The one who disagrees

One of the most important persons in your team is the one who disagrees, who challenges, who doesn't take what you say as an absolute truth.

That's a person that is typically missing in the teams of dictators. Surrounded by "yes-men", that confirm what they want to hear, every decision is a gamble with disaster, failing to have the test of early intelligent scrutiny.

Just think about that next time someone disagrees with your plans. Because that timely feedback helps you and your team to avoid mistakes and move towards better products, strategies and executions.

Moscow

A city that was new to me. Center of the city park. August 2013. A Sun that didn't warm my body or soul. 50-year old men drinking vodka on the park benches. 18-year old scantly dressed girls on leather striking poses to take photos, always with a sad face and no smile. 60-year old babushas, with tired eyes, watching life go by. While the Porsches zoomed around non-stop. A lot more than the Kremlin, Saint Basil's or the Red Square, this is the image I have from Moscow. An unequal and sad city. 

The red button

It seems Russia is not winning ground as fast as it expected in Ukraine and the war is costing Russia around €18 Billions a day (estimate, sources unconfirmed). Additionally, Russia will face very serious financial liquidity issues tomorrow, when banks open - its sovereign debt has been graded as "junk", SWIFT access will be lost, there is already a bank run going on (on ATMs).

But Putin cannot lose this war, or his position will be in considerable jeopardy. Maybe even himself.

So, there is the risk that pressing a button and launching a nuclear strike on Kiev to announce a victory internally might be considered a feasible and positive solution.

Tyrants

"All through history, there have been tyrants and murderers, and for a time they can seem invincible, but in the end they always fall, always." - Mahatma Ghandi

Digitisation

"Today's Publico editorial is a war cry for the digitisation of the Portuguese economy, a reminder of the once-in-a-lifetime" opportunity ahead of us but also that the clock is ticking fast!" - Bernardo Correia, Google Country Manager (Portugal)

Complex

 "Simple rules produce complex behavior. Complex rules produce stupid behavior." - Andrew Hunt.

The nacidiots

The title is my free translation. The great article from Carlos Guimarães Pinto is here (in Portuguese).