Frameworks

Remember Samir from Rule #1? So, once him and I are going out for a coffee after we concluded our project together. He asks for an update on how things are going, and without realizing I start complaining about few things going in a wrong direction. Very lightly and without even a shadow of blame, Samir states; yeah, sounds like your fault. I don't know if you ever witness a guy in a suit spitting a hazelnut milk cappuccino (is that thing even real?) in coffee shop, but it wasn't pleasant - I can assure you of that. My fault, I thought? What the hell is he talking about?

September has always been my favorite time of year. The heavy heat of summer finally lifts, but the evenings stay warm enough for dinners outdoors, a glass of wine, and long conversations under open skies. For me, recently September started carrying another association - Formula 1. race. Around this time, my hometown gears up for one of the most spectacular sports events in the world: an F1 race, right in the city center.

It might come out as a surprise, but I have always been a fan of a metal music. I know; doesn’t really get along with a suit & tie personality you see in the feed, but the trust me when I say that I can play half of great metal songs with my eyes closed. Among my favorite albums of all time is Metallica’s Black Album, a milestone not only in rock but in music history as a whole. A perfect blend between melodic & heavy music.

Paul Miller, a senior editor at The Verge, famously spent a full year without internet. Throughout this unusual journey, Miller published reflections that resonated with me quite strongly, since he managed to capture human experiences in raw, honest ways.

In one of these reflections, Miller describes visiting a friend who had recently become a father. His friend said something unexpected, yet so impactful….

When people ask me to name a CEO I genuinely admire, my answer is immediate: Satya Nadella. Microsoft’s boss doesn’t necessarily seek the spotlight (naughty, naughty Elon), but he certainly deserves it. Nadella is a rock-star CEO, arguably the best in business today, yet he leads with remarkable humility.

When you first hear the term "going concern" in the business world, it usually means that there's nothing to worry about regarding a company's future. Ironically, the phrase often triggers the opposite reaction, making people uneasy about a company's stability. But what does "going concern" actually mean?

In Japanese culture, identity has historically been fluid and contextual. Japanese poets and artists traditionally adopted new names when marking significant life transitions or entering different phases of their creative careers. It is linked to a cultural appreciation for adaptability, acknowledging that individuals embody different roles and characteristics depending on the "rooms" they choose to occupy.

"Performance equals Ability multiplied by Authority multiplied by Motivation."

The simplicity struck me. This formula captured something profound about performance—that it isn't just skill, not just empowerment, nor purely motivation, but rather the synergy of all three. Miss any single element, and the whole equation collapses.

Earlier today, I endured a grueling earnings call with the board, leaving me frustrated and contemplative. Sensing my mood, my friend shares a story from his past, where he went through a similar experience, due to a decision that he made without requesting a formal approval from his superiors.