According to Wikipedia, the term “warning shot (in nautical terms, often called a shot across the bow) is a harmless artillery shot or gunshot intended to call attention and demand some action.” We get them in business too but you’d be surprised how often people aren’t paying attention. What’s less surprising is how often the warning shot is followed by the real thing – something that sinks your business boat. In fact, the echoes of some recent shots can still be heard – real fusillade to follow. Let me give you a few examples: Continue reading
Tag Archives: Reality checks
Kodachrome
I’ve got the Paul Simon song “Kodachrome” floating around my head this morning. I’m not exactly sure why although I’ve had a fondness for it since it was released. It starts with the line “When I think back on all the crap I learned in high school, it’s a wonder I can think at all” and I was a senior in high school at that time so there was a natural affinity I guess.
The song got me thinking about Kodachrome itself, which was the film of choice for serious photographers for many years. Of course, it’s gone now – Kodak stopped making it in 2009 – but the lesson it teaches goes on. Continue reading
Filed under digital media, Helpful Hints
Dumb It Down
Today’s screed is about dumbing it down and how it can improve your business thinking as you grow dumb. I’m pretty sure you’re aware that I’m not an advocate for the willfully stupid among us. They might be spending too much time behind the wheel of the car in front of you to be reading this anyway. However, I do find myself trying to reduce things to their most basic elements a great deal of the time. It’s not that I don’t care about detail – sometimes there’s a lot of important stuff in there. But I find that the details tend to clutter up one’s mind when you’re trying to have a basic understanding of something – it’s like worrying about what color the room will be before you’ve figured out the square footage and the amount of paint needed so you can budget properly. Continue reading
Filed under Helpful Hints, Thinking Aloud
Consult Keith 