CV

Tout le monde est responsable, stratégique et créatif.

Linkdump

Kelleher de Southwest Airlines
Rendu là : http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/2013/06/10/toc.html

Personnalisation

Après la production de masse et la personnalisation de masse, est-ce qu'Internet permettra la personnalisation extrême à un prix intéressant ?  Voir pixeli.st et hatch.co.

Les petits détails

La préparation des ballons dans la NFL.  Intense.

Marissa Mayer

Le type de CEO qui entre dans le détail.

One Yahoo executive told me that before Mayer arrived, “what was missing was leadership from the very top, which was able to cut to the chase and get some tough decisions made, get focused in the right places, get the sense of urgency, and also somebody who could really be the chief quality control leader of the company.”

La réalité dépasse la fiction

Putin dans les pages éditoriales du NY Times.
On se croirait dans un épisode de The West Wing ou The Newsroom.

Écrire et lire des phrases et des paragraphes

La puissance de l'écriture structurée et de la lecture attentive.

Jeff Bezos likes to read. That's a dog-bites-man revelation if ever there was one, considering that Bezos is the cerebral founder and chief executive of a $100 billion empire built on books. More revealing is that the Amazon CEO's fondness for the written word drives one of his primary, and peculiar, tools for managing his company: Meetings of his "S-team" of senior executives begin with participants quietly absorbing the written word. Specifically, before any discussion begins, members of the team -- including Bezos -- consume six-page printed memos in total silence for as long as 30 minutes. (Yes, the e-ink purveyor prefers paper. Ironic, no?) They scribble notes in the margins while the authors of the memos wait for Bezos and his minions to finish reading.
Amazon executives call these documents "narratives," and even Bezos realizes that for the uninitiated -- and fans of the PowerPoint presentation -- the process is a bit odd. "For new employees, it's a strange initial experience," he tells Fortune. "They're just not accustomed to sitting silently in a room and doing study hall with a bunch of executives." Bezos says the act of communal reading guarantees the group's undivided attention. Writing a memo is an even more important skill to master. "Full sentences are harder to write," he says. "They have verbs. The paragraphs have topic sentences. There is no way to write a six-page, narratively structured memo and not have clear thinking."

(via Fortune)

À quand un centre de données à la Baie James ?

http://allthingsd.com/20110912/for-data-center-google-goes-for-the-cold/

L'innovation par Clayton Christensen

http://www.forbes.com/forbes/2007/1112/137.html

Le patron parfait selon Google

But Mr. Bock’s group found that technical expertise — the ability, say, to write computer code in your sleep — ranked dead last among Google’s big eight. What employees valued most were even-keeled bosses who made time for one-on-one meetings, who helped people puzzle through problems by asking questions, not dictating answers, and who took an interest in employees’ lives and careers. (via NYTimes)

Connecting the dots

Lean and Six Sigma do not always have to be 'in the box', and simply about cost savings and operational excellence. Really thinking through what adds customer value is the key to innovation (via Frank Buytendijk)

Simplicity beats complexity

Sitting across the table from Steve was Lee Clow, past and current leader of Apple’s agency. Lee crumpled up 4-5 pieces of paper and tossed one to Steve. “This is a good ad,” said Lee, as Steve easily caught it.
Then, all at once, Lee tossed the remaining pile of crumpled balls of paper to Steve and he caught none of them. “That’s a bad ad,” said Lee. (via The Observatory)

L'intangible

Comparaison entre le studio imaginé par Jimi Hendrix et l'utilisation d'un mac.

Gérer la complexité

Previously, CEOs have consistently identified change as their most pressing challenge. Today, CEOs are telling us that the complexity of operating in an increasingly volatile and uncertain world is their primary challenge. And, a surprising number of them told us that they feel ill-equipped to succeed in this drastically different world. (via IBM Global CEO Study)

Vinier

But don't take my word for it. Go buy a box of Franzia Cabernet (not the Merlot or Chianti), which I consider a decent yardstick of value in a good cheap blend. The box costs $15 for five liters. A standard wine bottle has 750 ml, so the Franzia works out to about $2.25 a bottle—about what they pay in Europe for a bottle of good, cheap wine, usually blended. Do a taste test comparing that Franzia to any $15 bottle on the shelf. Unless you choose well or get lucky, the Franzia easily wins at least half the time. And even when it loses, ask yourself: Was the bottle seven times better than the box? That's a personal question, of course, one that's directly linked to your wallet. (via The Atlantic)

Je ne saurais dire mieux

Facal - Le contrat brisé

De gros bateaux

Quelle est la limite ?

