People put a lot of weight on numbers, especially those that show significance in terms of accomplishment: 100 days in political office; 10,000 followers for a social media influencer; 100,000 likes for a viral post on the worldwide web; 1,000,000 units sold; 1 billion customers served by a fast-food chain. But as much as weContinue reading “Weighing the Benefits of Quantities, Streaks, and Trends”
Category Archives: Aha!
When Idle is Not Necessarily Bad
A chief executive officer (CEO) of a large corporation was touring a manufacturing facility. As with all CEO’s touring a factory, he had an entourage of executives accompanying him as he walked and shook hands with workers on the production line. As he strolled through the facility’s main line where the most important manufacturing processesContinue reading “When Idle is Not Necessarily Bad”
Cultivating Passing Thoughts into Aha! Moments
The late Isaac Asimov was a famous author who wrote science fiction stories (e.g. the Foundation series) and essays. In one such essay, The Eureka Phenomenon, Dr. Asimov writes how some scientists made great discoveries out of the blue. He cites: Archimedes who, while taking a bath, solved the problem of determining the volumeContinue reading “Cultivating Passing Thoughts into Aha! Moments”
Weather Forecasting vs. Demand Forecasting: A Case of Different Expectations
Meteorologists predict what the weather will be like, whether it be tomorrow or the next few hours. Demand forecasters predict what customers will buy and how much, whether it be next week, next month or next year. When a weather forecast is wrong, we don’t hold the meteorologist accountable. We may grumble about the inconvenienceContinue reading “Weather Forecasting vs. Demand Forecasting: A Case of Different Expectations”
Why We Need to Define the Bigger Problem*
When Apollo 13 astronauts reported an explosion on their space module, NASA’s Houston Mission Control contemplated on continuing the mission and land on the moon. It was only when NASA realized that the problems were life-threatening that it was decided to abort the mission and to have the astronauts return to Earth safely. We tendContinue reading “Why We Need to Define the Bigger Problem*”
Why Telecoms and Banks Don’t Care
I hate telecom companies and banks
Why Should We Care?
When we get a job in an enterprise, we generally assume it’s for work the company advertised and interviewed us for. We would find it kind of funny if the company assigns us to do something we didn’t get hired for. But it happens. We sometimes are given work that are not on ourContinue reading “Why Should We Care?”
What is a Manager, Anyway?
What is a manager? That was the first question the group of line managers asked me. I just got hired by as a management trainee at a consumer goods company and was on my first month at its Manila manufacturing facility, going through orientation. I was required to undergo a qualification test with senior managersContinue reading “What is a Manager, Anyway?”
Appreciating the Value of Veteran Employees
When I was a young industrial engineer at the food production division of a multinational company, the accounting department asked me to find out why there was a large reported loss of refined coconut oil. They’re the ones we always look for when we need something. I went to the production manager and he toldContinue reading “Appreciating the Value of Veteran Employees”
Three Questions Every New Manager Should Ask
Every new manager should always ask three (3) questions about an operation he or she will be in charge of: What does the book say should be happening? What do the people say should be happening? What is really happening? Chances are each answer would be totally different from the others. What does the bookContinue reading “Three Questions Every New Manager Should Ask”
Ellery's Essays 