Morning Folks and something a bit different today – over the course of the last week, I’ve picked up a few odds & bits that I found thought provoking, that were a source of satisfaction or that brought a smile to my face and thought I’d pass them on.
The first involves Jeff Bezos and the meeting culture at Amazon – I know…odd topic – but stay with me – I’ll bring it around. I ran across an interesting article from Business Insider on LinkedIn and wanted to pass it along – link below:
After working within corporate cultures for 25+ years where PowerPoint reigns supreme, I found it encouraging that Bezos has taken a different approach at Amazon. Long to short, Bezos has banned PowerPoint in all meetings at Amazon and instead requires presenters to generate thoughtful, well-written memos on the topic to be discussed. He then carves out an appropriate amount of time at the start of the meeting to allow all participants to actually read the memo – a realistic appreciation for the fact that all too often – all too many of us don’t prepare and just fake it – then devotes the rest of the time to an indepth discussion. His rationale – it leads to a more robust thought process and better preparation on the part of the leader of the discussion as well as deeper understanding of the topic on the part of the audience – all of which, in his opinion, leads to higher quality discussions and better decisions. One other reason suggested by the author of the BI piece which I loved: “There might be another reason for this “weird” meeting culture. Bezos is a book lover who started Amazon as an online book store. Reading is in the company’s DNA.” As far as I’m concerned, props to Jeff on this one.
Here’s a second bit that my wife and I really are happy about. Guess what opened up in our neighborhood this month:
We now have a brand spanking new Half Price Books. It’s been open about 3 weeks now and we’ve been twice. I’m going to be happy whenever a new bookstore opens but I’ve always liked the treasure hunting aspect of HPB. I very rarely buy but – when I do – it’s usually because I run across a collectible in good shape that fills a hole in my Library. There’s just something far more satisfying about finding buried treasure on a physical shelf than on the internet. HPB – welcome and very happy to have you.
Finally, here’s one that just tickled both Sue and I.
I think Sue found this one at Whole Foods and we had to give it a try. In addition to loving the label – excepting the fact that the books are placed over the fireplace – not recommended – the wine wasn’t that bad. This one brought plenty of smiles to both our faces – both before, during and after. 🙂
Thought I’d share a few tidbits – hope they left you smiling.
Cheers,
Brian