Thoughts
Ideas that transform people, businesses, and industries
Deeply rooted in our organizational ethos is the celebration of authentic and unapologetic “thought.” We believe each member of our team brings with them a unique view of themselves, our clients, and of the world we live in. We make a point to not only articulate our individual experiences, senses, emotions, and actions internally, but to share them with you here.
Kicking it Old School with my Wii
This past weekend I wandered into our TV room where my son was playing on his Wii with my brother-in-law. He quickly informed me that they were doing it “old school” since the Xbox is by far the preferred game unit now. His comment got me wondering about the fact...
When Foreign Countries aren’t that Foreign
I recently returned from a vacation with my family to the United Kingdom. This trip was the first time we took our young children out of the country, so I wanted their first trip overseas to be a little benign. I was telling people that on an “adventurousness” scale...
The Blinking Red Light
Recently, there were severe thunderstorms that came through the Dallas/Ft. Worth area. With these storms came the normal accompaniments to bad weather in North Texas: overly caffeinated weatherman predicating doom and gloom, power outages, flight cancellations,...
Is there equity, or value, in your (consumer products) brand?
Brand valuation is typically defined as the estimated financial value of a brand. In the case where I was recently asked by a local entrepreneur, “How much do you think this brand is worth?”, I started to think about how I would go about valuing the brand in question...
Do you really care about security?
I've been in positions that have had security personnel reporting to me directly, and I have to admit I've often just considered them to be part of a function that just needs to get done. Security people tend to be overly paranoid, and they always seem to be costing...
Organizational Transparency
In an age of rapid change, technology, innovation, and business challenges, it becomes even more important than ever that businesses operate under consistent and coordinated strategies. Many organizations govern their strategic initiatives by incorporating key...
When Bad Customer Service is Good
I recently ate at a restaurant widely regarded as having one of the best burgers in Dallas. The location is off the beaten path, the parking situation is rough and you always have to wait in line. But, they have great burgers and what on the surface might seem like...
It’s a good time to be in tech
This latest analysis by the NELP (National Employment Law Project) shows concretely what has happened in hiring over the last four years. It’s a good time to be in technology services and a pretty bad time to be in Federal, State or Local government. Boy, am I glad...
Are operating “standards” really helping public companies?
A topic that I hear come up quite a bit is how private equity funds are able to amplify shareholder returns at a strikingly faster pace than public companies. Some folks ask how; others are just fascinated by their ability to drive these returns. Those that think it...
Good read on Salsify
A colleague of mine from a manufacturing venture, Jamey Bennett, recently published a blog on Salsify titled "Why well-oiled product information machines are vital for e-commerce, and why it's so hard to get them". I thought I would share as it is a good read. Here...
Release Chicken
Re·lease Chick·en [rē-lēs chik-uh n] noun (Corporate slang ) A variety of the game of chicken in which multiple teams barrel toward a release deadline without blinking, the object being to force the another team to fess up to delaying the project.
KANBAN to death
Consultants often see business trends early because they tend to work in different companies and different industries. Recently, my company has started to see the rise of KANBAN as a trend in technology development organizations. And so far, we aren’t impressed....
My Home ERP Implementation
No, I did not install SAP in my house. But, I do feel like I did a major system install by moving to AT&T’s U-verse package (T.V., phone, internet) a couple months ago. I essentially did a complete overhaul of a major part of my house’s technology infrastructure...
Why do technology projects fail?
Thought Ensemble recently had its annual company trip. One of our Thought Topics (read more about Thought Topics in a previous blog post by Lisa Jasper here) was why technology projects fail so often. It’s an old topic, probably as old as technology projects...
Origins of the Ensemble
When I was in high school, I was selected to be in an ensemble, a singing quartet that performed throughout my senior year. Practicing and performing with those three people is one of the fondest memories of my life. The singers in the quartet were selected based on...
A geospatial rambling
I am always fascinated by scientific topics and new ventures that are built off of cool concepts. Recently, I was speaking with a good friend and colleague who founded a start-up venture that is built around geospatial mapping capabilities. It is a known fact that...
Results vs. Hours Based Management
We just recently completed a slew of candidate interviews for a new support position at Thought Ensemble and the job is primarily virtual. So, one of the big topics covered in the interviews was how comfortable and competent the candidate would be working remotely....
Launch!
The dictionary defines a "blog" as "a personal website or web page on which an individual records opinions, links to other sites, etc. on a regular basis for about the first six months, then life or Candy Crush gets in the way and you post less frequently, until...
Entrepreneurial Fun
Until recently, I have worked at large companies for the vast majority of my career. I joined Thought Ensemble a couple months ago and working at a small entrepreneurial company feels very different. Now that the dust has settled I thought I’d share my perspective...
Tesla in TX???
I like, no love, cars. Beyond reading about the latest models and thinking about why I gave up the Toyota Supra I once owned, I also enjoy keeping up with the ups and downs of the automotive industry from a business perspective. If you’re like me, you may be aware of...
Doubling Down on Differentiation
Tesla the car manufacturer, named after the iconic inventor Nicola Tesla whose Alternating Current (AC) technology ultimately won over Thomas Edison’s Direct Current (DC), is well on its way to comparable feats with power storage technology. Unique to Tesla’s product...