Sam Aparicio

In this post by Cory Doctorow at BoingBoing Buying DVDs vs pirating them we see how the process of watching a movie varies radically depending of how the movie was acquired:

Sometimes piracy as a business model delivers value beyond getting the goods for free, it delivers convenience. And that is a point that many times escapes content publshers who associate their rights over content with the rights of how that content is consumed and impose on consumers restrictions that consumers find unacceptable.

Sometimes we get so caught up in judging the morality of illegitimate industries that we forget to learn some of their highly innovative methods.

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Originally uploaded by samaparicio

My American friends tease me when I tell them that, in Spain, you do business with ham. So here is proof: at a tech company I recently visited, employees were given the choice of getting hi-end headphones or a cured ham leg as a Christmas gift, and even among geeks, over 60% chose the ham leg.

This passion for all things pig is hard to understand for outsiders. At least, until you taste it. Prosciutto is no match for spanish ham. In reality, what people love is to gather around good food and there’s no better opportunity than to do this that at year end. Hence, in Spain, 50% of ham consumption happens in December.

This is also a fantastic, historic time to buy ham, as with the economic crisis there is an oversupply, and ham manufacturers are selling at below-production cost.

So head over to Ibergour and grab a good leg.

I took up biking over the summer, largely as a way to lose some weight and get in shape. I learnt a few lessons that apply to business and I share them below.

In bike-speak, I’m what they call a clydesdale, an overweight dude who picks up biking to get fit. I’m glad to see that it’s a trend among techies. Our 100% sedentary jobs and our natural inclination for things intellectual makes it possible to go through life without making any physical efforts. I’ve met fit techies too, but the ratio definitely favors the well-built kind.

Here it goes.

• Like Mark Suster says, be persistent. When I started biking I was in a lot of pain. Even a 4 mile commute would be major. But I kept on going, every day, and my body started getting used to the effort and (very) slowly rewarded me with added stamina. In business, getting to a goal is much more likely if you have a chance to iterate many times over the idea. For example, when it comes to product ideas, following the minimum viable product approach.
• Be prepared. I remember the beginning of my bike commuting was an unmitigated disaster. I forgot my shoes, or some clothes, or the bike lock, or … you name it, I’ve probably forgotten it or kept it at the wrong location. My task at hand (to bike from A to B), seemingly simple, got way overcomplicated because I didn’t have a supporting system. In business, you have to invest in the process to make the outcomes happen in a predictable way.
• Don’t be a loner. Every weekend I would go on these rides by myself. It was fun and everything, but I only made so much progress. Then I joined a biking club, the Potomac Pedalers. Going on rides with other people challenged me and helped me learn about how others, ahead in their cycling prowess, solved the little challenges. In business, you can operate solo, but then every problem is your own problem. You slow down your learning, and it’s harder to spot opportunities. It’s much better to be part of a team. And much more enjoyable.
• Don’t be afraid to ask. There’s so much to learn about biking, and it makes a difference too. Why do they wear those tights? Why do they walk in those funny shoes? Why are those saddles so thin? etc etc… So I’ve driven my friend Steve crazy, and every shop employee at all the local bike shops in herndon and reston… to get the advice. This has helped me so much in all the other goals. In business, you can do it the hard way, or you can ask somebody who’s been there before. But that requires work too. Work to build the relationships with mentors and advisors. And it also requires humility to realize how much you don’t know. And vulnerability to ask a potentially stupid question.

(This post is for my friend Steve)

I know this TEDtalk of Seth Godin has been around for a while, but it was inspiring for me to watch.

Most memorable quotes:

Instead of being a sheepwalker –somebody who’s half asleep, following instructions, keeping their head down, fitting in — [...] someone stands up and says ‘not me. This one is important. We need to organize around it’

All tribe leaders have charisma, but you don’t need charisma to become a leader. Being a leader gives you charisma. Charisma comes from the leading.

What leaders have in common

1. They challenge the status quo
2. They build a culture, a secret language
3. They connect people to one another
4. They commit to the tribe

If you’re interested, here’s the book.

If you’ve got a software idea, and want to see it happen, you need a development team. Unless you’re going to sit down and code it yourself (perfectly reasonable, but then, who’s going to do all the other work?), you need to go out there and make yourself one. I know about five ways of building a team, so I thought I’d put it out there to contrast them, and get your feedback.

5 Approaches to building a development team

As you can see, I think Offshoring 2.0 is the smart choice. In upcoming posts I will flesh out more details about this approach.

Terry Pratchett is probably one of my favorite authors. While most view his work as fantasy, his fans see it as great literature. It shares with other great books penetrating insight into the human condition.

I’ve been reading Unseen Academicals. If you do, you can’t but notice Glenda Sugarbean, the Night Kitchen cook. As Lord Vetinari says, “That’s a Sugarbean woman for you, little domestic slaves until they think someone has been wronged, and then they go to war like a queen, with chariot wheels spinning and arms and legs all over the place. [...] One can only hope she doesn’t take it into her head to enter politics.”

She reminds me of another great Pratchett character, Granny Weatherwax, the old witch who really can’t do magic, but somehow is more powerful than any of the wizards.

There’s something to be learnt from these characters about quiet leadership. How selflessly they can focus on the outcomes, how single-mindedly they fight for the right cause, how little they care for perceptions or what others might say. Their spirit of sacrifice.

My friend and ex-boss Mike Zirngibl gave me one of the most thoughtful gifts of my professional career, a little book by Mark Sanborn titled “You don’t need a title to be a leader“. I got it at a time when he must have seen me particularly turmoiled, when I exuded ambition from every pore. Funnily enough, he did give me a bigger title soon after. But I think he was trying to make me see that anybody who seeks leadership is scaring it away. That we all have a choice.

We either want change or we want recognition.

If you work for recognition, change escapes. If you work for change, you may never get recognition.

The only true recognition, though, comes from effective change.

And how you act defines you.

So you must chose.

If you do things to get noticed, you will dillute the impact of your actions.

If you do things to change the world, you must be ready to go unnoticed.

Eventually, though, the world sorts itself out.

Whatever you position may be, work to affect change for the better around you. Stay out of politics as much as possible. Focus your energy on the outcomes. Don’t worry too much about how things look. And, if you deserve it, recognition may eventually come.