A Conversation on Leadership

Along the way, Burns learned a few things, such as not looking for a promotion until “you’ve figured out a way to transform the current work,” and the importance of “loving change, and thinking hard before turning down a job, especially from someone senior to you.” She also figured out, “If you think you have to trade off who you are to make it, then you are going to fail.” At Xerox, she was valuable to the organization precisely because of her differences, she says. “It’s interesting how uniqueness is more of a significant advantage; it got me seen.”

To be an effective leader, she advises, you must determine “your space” in the firm; develop real listening abilities; have a clear vision and take risks. Burns is a big believer in setting objectives and standards for performance. She worries that these days “we’re in the mode of making everyone feel better, loving each other, to the detriment of people focusing, trying hard and differentiating the great from not so good.” One last thing, she counsels: Don’t get distracted by how much money a position might make. “The measure of money is least important over the long term. There is a point where there is too much, and you’ll know when you are there. Unfortunately, if you get to that point, you may have lost too much of the fun, joy and wonder enjoying the situation you’re in, trying to have people around you be better, in pursuit of making more money.”

(Founder Stories) How Mike Walrath Built Right Media And Sold It For $850 Million

In 2009, when my company worked with Right Media exchange, it was already bought by Yahoo. Even at that time, an exchange was still a new idea to publishers.
The idea, still is to build a platform where advertisers and publishers; supply and demand can meet together to do business.

Thinking further, the business model is said to be a profitable one, from strategic point of view for online advertising. The valuation worths.

Is this all Google's intention of its Android and the view over the future of mobile?

Strata 2011: Scott Yara, "Your Data Rules the World"

We are living in a unique point of time.

24.2.2011 - ABS trivial notes

- What Google is trying to do with their Android and mobile phone? Are they going to be a new Microsoft with their large market share on phone as Microsoft did with their Windows before? Are they only getting money from search or from something else that they are developing but not offering or exploiting yet?

- Again, if Apple loses its popularity, will the fate of its iPhone be like the fate of Apple I and II?

- Will Microsoft become obsolete in 10 years time? What can they do with a large market share getting from Nokia but whose users possess basic phones?

- What are revenues from Google, Facebook? Taken into account that more than 90% of their revenues are from advertising, how large is the yearly global advertising budget? For small companies, what are their shares in the market? Where does the advertising budget come from? Manufacturing companies like Unilever, entertainment (movies, music) or services. Without companies which produce goods for the society, how much the advertising budget will decrease? 

- How about energy? What can people with energy in 10 years? What if plants can be grown in the ocean, if energy from waves can be used much better (how much energy from the sea can we use. Surely, a very little part of it is being used now), and if there is technology to desalt water from the sea to provide clean water for the world?

Somehow, the world has been changing too fast. There are lots of technology developed for the fun and cool of its, not for the necessity. And in some part of the world, people are richer than what they expect, yet in another part, there is still poverty, hunger and no education for children...