Guy up for the week
Monday, October 27th, 2008I thought you might be up for some fun today and one of the most fun things I do is read is Guy Kawasaki. This weekend I ran into two interesting bits, an interview and a column in Always On.
The interview brought something forward that I think is very important, especially given the current economic times.
When talking about his new book, Reality Check, and who makes the best venture capitalist, Guy downgrades MBAs and those who haven’t had operating roles, saying
“Consulting, investment banking and accounting do not provide you with “on the firing line” experience. You’re always the “outside expert” who zooms in, interviews a few people, creates a PowerPoint presentation and then tells people what they should do.
Unfortunately, analysis and ideas are easy. Implementation is hard. A consultant can tell you to reduce your work force by 10 percent, but figuring out who to lay off and looking people in the eyes when you do it is much harder.”
No kidding. A lot harder.
This is important advice for regular business folks in companies of all sizes, not just entrepreneurs, to keep in mind when looking for help in solving difficult situations. In fact, pretty much everything Guy says can be applied with minimum tweaking to any size company, so read the interview and reap the value.
Guy also says that entrepreneurs, like ‘leaders’, aren’t recognizable up front and that the real proof is in the results.
Now for the fun.
Guy considers it “irrational to base one’s mood on the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA). After all, (a) what does that have to do with the real world? And (b) it reflects the buying (and selling) decisions of the same investment bankers who got us into this mess.”
So he created a more rational way to measure the health of the economy. Here are three of the 11 measures that make up the GIA (Guy’s Index of Absurdity).
- Venture capitalists attend board meetings via WebEx rather than Gulfstream.
- Pierre Omidyar [eBay founder] starts selling stuff on eBay.
- Men can speak at Blogher as long as they pay for the time slot.
Enjoy; reading Guy is a great way to start the week.
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