The man who reinvented the corporation
I was recently reading an old article from the March 22, 2004 issue of Business Week. In a series entitled The Great Innovators, they were taking a closer look at the men and women who had left a mark in business, science, technology, government, etc.
This article summarized the life and contribution of Alfred Sloan. Although his name is not as famous as Thomas Edison or Benjamin Franklin, by far, his influence on the American, and global modern, society might be greater than you think.
Some of Sloan’s contributions include:
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breaking down responsibilities
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He wrote a book, The Organizational Study, referred to by Welch as the first management treatise.
What we can learn from our children
I have recently taken the habit of frequenting daily the wonderful Singapore’s National Library, which by the way is a top notch facility in a beautiful building.
And I recently came across an interesting book: Lessons from the sandbox. Besides the funny title and style, this book is full of insights.
We all have many teachers in our lives. Some we choose, some are imposed onto us. Some are events, some are people. Despite their diversity, there are patterns that allow to identify our teachers: one of them is, they mostly come in a form that changes our lives. One of these teachers came to Ting and I a while ago, in the shape of a beautiful, fragile little girl.
An early November morning, this little girl decided to wake up her mommy, at 5:30am, so much so that Papa and Mama prepared swiftly and went to the hospital. It was only at 8:26pm, that the marvel would show her face, not after numerous knocks on the door, and subsequent silences.
And this was but the first of many lessons: “Some things, you can define a schedule for, but for the important things in life, you have say, but you can’t do it alone.“
Tara brought me, and her mommy I am sure, many lessons. As I want to remember and ponder them, I will take the time to share them with you.