Project failures are rampant. Seven in ten projects fail to deliver promised benefits, often exceeding budgets. After two decades witnessing this firsthand in reengineering and transformation projects, I sought insights from three books to understand why well-intentioned projects fail and how to address a common culprit: poor communication. The books reviewed are: While none earnedContinue reading “Stop Doomed Projects: 3 Books Offer Insights on Planning, Communication, and Execution”
Author Archives: shivashetty
My 2024 Media Roundup: Best of Film, Books, & Articles
In 2024 I read 36 books, 53 Longform Articles (LFAs) and watched 53 Films. TL;DR – Here are my top recommendations, if you just want the winners, no reasons or details needed: Best Film I saw in 2024 : Dune (Part 2) Best Book I read in 2024 : Den of Thieves by James StewartContinue reading “My 2024 Media Roundup: Best of Film, Books, & Articles”
The Man Who Unshackled India: A Tribute to Manmohan Singh
“No power on Earth can stop an idea whose time has come.” With these words, Manmohan Singh began his historic 1991 budget speech, signaling a seismic shift in India’s economic trajectory. As Finance Minister, Singh dismantled the restrictive Licence Raj, paving the way for the liberalization, privatization, and globalization India so desperately needed. Today, millionsContinue reading “The Man Who Unshackled India: A Tribute to Manmohan Singh”
Unmasking the Chameleon : A Survival Guide
The late great Charlie Munger, Warren Buffets BFF, long advised his readers to adopt a lifelong habit of building a Latticework of Mental Models for thinking and decision making, to help one understand and navigate the complexities of this world. All of us reading this have a likely list of “I wish I had…” regrets.Continue reading “Unmasking the Chameleon : A Survival Guide”
The Best 25 Longform Articles – 2023 Edition
It’s taken me 1000 days to read through this latest batch of 250 Longform articles. From that pool, 25 can be confidently tagged ‘Superb‘. All listed below with links and brief explanation on what each longform is about. This brings the total running tally of LFAs read, since this project kicked off in 2016, toContinue reading “The Best 25 Longform Articles – 2023 Edition”
The Best 15 Longform Articles – 2021 Edition
In the last 1 year I have managed to read up 150 more longforms articles (LFA) and from those I have picked 15 that I rate with as ‘Superb‘. Reading these 15 was pure pleasure and a few of them also managed to open the mind to some brilliant concepts and out there ideas. SoContinue reading “The Best 15 Longform Articles – 2021 Edition”
Calm in Chaos: A Framework for the Overhyped Now
This essay’s TL;DR ? Don’t get too caught up in the current “this time it’s different” hype cycle. Focus on the basics and what is immutable. “EVERYTHING IS CHANGING. NEW NEW THING WILL NOW REPLACE THE OLD NEW THING!” Currently the zeitgiest is all about and around AI hot takes. Earlier it was Blockchain andContinue reading “Calm in Chaos: A Framework for the Overhyped Now”
Decision-Making: The Most Underrated Skill in an AI-Driven World
Most folks who read this blog are in white-collar jobs. Which means since the beginning of this last decade (2010s) have been relentlessly bombarded by the trifecta bingo of AI, Automation and Analytics. If you are skeptical just open your LinkedIn feed. Everyone in the corporate hierarchy is focused on learning about, deploying and gettingContinue reading “Decision-Making: The Most Underrated Skill in an AI-Driven World”
Herding Bits, Not Sheep: The Evolution of Work
Premise There are two fundamental components that make up the content of most of our lives in 2020s :A. Physical things (baryonic matter)B. Digital things (information, represented in 0s,1s in this young century) Till about 1950, before the Anthropocene truly began, world trade, world GDP and the lives our grandparents lived was all about AContinue reading “Herding Bits, Not Sheep: The Evolution of Work”
The Best 30 Longform Articles of 300 I Read
Since 2016 I started reading and scrupulously tracking all the longfrom articles I read. Longform is any essay or article over 3000 words. It allowed me to then do this : Nominate a few outstanding longforms that I think more people should read. Because they are just so good and well worth the time invested inContinue reading “The Best 30 Longform Articles of 300 I Read”
Third Eye Observations 