Disruptive Leadership

Another victim of the innovator’s dilemma: Netflix

Mark Beckford — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 02:22:20 +0000

“I messed up and owe you an explanation.” That’s the first line of an email that millions of Netflix customers received in their inboxes recently. Before then, not many customers even new who Reed Hastings, the co-founder of NetFlix, was. For those that took the time to read the 671-word apology, they were likely disappointed, confused, or [...]

Did you know …

Mark Beckford — Mon, 18 Oct 2010 09:32:32 +0000

… that more than half of the 20 richest women in the world are Chinese, according to the Shanghai-based Hurun Report. The list compiled its own findings with data from similar rankings from Forbes Magazine. The top 3 on the list are from China. Some attribute this to the communist ethos of gender-neutrality. Having read the [...]

What’s a country?

Mark Beckford — Wed, 06 Oct 2010 15:27:54 +0000

A few years ago, this author decided to count how many countries he had been to. The count was 45. But does anybody know what percentage that represents? You would think that is a fairly straight-forward question. Shouldn’t the definition of a country be any land with a defined border with a functioning government? According to [...]

Will the iPad disrupt the Kindle?

Mark Beckford — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 11:39:06 +0000

How many companies these days can create the buzz that Apple does when they announce a new product line? Having disrupted, transformed and gained leadership positions in the markets for music players and mobile phones, some are wondering if Apple will do the same to the markets for notebooks/netbooks and e-readers with it’s new iPad. Steve [...]

Rice paddies and culture

Mark Beckford — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 12:05:17 +0000

If you haven’t read Outliers, or Malcom Gladwell’s previous books The Tipping Point and Blink, you are missing out on some of the most insightful, entertaining, and mind-opening dissections of human behavior. In Outliers, Gladwell explains what makes a person extraordinarily successful. Here is the Cliffs Note version: You need a minimum level of smarts, but not [...]