-
De ce citesc (eu)?
Un birou, undeva prin București, secolul XXI: – Eu nu citesc – Cum așa? (confuz) – Nu citesc romane (cu franchețe și seninătate)… Un scurt dialog, real, pe care l-am avut, mai demult, cu o persoană pe care am cunoscut-o în context profesional. Un rol de conducere și, categoric, o persoană foarte smart, un profesionist de top. M-a mirat. Îmi amintesc cum, mai recent, am văzut o postare a unui cunoscut, aș putea să-l numesc un influencer prin ceea ce face, despre cărțile pe care le-a citit. Erau toate de business (sau din zona help-yourself) și a precizat că nu vom găsi la el romane, ficțiune. Și atunci m-am mirat……
-
Sport vs Business (4) – Lessons learnt from running marathons
Running a Marathon is often quoted as a major challenge a regular person of our times could face. I have been through inner debates myself, whether to dare it or not. Passed through and felt elated. Like many others before me. Like many more to come, enlarging this wonderful “army” of finishers. Every single person completing those 42.2km takes his/her own take-aways. However, by discussing over and over again about this provocation with lots of people, being involved in organizing sport events myself, I hereby wrap up a few learnings, which I find useful in business and life in general. As completing a Marathon is much more than achieving a…
-
Story Telling. Friend or Foe?
I LOVE Storytelling! Just wanted to make this clear statement from the start, as I guess I will be questioned in a couple of minutes, once you finish reading this small paragraph… Storytelling is great because it wraps data in digestible layers of meaning. It connects the dots, it concentrates our attention from vast arrays of numbers and charts to the take-away, to contexts and conclusions. Stories are memorable, they could be better recalled, they imprint in our memories. They are the music of numbers and facts. Imagine trying to learn by heart hundreds or thousands of musical notes. It would be quite a challenge for our brains. But as…
-
Sport vs Business (3) – 5 Learnings for entrepreneurs
Are you eager to start your own business? Have you already decided and you’ve taken your first steps towards fulfiling your dream of independence, money and control of your life? I wish you good luck! At the same time, we must both agree that the road ahead is not an easy one. I will try to draft a bit of guidance by replicating experiences sport performers faced in their early stages. It takes time to succeed. It goes without saying that reaching some goals may take time. The higher the goal, the longer the required time to get there (in most instances). I want to play tennis like Federer, dribble…
-
Client or Agency?
I’ll be friendly and give you a small advise: don’t scroll down to check the verdict! The main reason would be… the lack of such a thing. Disappointed? I hope not. I’ll add my perspectives in the end of this text. I realized I have spent about 10-11 years in the client’s shoes and relatively similar in agenies. It seems like a proper time to put this postures in the ring, facing each other for the ultimate match. Which is better? The answer is like trying to vote between rock or classical music. Between Dostoevsky or Kafka, between Forrest Gump or Star Wars. It surely differs from person to person.…
-
Corona Thoughts 2
March 23, 2020. After some time, we will be able to say when this post was written, relative to the duration of the corona virus. Now, only assumptions. We see lots of models, lots of experts estimate bell curves and statistical predictions. I can’t help wondering about Taleb’s black swan. This is a typical example in support of his perspectives. And the fundamental logic he shares, the core rationale he conveys, gravitates around his rejection of the statistical models based on time series. Humans, as scientific community, as homo sapiens, may be facing a logical contradiction: if this is a black swan, an out of ordinary, accidental and disruptive event,…
-
Corona Thoughts 1
As of today, March 15, 2020, it appears we are in the middle of an outstanding global phenomenon. The global outburst of Corona virus (covid-19) is challenging humanity, reshaping systems and adjusting societal priorities. Definitely, too early to assess its impact, to analyze it objectively, to wrap up learnings. However, being by far The Topic of the day, I feel the need to write down a few thoughts. I will touch the following: the blindspot is brexit a shield? in the beginning, was the Word 1. The blindspot, or what I don’t get about it… We are regularly looking at numbers. Total number of cases, deaths, new daily cases, number…
-
Dovedit științific
Cu siguranță, știința a adus multe beneficii omenirii, în măsura în care a fost folosită în scop pozitiv. Aș sublinia că lucrăm cu ipoteza că omul poate anticipa efectele, de scurtă sau lungă durată, ale acțiunilor sale. Altfel, chiar în scenariul unor bune intenții, efectele pot fi nocive, iar exemplele în acest sens sunt nenumărate (poluarea, defrișările, diversele decizii proaste legate de alimentație sau medicamentație, etc.) Știința are fundamentele sale solide, este o redută a cunoașterii umane. Însă, în multe arii ale existenței noastre, se pomenește și de alte forme ale cunoașterii, ale relaționării noastre cu mediul înconjurător. Orientul, se zice, a pornit pe alte abordări. Și mi se pare…
-
Cu Platon la Gym
Ei bine, care să fie legătura lui Platon cu gym-urile? Par din cu totul alt film. Aș zice că nu… În primul rând, se știe că Platon a fost un foarte bun sportiv. Un luptător (în adevăratul sens al cuvântului!). Dacă izvoarele istorice sunt corecte, Platon a fost un foarte bun practicant de Pankration, un stil de lupte specific grecilor. Ar fi câștigat mai multe concursuri, și cum știm că grecii antici aveau un mare apetit pentru sport, cred că era o concurență destul de mare. Dar, dincolo de acest aspect, ar mai fi unul mai subtil, pe care vreau să insist aici. Mai știți ce se zice că era…
-
Qatar-Thailanda-Cambodgia-Vietnam
25dec2019 Plecam in seara de Craciun, ciudat pentru multi conationali care la ora asta sunt ghiftuiti cu sarmale, cozonac si vin rosu… Partea buna este ca aeroportul este foarte gol, trecem in viteza prin toate controalele. Pornim cu cursa Qatar Airways spre Doha. Avionul ok, o mancarica, o bauturica, un film, putin somn si… legati-va centurile pentru aterizare! 26dec2019 – Doha (Qatar) Pe masura ce ne apropiem de Doha, se vede foarte interesant peisajul de pe geam. O harta de lumini, ceva gen Nazca. Drumuri intens luminate si in rest spatii goale, in bezna totala. Desigur, drumurile prin desert. Aterizam. Doha, un aeroport impresionant, amplu si destul de gol. Ciugulim…