ready to fight for quality and their rights. In a culture that is too non-confrontational and has delegated most of the decision making to the government officials, this is never going to happen.
But for what it's worth we won't be staying there again!
I explained to the jaded owner that this establishment was neither up to code nor up to our humble expectations. His response was: Then please leave. I know a number of friends who would have pulled out their inflatable titanium baseball bat and gone midevil on his sorry Norweigan ass. I, on the other hand, took it rather calmly, threw him the key and said: Hasta la vista, baby!.
The more I thought about it the more I realized that this would never happen in a real market economy, where the customer is God and not seen as the necessary Evil. But I was bathered by the fact that he didn't feel obligatated to live up to his business commitments of providing us a decent stay.
We later learned that the B&B will be torn down after this season to be replaced by a fancy condo / island hotel. So I guess he was just milking it for what it was worth.
Sadly, but even more so: I doubt that he will ever get punished for his subpar business values. The market economy relies on strong, critical consumers that are ready to fight for quality and their rights. In a culture that is too non-confrontational and has delegated most of the decision making to the government officials, this is never going to happen.
But for what it's worth we won't be staying there again!
Thursday, August 11, 2005
Booooyaaar
For you that follow Mad Money and Jim Cramer you'll know recognize the expression "Boyar". It actually means russian nobility, i.e. rich gentleman in Russian and has several slavic derivatives. That's todays clue for the next mission in my life. Say no more!
PS. We are heading to Iceland, Norway and Sweden tonight at midnight. I'm now at 65 visited countries in the world. At 75 I get associate membership in the centurion travel club. Life is freakin' great isn't it!
PS. We are heading to Iceland, Norway and Sweden tonight at midnight. I'm now at 65 visited countries in the world. At 75 I get associate membership in the centurion travel club. Life is freakin' great isn't it!
Tuesday, August 09, 2005
Hammock Living
The lake is calming down after the attack of the waterski huligans and the sun is glazing at the tree tops for a slow setting. Everything seems so simple and easy from the hammock. It's the perfect time of day to let slowly let the book slide from the reading angle to the napping angle - right on top of the tummie.
I love hammocks, alomost more than I love food, wine, cigars, books and the missus. But not necessarily in that order (disclaimer). Hammocks are the essence of lazy summers on the country side. The slow, rythmic swing is soothing as well as extremely comfortable.
My grand parents had a fantastic hammock where I spent the majority of my pre-teen years in, reading and napping. Unfortunately it hung right over a stone so falling off wasn't an option.
My favorite time of day is in the late afternoon, when the hottest part of the day is over, the sun is not as bright but the air is still very comforting. That time also happens to coincide with the aftermath of a light afternoon snack and a glass of wine.
It's amazing how much we work to achieve greatness and it's the smaller things in life that creates the greatest and most memorable pleasures.
I love hammocks, alomost more than I love food, wine, cigars, books and the missus. But not necessarily in that order (disclaimer). Hammocks are the essence of lazy summers on the country side. The slow, rythmic swing is soothing as well as extremely comfortable.
My grand parents had a fantastic hammock where I spent the majority of my pre-teen years in, reading and napping. Unfortunately it hung right over a stone so falling off wasn't an option.
My favorite time of day is in the late afternoon, when the hottest part of the day is over, the sun is not as bright but the air is still very comforting. That time also happens to coincide with the aftermath of a light afternoon snack and a glass of wine.
It's amazing how much we work to achieve greatness and it's the smaller things in life that creates the greatest and most memorable pleasures.
Friday, August 05, 2005
Homegrown Cowboys
I've lived an international life since I left home for the first time to train my german in the small Austrian village of Badgastein. The village was mostly known for low-cost skiing and a lot of drunken Scandinavians - summer as well as winter time. I had a great time, being away from my then home country and exploring the secrets of the Alp region.
The desire to widen my horizons was born and since then I've always been attracted to international, diverse contexts and issues. Right now I'm up to my ears in learning more about corporate globalization.
The new interest for international markets among Silicon valley companies started about the same time as China came up as the talking subject at the water coolers. I'd say roughly end of 2003 / beginning of 2004. Before then working with international markets was great. I'll tell you why:
The area completely lacked homegrown cowboys since most of them where deemed useless and laid off during the Internet bust in 2000-2001. I transferred from one of our regional offices to headquarters in 2002, to give this what people felt 'doomed' corporate function a shot. My collegues in London thought it was a suicide mission and now many of them are here as well. I had a lot of ideas after I'd been working on the recieving end (didn't recieve that much) of head quarter's international operations. I got the great opportunity to start from scratch and together with the core teams architect something new that would actually serve our in-the-market folks.
