Last week Bill Gates offered his annual list of the top 5 books to read, “5 good books for a lousy year.” I think most of us can agree that 2020 has not been the greatest year of our lives. A year that has been a defining one for many – and largely because of the coronavirus pandemic. As I write this, the virus continues to disrupt lives everywhere but it is encouraging to note that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. In the spirit of looking at what’s positive and what we can use in the year ahead to retake our lives so consumed by this pandemic, let’s take a look at what we’ve found out this year. Not having as profound a view on life and the world as Mr. Gates, I’ll stick to something closer to home.
In the weeks following the onset of the COVID shutdowns, most organizations were in crisis-response mode; but as things return to a normal (or semi-normal) state, business leaders should pause, take some time to assess the efficacy of their actions, and internalize the lessons learned.
On his popular TV show “The Profit,” entrepreneur Marcus Lemonis repeats this mantra frequently: successful businesses are built on the three P’s; people, product, and process. The concept has its origins in lean manufacturing, but it has since taken hold across a broader spectrum of industries.
October 12th, 2019 was a red letter day for every athletics fan. That day, for the first time in history a human completed the marathon in under two hours! Eliud Kipchoge the current world record holder did the unbelievable and shaved off a good 2 minutes from his best time. It wasn’t just a triumph of human doughtiness and perseverance. The run was also emblematic of technology and analytics aiding humans in pushing the envelope. Specially made shoes and pacing lasers ensured energy efficiency. The chosen route and formation of pacemakers minimized wind resistance. The location was picked because of its closeness to Kipchoge’s time zone… a number of sagacious data driven decisions contributed to the feat.