Ask a candidate why you should not hire them, and you get a lot more insight into their characters than all the preceding questions have given you.
Tag: ethics
Pay if you want talent
As business leaders, if we want talent in a role we say we value, we have to pay fairly and commensurate with the value we attach to the role. Talk is free.
Protest as a strategic lever
Protest is a strategic lever which leaders ignore at their peril. And it is here to stay.
Of untenable CEOs
The positions of two CEOs are being discussed this week as untenable. One of them is the British Prime Minister Theresa May, fresh from the weak and wobbly win at an election where she campaigned as the "strong and stable" alternative. The other is Travis Kalanick, the CEO of Uber, who is currently running an … Continue reading Of untenable CEOs
Brand leadership has to change
A few years ago, shortly after the 2008 crash, American Express in the United States paid many of its less profitable customers to close their accounts and go away. The move garnered much attention and analysis then. It was seen as a de-leveraging move. Whatever hubbub surrounded the brand then has since died down and … Continue reading Brand leadership has to change
The governance we need: a reflection
I have had both shared and personal reasons to have spent much of the last year reflecting on the nature of governance around us. It was a year marked by sharp separation between opposing factions. This cleavage had long been in the making. The divide between the haves and the have-nots was growing with an … Continue reading The governance we need: a reflection
Empathy as luxury?
"Empathy is luxury. Think about it. If you have the time to read about other points of view, you have the luxury of time, that you can spend on reading other perspectives and build empathy.", said my interlocutor, an entrepreneur building a platform for contrarian views. I am paraphrasing a bit but we had been … Continue reading Empathy as luxury?
Four For Friday (37)
Stanford University announced its new President this week. Marc Tessier-Lavigne is a "pioneering neuroscientist, former Stanford faculty member and outspoken advocate for higher education". More importantly, in keeping with Stanford's reputation as a crucible for entrepreneurial creativity, he has been executive vice president for research and chief scientific officer at Genentech, leading work on disease … Continue reading Four For Friday (37)
Design stories from recent travels in India
This post has no photos. None that I took anyway. Because taking photos is hard, while we navigate badly designed situations. When we don't understand or care about customer experience. My flight on the world's favourite airline ran out of disembarkation and customs declaration forms for India. For now, I shall refrain from commenting on … Continue reading Design stories from recent travels in India
The age of un-empathy
"My Spotify drains my phone battery", she said. "Do you listen to it on streaming or offline?", I asked. "Why, yes I do listen to it on streaming!" "So you see both the 3G access you are using and the app itself use battery. You can see battery use by app and make choices accordingly … Continue reading The age of un-empathy