My Notes from The Presidents Seminar at Harvard Business School

Jan. 17-22, 2010


Summary/Action Points/Questions

1. Consider what web platforms to join or to create

2. Check and understand Google Analytics, Social Search, Google Goggles, location based services

3. Apply the workgroup model to MASMI, Product Movers and other new companies in the pipeline

4. Are we in or out of alignment (use workgroup model- see below), are we meeting the mission?

5. Ask young managers to create the workgroup model for the company and compare with what management thought. Do this frequently to know if out of alignment.

6. Take into account the workgroup model when defining strategy

7. Record over a period of one week all activities in a spreadsheet every time there is a change in task and compare to priorities/plan

8. Think of a good cause that can benefit from business experience and get involved

9. Which is our sandbox? We cannot be everything to everybody. How can we master saying no to non target customers?

10. Seek and find adjacencies to existing products, customers and capabilities to counter act economic crisis (slightly contradicting to point 7)

11. Books to read:

a. The greatest trade ever (Zuckermann)

b. Too big to fail

c. Presidential Decision making (R. Porter)

d. Different Youngme Moon

e. Disc chase retail services book

12. Judicious defense=focus on operating efficiencies not on employee reduction

13. Avoid kneejerk cost cutting reactions during recessions

14. 10% batting average in VC is very good, what is a good batting average for initiatives in a service business model

15. In economic crises: keep 4 initiatives, drop 4 and invest more in 2. Make big bets. 4-4-2

16. We want leaders who are optimistic

17. Apply Mediator tactics (see below) when negotiating

18. Visual illusion- Attention Experiment

Click on above link: This was a visual attention experiment conducted by Becklen and Cervone(1983) to show that the human mind has its limits. There is only so much the brain can process at a particular time and it must be selective in what it chooses to filter. Watch this short clip very closely...

This is just a summary, if you are interested in getting the full notes leave a comment

thanks