The idea I had was that if we could leverage the core assets from a domestic level to a world wide level and then give everyone across the world access to these assets, we would really accelerate our growth. Then if we could aggregate key local knowledge and feed that into the core assets - to make them much smarter - we would make HQ much more insighful and innovative. It's based on a very simple concept: Let's work together, share what we know and need to win!
Not that revolutionary you would think. But why hadn't anyone done it before? I quickly came to the conclusion that there were two main reasons: lack of international experience and the corporate career bug (also known as the command-and-control virus and the MBA arrogance). Opening up the world to the valley geeks wasn't that hard. Many of them come from all around the world and have been working in international markets even if they lacked experience from international operations. But slowly introducing them to the challenges and the local insights increased their understanding and willingness to work on international projects. One down, one to go.
The second challenge was so much harder. Most people in corporations are not going beyond what they are told to do. The are playing the game, following the rules and will eventually win a promotion so they can move onto the next company and do the same. They will eventually get through the dreaded middle management concrete to be able to realize their ideas and raise their opinion. You just hope that they are not to sold out and old by that time. The willingness to change is usually driven by youth.
The conclusion of the above paragraph is that you do what you are incentiviced to do and if the hand is not fitting the glove there is no guilt. The reality of this corporate focus means that the bigger problems, the more long-term issues related to the company's global survival was increadible hard to push through. Did I mention that all this happened at grassroot level?
Anyhow - a lot of things has changed as time goes by and today working on international is the second coolest thing after being a killer innovator. That means that a lot of people without vision or any international experience has gravitated towards this area as the latest land grab opportunity. It's now overpopulated by sea-gull managers who talks about opportunity (for them), future growth (for them) and importance (of building empires). Why? Cause there is a strong personal incentive - getting on the career bullit train.
It's the perfect area for homegrown cowboys to make their next career bets. It's virtual, global and very unknown. You would think that to become a product manager you would need to know products, right. Transfer that to the international arena - to be a good international manager / architect you would need fundamental management skills PLUS international skills (languages, working experience, network understanding, travel experience et cetera). You would think that the 1992 bagpacking trip to Greece wouldn't really make the cut, right. Well, unfortunately it does - anything you have done outside of the US (gotten drunk in TJ, puked in Quartier Latin or just got robbed in Sao Paolo) counts in the corporate world of the confederacy of dunces.
Just in - the London bridge is for sale, again. It's a buy, cowboys! Yihah!
The desire to widen my horizons was born and since then I've always been attracted to international, diverse contexts and issues. Right now I'm up to my ears in learning more about corporate globalization.
The new interest for international markets among Silicon valley companies started about the same time as China came up as the talking subject at the water coolers. I'd say roughly end of 2003 / beginning of 2004. Before then working with international markets was great. I'll tell you why:
The area completely lacked homegrown cowboys since most of them where deemed useless and laid off during the Internet bust in 2000-2001. I transferred from one of our regional offices to headquarters in 2002, to give this what people felt 'doomed' corporate function a shot. My collegues in London thought it was a suicide mission and now many of them are here as well. I had a lot of ideas after I'd been working on the recieving end (didn't recieve that much) of head quarter's international operations. I got the great opportunity to start from scratch and together with the core teams architect something new that would actually serve our in-the-market folks.
The idea I had was that if we could leverage the core assets from a domestic level to a world wide level and then give everyone across the world access to these assets, we would really accelerate our growth. Then if we could aggregate key local knowledge and feed that into the core assets - to make them much smarter - we would make HQ much more insighful and innovative. It's based on a very simple concept: Let's work together, share what we know and need to win!
Not that revolutionary you would think. But why hadn't anyone done it before? I quickly came to the conclusion that there were two main reasons: lack of international experience and the corporate career bug (also known as the command-and-control virus and the MBA arrogance). Opening up the world to the valley geeks wasn't that hard. Many of them come from all around the world and have been working in international markets even if they lacked experience from international operations. But slowly introducing them to the challenges and the local insights increased their understanding and willingness to work on international projects. One down, one to go.
