GeekMBA360

Jim Collins is one of my favorite management authors. In this New York Times article, Mr. Collins talked about how he kept a running tally of how he’s spending his time. “That, he explains, is a running tally of how he’s spending his time, and whether he’s sticking to a big goal he set for [...]

[Read more →]

Thirteen months ago I took a very challenging job. I was tasked to turn around a struggling $70-million-a-year commodity business. There was a lot of skepticism about the prospect of this business. After spending several weeks of reviewing the business metrics, we determined a very focused strategy. More importantly, we focused on building small wins. [...]

[Read more →]

"My dad is one of those typical Asian immigrants who worked really hard, and always had the survivor mentality. The poor guy barely made to middle class in this country and he was desperately holding onto it." In the few weeks I heard several similar comments from second generation Asian Americans. These comments upset me. [...]

[Read more →]

Julie hates to work with Adam. They are the polar opposite of each other. Julie is outgoing, passionate, aggressive, go-getter, detailed oriented, and widely popular. Adam is introverted, insightful, absent minded, and socially awkward. Julie is a star in the company, and her career has been progressing very well. Adam is competent, but he tended [...]

[Read more →]

Some folks are going to disagree with me on this post. Based on my experience on both ends (as an employee and as a manager who frequently works with human resource professionals), I believe that HR’s most important role is to make sure the company does not get sued. There are complex regulations and laws [...]

[Read more →]

I read a lot of books each year. But, my choice of the best career book of 2010 is easy. This book is enlightening because it explains to you the reality of corporate politics, and it teaches you how to play politics. I know this sounds cynical, un-ethical, and depressing. However, we’re all humans. We [...]

[Read more →]

Fellow blogger and venture capitalist Brad Feld had a very interesting post on his blog: The Power of a CEO 360 Review. I had to admit that I hadn’t been a big fan of performance reviews in any shape or form in the past. In fact, one of the most popular articles on this blog [...]

[Read more →]

Although I don’t live in the bay area any more, I still consider the bay area my adopted hometown. I’m still rooting for the Giants, the 49er’s, Cal Bears, and the Warriors. You can imagine how excited I was last night when the Giant beat the Phillies.  It’s really interesting to note that this was [...]

[Read more →]

I rarely read poems. I guess I lack the sense and sensibilities to appreciate poems. However, I was re-reading Poor Charlie’s Almanack: The Wit and Wisdom of Charles T. Munger this weekend, and came across the poem “if” that Charlie Munger has always admired. I agree wholeheartedly with Mr.. Munger – if you haven’t read [...]

[Read more →]

Business Week has an interesting article about Pete Carroll, head coach of the Seattle Seahawk. I have to admit that I’m neither a Seattle Seahawk Fan nor a USC Trojan fan. However, I really enjoyed this quote from Pete Carroll: “I had been head coach of the New York Jets and the New England Patriots. [...]

[Read more →]