Always do Extra
With all the stresses and demands of development that seem to send many of us to the exits early, how is it that some stick around? What's the secret to longevity in this career? One thing I've noticed over the years is that there is at least one thing that seems to be common to every good, veteran programmer I know. They all follow the same deliberate and dare-I-say selfish rule to how they approach their time: Always do Extra.
Key takeout: Whilst this article has a developer angle, the principles can be applied to any roles, and I believe those that want to get ahead apply this kind of thinking - what is going to help make the boat go faster!
How to Be a Smart Contrarian
There are four traps that incumbent innovators often fall into. First, their managers are usually trapped in a dominant logic on which they base decisions and miss innovation opportunities that come from defying the dominant logic. Second, successful incumbents (especially if they created the status quo) risk being overconfident in their own insights and networks, which means they miss smart new ideas they’re not plugged into. Third, they too often rely on people like themselves, thereby ignoring the creativity dividend that comes with diversity. Finally, they may well be locked into a dominant culture rooted in the dominant model, which imposes social penalties on people who depart from standard practice.
Key takeout: Biases create opportunities
So You Hired a Consultant. Here’s How to Get Your Money’s Worth
Many leaders solicit the help of internal and external consultants, and the return on that advice depends on who’s receiving it. The author, currently an internal advisor and formerly an external consultant, reflects on the different returns leaders get for the same investment. Some engage consultants on interesting problems and create a sense of team and joint mission. They benefit from consultants’ best thinking, innovative advice, and hard work. Yet others oversimplify the issues at hand or underestimate what it takes to create results and treat consultants as transactional vendors. Those leaders not only pay the cost of a missed opportunity, they also run the risk of not addressing the issues they’re seeking to resolve. The author presents three ways to get the most out of your engagement with internal or external advisors.
Key takeout: Using the help of others is a key leadership skill since no leader, especially in demanding and volatile times, can do it alone. Leaders who excel in this area accelerate both their own growth and the results of the organizations they lead.
The Mystery Man Who Made Amazon an Ad Giant
Paul Kotas helped turn Amazon into the No. 3 player in the digital advertising market, creating one of its most profitable businesses, all while remaining largely under the radar. Next up for him: a push to snatch more dollars from TV ad budgets.
Google: We're Tracking 270 State-Sponsored Hacker Groups From Over 50 Countries
Google's Threat Analysis Group (TAG) on Thursday said it's tracking more than 270 government-backed threat actors from more than 50 countries, adding it has approximately sent 50,000 alerts of state-sponsored phishing or malware attempts to customers since the start of 2021.
Why you care: Spill over effect, Nation state threat actors are not likely to target your business, but the tool, techniques and processes get handed down and become mainstream - and then you do have a problem.
Categorizing for Clarity Cash Flow Statement Adjustments to Improve Insight
The point of this report is that today’s accounting creates a huge gap between financial statements and what an investor needs to understand a business. This is despite the conceptual match between categories on the statement of cash flows and how businesses work.
Key takeout: Quite a technical article but the basis of it is: cash flows from operations, investing, and financing that can provide insight into how a business works - or not!
Risk managers tap into new technology
Technology tools, including web portals and exposure mitigation techniques, have become critical parts of modern risk managers’ arsenals, helping to inform and automate a range of functions.
Key takeout: Insurers are becoming more savvy about how they manage and view risk - we are seeing this particularly in cyber.