Here's a short thought experiment about the difference between better and good. Imagine you're driving a big truck along a highway. You see a sign that says low overpass ahead. 13' clearance. You realize you're driving a 19' tall truck. Good thing you saw that sign! You go back to the dispatch warehouse and get … Continue reading Quick Read: Better?
The challenge with growth companies is to figure out how to scale the culture as the size and complexity of the business grows. How do you grow the business without breaking the culture that made the business great to begin with?
1984 is a book about power, life, government, freedom (or lack thereof) of speech, human nature, love, strength, and weakness. It's gripping, suspenseful, horrific, and at times, maddening. This post contains a summary of the book, some of my favorite (or most terrifying) quotes, and some applications for business people.
The primary job of a manager is to provide leadership for their team. To be a leader. But what is leadership? This post is about my definition of leadership.
Learning to Eat Soup With a Knife by John Nagl uncovers common themes for effectively dealing with insurgent or non-conventional warfare.
Teamwork is important.
In fact, teamwork may be the most important competency for an organization operating in a world of complexity.
This is a pretty terrible advice letter for anyone college bound, but what can I tell ya. College was awesome. Try to enjoy it.
I've always been a Nike fanboy, but I never heard of Nike's founder Phil Knight until my Audible app recently recommended his awesome new memoir Shoe Dog. I loved the book, so here's a quick recap to maybe pique your interest in reading Shoe Dog for yourself.
Bruce Lee. Legendary Kung Fu master, martial artist, actor, philosopher, author, and one of my idols. He is perhaps best known for pioneering the martial arts style called Jeet Kune Do. An update to my post about describing My leadership style.
Hubris slays another Ancient Greek. "Pride comes before the fall," says the bible. Gatsby was ruined by his own opulence and swagger. People have been warning other people through stories to stay humble for a long long time now.
How do middle class people of the developed world keep the edge, work ethic, and values their immigrant ancestors had? How do we develop mental toughness?
Those fundamental principles that lead to sound business management: Demma’s 4 P's. A meaningful framework for doing the job of management effectively.
This month my company featured me on our portal in a blog-style interview. I thought I'd share since I haven't posted much about work lately. Here you go: Get to Know John Demma We all share common goals, but rarely do we have an opportunity to share a cup of coffee and break the ice. Yet, studies show … Continue reading Get to Know Me, From My Company’s Portal Blog
You may have heard someone say that expense savings go right to the "bottom line". What does that mean? What is the bottom line anyway? For a business, the last line on the income statement is net income. Income statements are one of the core financial reports for a business (along with balance sheets and … Continue reading Expense Savings Go Right to the Bottom Line
This barber, he had to be seventy, was telling me once while trimming me up how he just had a whole bunch of cancer surgically removed about a week earlier. Tough old dog, I thought. "I can't believe you're back to work already." "You ever been in a fight before?" he asked. I nodded. "Then you know … Continue reading Gut Check – Getting Back Up
