Scott Keller on “A CEO for All Seasons”: “This book takes a different view and actually has different content as a result. You could look for a book on how to succeed in college that says, “How do you think about what college you want to get into? How do you move in? When do you think about going home for breaks? How do you decide where to stay? Do you complete an internship? How do you think about junior year abroad, finding a job, all the time-bound things in that journey, year by year?” In CEO Excellence, we talked about more of the general things. In A CEO for All Seasons, we’ve literally broken the journey up into four stages: Stepping up. How do you step up to prepare for the role and make yourself the best possible candidate? Starting strong. How do you start strong if you are fortunate enough to be chosen? How do you transition into the role in a way that will be most successful? Staying ahead. How do you stay ahead, once you’ve been in the role for a while? How do you keep on going and achieve win after win, year after year? Sending it forward. How do hand over the baton? How do you transition well to the next leader? You’re sending the organization forward in a way that will be even more successful in the future than when you had it.”
ET: “Rs 5 and Rs 10 price points aren’t just numbers. They are psychological anchors, trust markers and entry points into the vast bottom of India’s consumption pyramid. Over the years, Rs 5 and Rs 10 have become sacrosanct for India’s fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) companies. So much so that they are protected through both inflationary periods and regulatory changes, including GST revisions. But why are these particular price points so significant? What makes them non-negotiable for brands? In retail and behavioural economics, round numbers carry psychological significance. Rs 5 and Rs 10 are easy to understand, easy to handle (especially with physical cash) and feel affordable to the average consumer. They are deeply embedded in the consumer psyche as small change, a low-risk purchase, almost impulsive. For rural and semi-urban consumers, especially those who deal mostly in cash and in daily or weekly transactions, ₹5 and ₹10 products feel accessible and safe. There’s no mental calculation needed — no ambiguity. This ease makes them ideal price points for mass consumption.”
Eli Dourado: “A true transportation abundance agenda has to revolve around airplanes and autonomous vehicles. The goal should be able to go from any point in the country to any other point in the country in, like, two hours, door to door. We should have supersonic airplanes made out of cheap titanium and powered by electro-LCH4. An autonomous vehicle should be available to pick you up within 30 seconds and whisk you to a nearby airfield. Security should be painless and instant (another state capacity task). If your trip doesn’t require an airplane, the autonomous vehicle should get you straight there at 100+ mph since it’s good at avoiding accidents. In cities, autonomous buses with dynamic route planning based on riders’ actual needs beat subways’ 1-dimensional tracks. We should not be trying to build marginally better versions of 20th century (or 19th century!) technology. We should be more ambitious than that. Trains are unbefitting of a country as wealthy as I aspire for us to be.” [via Tyler Cowen]
WSJ: “The world’s ultimate petrostate is turning to solar power. Saudi Arabia is building some of the world’s biggest solar farms, along with giant arrays of batteries to store their electricity till after dark. The rapid rollout is making the country into one of the fastest-growing markets for solar power from a near-standing start. The kingdom is betting that sunshine can transform its economy and bolster its coffers. It needs electricity for new tourism resorts, factories and AI data centers. Green energy could also squeeze more value from the fossil fuels that made the kingdom rich. Saudi Arabia burns oil to generate electricity; embracing alternatives frees up barrels for export.”