Living with less, a lot less

Article du NYTimes.

Statistiques

Statistics are like a lamp post to a drunk: Useful for support but not for illumination

- Brian Burke dans le cadre de la conférence sur l'utilisation des statistiques dans le monde du sport

Investir dans le rail

Analyse du Globe and Mail.

Se montrer la face

Eighty percent of success is showing up.

- Woody Allen

(via The Atlantic à propos d'Hilary Clinton)

Quel jeu pour quel type de compagnie

Three games of strategic thinking.

Each of these games matches a different strategy paradigm reflecting a different mind-set. All three paradigms draw upon a rich base of mathematical probability theory and extensive research into business strategy. And each has proven useful for different companies at different times. 

L'opinion publique selon Luc Beauregard

Le monde de l'information, connaît lui aussi des perturbations profondes.  La télévision avait déjà changé les choses.  Les chefs d'entreprises ont dû apprivoiser la façon  de se comporter devant le micro et la caméra.  Mais ce sont les nouvelles en continu qui ont encore plus radicalement changé l'information.  Désormais tout est live.  On vit la tyrannie de la "clip", du deadline et de l'audimat.  Les ordinateurs personnels et Internet en ont rajouté, sans compter les téléphones intelligents, capables de capter des photos et de tourner des vidéos aussitôt retransmise live partout et tout le temps.

"Le gouvernement ne réagissant pas dans l'heure [...] est vite accusé de mollesse, d'incompétence", écrit André Pratte sur son blogue.  Il cite Jean-Louis Servan-Schreiber qui déplore que "les élus sont condamnés à gouverner en direct avec l'électorat toujours sur les talons.  Le politicien n'a plus le temps de réfléchir".  Ni le journaliste, d'ailleurs.  L'opinion publique se forge souvent avant que tous les faits soient connus, écrit l'éditorialiste en chef de La Presse.

Le leader qui n'accepte pas de se prêter à l'inquisition avant d'avoir pu vérifier les faits et considérer la question est cité comme "se refusant à tout commentaire" et, donc, comme admettant les faits par défaut.

Je cite souvent les pages éditioriales de La Presse parce qu'à mon avis, elles sont les plus riches en contenus diversifiés et souvent contrariants par rapport aux idées reçues de la machine médiatique.

En réponse à la télé continue, les imprimés ont changé leur fusil d'épaule, abandonnant la nouvelle brute pour l'enquête et surtout le commentaire, prêtant le flanc au mélange des genres.  Certains jours, on a l'impression qu'il y a plus de chroniques d'opinions dans les journaux que de nouvelles.  On trouve dans une même page un texte de nouvelle et juste à côté, un commentaire du journaliste qui a rédigé la nouvelle.  Devant le tribunal de l'opinion publique, ce journaliste est l'avocat et le juge en une seule personne.

Les chroniqueurs émettent des opinions contraires à celles exprimées en page éditioriale.  Et les pages éditioriales contiennent parfois des informations capitales qu'on n'a pas trouvées dans les pages d'information.

[...]

À mon sens, avec la confusion des genres, il n'y a plus d'opinion publique informée.  Il y a une opinion publique dirigée et provoquée.  La concurrence au sein de la machine médiatique, entre les grands réseaux, entre les chaînes d'information continue, entre les médias traditionnels et les médias en ligne, force les journalistes à baisser la garde malgré eux.

(tiré d'un discours de Luc Beauregard à l'Association des MBA du Québec, le 1er décembre 2010... qui provient du livre Luc Beauregard - Le pari de la vérité, de Jacqueline Cardinal et Laurent Lapierre)

Acheter au lieu de vendre

Question intéressante : est-ce que Alcan pourrait être rachetée ?

Le jeu pour recruter

Some firms seem to see the potential. The GameChanger unit of Shell, which seeks out new disruptive technologies for the oil giant, is about to test if Knack can help it identify innovators. Bain & Company, a consultancy, is to run a pilot: it will start by getting current staff to play the games, to see which skills make for a successful consultant. (The ability to charge a lot for stating the obvious is presumably not one of them.) “If someone can materially improve our ability to select the best talent, that is worth a lot to us,” says Mark Howorth, a recruiter at Bain. And if not, at least the process will be fun.