The second challenge was so much harder. Most people in corporations are not going beyond what they are told to do. The are playing the game, following the rules and will eventually win a promotion so they can move onto the next company and do the same. They will eventually get through the dreaded middle management concrete to be able to realize their ideas and raise their opinion. You just hope that they are not to sold out and old by that time. The willingness to change is usually driven by youth.
The conclusion of the above paragraph is that you do what you are incentiviced to do and if the hand is not fitting the glove there is no guilt. The reality of this corporate focus means that the bigger problems, the more long-term issues related to the company's global survival was increadible hard to push through. Did I mention that all this happened at grassroot level?
Anyhow - a lot of things has changed as time goes by and today working on international is the second coolest thing after being a killer innovator. That means that a lot of people without vision or any international experience has gravitated towards this area as the latest land grab opportunity. It's now overpopulated by sea-gull managers who talks about opportunity (for them), future growth (for them) and importance (of building empires). Why? Cause there is a strong personal incentive - getting on the career bullit train.
It's the perfect area for homegrown cowboys to make their next career bets. It's virtual, global and very unknown. You would think that to become a product manager you would need to know products, right. Transfer that to the international arena - to be a good international manager / architect you would need fundamental management skills PLUS international skills (languages, working experience, network understanding, travel experience et cetera). You would think that the 1992 bagpacking trip to Greece wouldn't really make the cut, right. Well, unfortunately it does - anything you have done outside of the US (gotten drunk in TJ, puked in Quartier Latin or just got robbed in Sao Paolo) counts in the corporate world of the confederacy of dunces.
Just in - the London bridge is for sale, again. It's a buy, cowboys! Yihah!
Wednesday, August 03, 2005
Money is Time
Just got the latest statement from Wells Fargo and saw a $7 dollar charge for bill payments for the month of July. It happens that I only have one (1) bill payment, my car, that the bank needs to handle for me and for that they charge the amount of $7 dollars.
If there is a task there is a service and a charge. A steep charge in many cases. The argument is that "time is money". The rationale is that if you outsource bill payment, car wash, cleaning, cooking et cetera you can save time which could be spent on work. In theory, white collar work (or knowledge work as it's called in the 21st century) pays more than most "low skill" service jobs. Therefore outsourcing low cost, manual labor and spend your so valuable time on high cost, high skill work makes sense. On paper that is.
In practice this is very often just a sad excuse to spend more time at work without getting any overtime pay. The bet is on investing more time at work to get a better paid job in the long-term. It's a growth play.
But Keynes said: In the long term we are all dead. That has to count for something. And he is obviously right from an emperical perspective as well as philosophical. Outsourcing works as long as you can grow the return by hour faster than the cost of service per hour. In a world where you value all your time at market.
But I believe that some time is invaluable: time with friends and family, slacking, watching movies, sleeping, thinking, doing random things, doing non-random things et cetera. That means that your time to market is limited. I offer 8 hours per day at market and the rest has a very high premium. You might say it's overvalued. But for me it's invaluable.
So spending $7 dollars for someone else to lick that envelope and put a 37 cent stamp on my bill seems to be a waste of money AND time. I can do that on my way to my $4 dollar lunch.
If there is a task there is a service and a charge. A steep charge in many cases. The argument is that "time is money". The rationale is that if you outsource bill payment, car wash, cleaning, cooking et cetera you can save time which could be spent on work. In theory, white collar work (or knowledge work as it's called in the 21st century) pays more than most "low skill" service jobs. Therefore outsourcing low cost, manual labor and spend your so valuable time on high cost, high skill work makes sense. On paper that is.
In practice this is very often just a sad excuse to spend more time at work without getting any overtime pay. The bet is on investing more time at work to get a better paid job in the long-term. It's a growth play.
But Keynes said: In the long term we are all dead. That has to count for something. And he is obviously right from an emperical perspective as well as philosophical. Outsourcing works as long as you can grow the return by hour faster than the cost of service per hour. In a world where you value all your time at market.
But I believe that some time is invaluable: time with friends and family, slacking, watching movies, sleeping, thinking, doing random things, doing non-random things et cetera. That means that your time to market is limited. I offer 8 hours per day at market and the rest has a very high premium. You might say it's overvalued. But for me it's invaluable.
So spending $7 dollars for someone else to lick that envelope and put a 37 cent stamp on my bill seems to be a waste of money AND time. I can do that on my way to my $4 dollar lunch.
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