In early 2002, the Bush administration decided to invade Iraq. To put the plan into action, they started working on shaping public opinion. The main argument was Iraq’s “weapons of mass destruction.” But the press was not convinced. In one of the news briefings, journalists questioned Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld about the lack of…
Category: How Consultancies Win
Critical Mass In Business: How To Reach “The Success Moment”
Everything is hard at the beginning. Started a business? Good luck finding your first 50 customers. New social media account? Getting your first 10,000 followers takes forever. People put in the effort (and money) for months, but don’t get any visible return back. It’s frustrating. So most people quit at this stage. Crossing the valley of…
Synergy In Business: How YouTube went from near failure to global dominance
In April 2005, YouTube co-founder Jawed Karim uploaded the first video on the platform: Me at the zoo. And the platform went live. The founders expected YouTube to succeed. But nobody imagined it would happen that fast. People loved uploading and watching videos. In one year, YouTube reached 25 million daily views. And new users kept coming.…
Sustainable Competitive Advantages: Become Irreplaceable (With Examples)
“In business, I look for economic castles protected by unbreachable ‘moats.’” That’s how Warren Buffett answered a question on what he looks for in a business to invest in. What did he mean by a moat? Let me explain with an example. Everybody can make a caffeinated soda. But for a new competitor, beating the…
How To Beat Bigger Competitors: Blitzkrieg
The German army shocked the world when they entered Paris in 1940. On paper, the French army was ready before the invasion. They expected an attack. So they bolstered their defenses for years. They even built the “impregnable” Maginot line, a 280-mile-long fortification. But the Germans defeated the French army in only 6 weeks. How was it possible?…
A Dinner With Elon Musk And The Power of Power Laws
Imagine a friend inviting you to dinner. He texts you: “I’m organizing a dinner with 8 people and the average net worth of attendees is $22 billion.” What would you think? Besides wondering when your friend met that many rich people, you’d expect to be the least wealthy among invitees. But you arrive at dinner and…
RICE Scores: A Simple Method For Project Prioritization
“This is done, what’s next?” That’s what you ask yourself after finishing a project. It seems trivial, but it’s the most important question that defines your results over the long term. Why? Well, most people believe productivity is doing a lot. But that’s an illusion. Real productivity comes from doing the work that brings you the best results. So it’s…
Force Field Analysis: Make Big Changes Easier (With Examples)
What is Force Field Analysis Force Field Analysis is a strategic analysis and decision-making method developed by Kurt Lewin. In this article, you’ll find two personal examples to see how you can use Force Field Analysis in your life. Every decision requires a change. Think about it. If you decide to gain muscle; you have…
Nassim Taleb’s Optionality: Unlimited Gains With Limited Costs
Optionality is a mental model to make decisions that create possible unlimited gains with limited costs. Nassim Taleb explains the importance of optionality in his book Antifragile. In this article, you’ll find a short story to see how optionality works and then three ways to increase optionality in your life. Is it possible to turn…
Think Laterally: Apple’s Ad Masterpiece and How to Think “Different”
Lateral thinking is a mental model to find creative solutions to complex problems. In 1997, Steve Jobs returned to Apple to revive the company from the ashes. And they wanted a new campaign to announce Apple was back. Apple’s competitor IBM’s slogan was “Think.” So as a response, the ad agency came up with the famous…