(via The Economist)

Comment financer les infrastructures

Le cas de Chicago.

Sécurité ferroviaire : PTC

Bon article sur le sujet.

Defined benefits vs. Defined contribution

Meanwhile, a longer-term problem is being stored up. Many companies have abandoned final-salary or defined-benefit (DB) pensions for new staff and switched to defined-contribution (DC) schemes, in large part because of the high cost of the former. These place the investment risk firmly on the employee.

Low real interest rates imply that workers should save a bigger sum for their old age in order to generate their desired income. But currently payments into British DC schemes, from both employer and employee, are just 8.9% of salary (the American contribution numbers are similar). According to the Pensions Corporation, another consultancy, a 35-year-old who funds a DC scheme at such a level will retire on just 8% of his final salary if interest rates are low. To earn the equivalent of a DB pension worth half their final pay-cheque, they or their employer would have to contribute 55% of their salary.

That might sound a tall order. But funnily enough, the Bank of England contributes 56.4% of its payroll to its DB scheme, which is almost entirely invested in inflation-linked bonds. It is a nice irony that the bank, which has done so much to discourage saving, is one of the most prudent savers of all.

(via The Economist)

David Foster Wallace - This is water

Discours de David Foster Wallace en 2005.

Leçons de Bill Ackman

Keys to successful investing :

1)      Invest in public companies

2)      Understand how the company makes money

3)      Invest at a reasonable price

4)      Invest in a company that could last forever (eg. Coca-Cola, McDonald’s)

       a.       Product/service people need

       b.      Unique

       c.       Attracts royalty

5)      Find a company with limited debt

6)      Look for high barriers to entry

7)      Invest in a company immune to extrinsic factors

8)      Invest in a company with low reinvestment costs

9)      Avoid businesses with controlling shareholders

Test de grammaire

Pour une entrevue.  Pourquoi pas ?

Listes 2012

Politique 

MUST READ - A murder foretold 
http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2011/04/04/110404fa_fact_grann?currentPage=all 

GREAT READ - Echoes from a distant battlefield 
http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/features/2011/12/battle-of-wanat-201112.print 

Obama's way 
http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/2012/10/michael-lewis-profile-barack-obama 

The Obama's memos 
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/19/magazine/shopping-habits.html?_r=3&seid=auto&smid=tw-nytmag&pagewanted=all& 

California and bust 
http://www.vanityfair.com/business/features/2011/11/michael-lewis-201111 


Sports 
MUST READ - The most amazing bowling story ever 
http://www.dmagazine.com/Home/D_Magazine/2012/July/The_Most_Amazing_Bowling_Story_Ever_Bill_Fong.aspx?p=1 


Affaires 
Making the world's largest airline fly (read it for the coffee story) 
http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/united-continental-making-the-worlds-largest-airline-fly-02022012.html 

Inside Pfizer Palace Coup 
http://features.blogs.fortune.cnn.com/2011/07/28/pfizer-jeff-kindler-shakeup/ 


Divers 
MUST READ - The frequent fliers who flew too much 
http://articles.latimes.com/2012/may/05/business/la-fi-0506-golden-ticket-20120506 

GREAT READ - The man who broke Atlantic City 
http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2012/04/the-man-who-broke-atlantic-city/308900/?single_page=true 

GREAT READ - The peekaboo paradox 
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/01/18/AR2006011801434.html 

How companies learn your secrets 
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/19/magazine/shopping-habits.html?_r=3&seid=auto&smid=tw-nytmag&pagewanted=all& 

Personal best (on coaching) 
http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2011/10/03/111003fa_fact_gawande?currentPage=all&mobify=0 

Confessions of a car salesman 
http://www.edmunds.com/car-buying/confessions-of-a-car-salesman.phtml 

The stoner arm dealers 
http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/the-stoner-arms-dealers-20110316?print=true 

Growing up is hard to do 
http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2012/01/growing-up-is-hard-to-do-forced-into-adulthood-by-an-aging-parent/251085/ 

Is the iPad the only TV you need ? 
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390444165804578010371602729036.html