Archive for the ‘Required Reading’ Category

I (frankly) find most of the reading and writing on culture to sit within a range of shallow garbage and intellectual bullshit. Don’t get me wrong, Culture matters – but behaviour is how culture is expressed. Culture, like the word “Weather”, needs a qualifier to be explained. This is a very good read on culture and how it is engineered and developed.

Crucially, the organisational response to “culture” is often a response to a multitude of factors that have nothing to do with “culture”. And the same is true of relationships… So, before you go throwing the culture label around, read on… so good…

Relationships are more likely to develop based on brief, frequent, passive contacts made going to and from regular locations than develop based on shared attitudes, values, and beliefs.

L. Festinger, S. Schachter, K. Back, “The Spatial Ecology of Group Formation” (1950)

So many great tips here.   my big tip is to use the subject line for instructions and where possible indicate its in end of message with ROM.  How to write with precision

Love the story behind the Adidas Stan Smith shoe. Brand so old it has more association behind the shoe brand than the man who won Wimbledon. He tells the story of his grand daughter who was told she couldn’t wear the shoe at school sports because it was a fashion brand – and had to point out that her grandad won Wimbledon wearing them.

Just incredible watching the speed of Amazon’s execution.  Very little legacy businesses will be able to do to match the pace without a total structural and cultural overhaul. 

Amazon starts the week with an amazing stick and ends it buying Wholefoods. In the middle rumors swirl about an enterprise software acquisition. All of which makes total stranger sense. 

Walmart, not wanting to skip a beat buys Bonobos. 

Initial coverage seems to be focusing on the moves as a online/offline retail convergence shift. That’s the tip of the iceberg. 

First, this is about acquiring distribution points and driving disruption in local delivery. Second, its about brand power. Besos gets brands and the power they have when backed by cash, great product and marketing. Look at what he did with the Washington Post. Wholefoods will get a brand boost and Amazon will get reach; a high income demographic, and a nice onramp to the largest retail segment – grocery. Wouldn’t be surprised to see Besos keep going – Trader Joes and others are good targets. 

Amazing.