Praveen Puri

Wednesday, August 26, 2020

Organizational Scaling/Maturity and Over-Complexity

As companies mature and scale from the start-up phase, there is a need to add processes and procedures. However, most organizations over-complicate the bureaucracy. Complexity keeps growing along with the company.

To be healthy, complexity should taper off and become stable, while the company continues to grow/mature:

Tuesday, August 25, 2020

What Loyola's Sister Jean can teach us about dealing with the coronavirus

My latest column in the Chicago Business Journal has been published:

https://www.bizjournals.com/chicago/news/2020/08/25/businesses-can-learn-lessons-loyolas-sister-jean.html

Saturday, August 22, 2020

Wake Up! The World of Business is Changing Rapidly!

We're in uncharted territory. It's a brave new world of social media, global competition, and no gate keepers. All your employees touch customers and the outcome can be spread word of mouth around the world instantly.

Technology is exploding around us and change is accelerating.

Either you're great or a commodity - there is no middle ground for "good".

People and businesses need to tap their inner uniqueness and try new, creative things. We need to experiment and keep failing and succeeding.

It's all about connections - connecting with customers, suppliers, and partners to continually build more connections and goodwill.

All employees and entrepreneurs need to be artists, social media marketers, and connectors.

We need to learn creativity and improvisation. We need to continuously create value in the moment.

Good Programming Is An Art

Good programming is an art.

I've had disagreements about this with other software executives. They think its not an art - its industrial age manufacturing: paint by numbers, drown everything in object oriented libraries, slap another contractor on the project and, bingo! you have success.

NO!

In the old days, programming was an ART- done by talented mathematician / programmers who could code assembly, C, and knew how to succeed by omission.

Look at Forth - the secret is what you leave out!

That is why the Apollo mission could run on a fraction of the computing power in your iPhone.

Could not happen today:

1. With "programmers" on bloated Windows PCs using clunky build tools and slinging hash together from object oriented libraries.

2. Even worse - IT "management", with all it's crazy, bloated processes and procedures. Projects get done inspite of all the CMM, six sigma b.s.

Why You Need A Blog

I once thought a blog was good for directly making money - by selling your products and / or advertising.

Now, I know that's a terrible reason to have a blog - the world is saturated with play it safe, commercial blogs that everyone ignores.

No - I need to write this blog for me - as an outlet - to discuss my ideas and, sometimes as a catharsis. Those are the posts I need to do - that are written in a frenzy of stream of conscious, improvisational nuggets.

I need my posts to be art- to be authentic - uncensored. Need to capture my ideas, and put it out for the world.

By being authentic to who you are, that is the way to attract like minded people, and connect with people. Not connect with any ulterior reason in mind - just the need to express and hopefully draw connections.

Anything worthwhile is accomplished in this fast, moving Attention-Scarcity Age by connecting and working together as artists.

Play It Safe?

Why should we play it safe?

Why should we feel bad to compare ourselves and our results to others - why should we even compare anything to others?

Who says we are competitors? That only happens if you have a carbon-copy, fungible commodity.

But, even if you and I wrote books on the same topic, they are not fungible - they speak differently - they have a different tune - resonance. it is quite possible that my book's tune my appeal or affect another, while yours might make an impression on someone else.

Why should we self-censor and beat ourselves down into a cog in the wheel?

For what?

When I'm afraid and think I should conform, I think of my kids - do I want them to grow up and conform - just be someone in the faceless crowd? Or do i want them to shine and contribute to humanity - do the thing for which they are suited?

Problem Solving in The Moment

Solve and brainstorm problems in moment - so its fresh. Be moment driven.

When you are ready - just do it - no thinking - just start discussing ideas!

Get together and start discussing, thnk of possibilities, what could be the cause of the problem, and then try to figure out a way to prove or disprove your theories as soon as possible.

Do everything in the moment -

if you want to write - just pick a topic, write, and let it go!

if want to consult, go to networking event, or make speech - then do it!

My daydream is to help people to effortlessly and joyously spread their ideas and create value in the moment.