Data is the dirty laundry of organizations, firms, companies, house holds, networks. How you ask? Isn't data, data? As some one who has run large scale complex transformations and change management initiatives, 9 times out of 10 they bring out all thats broken. You just need to know what you should be looking for.

• If your Process is Broken --> Data Quality Issues

• If your Organization is Siloed --> Fractured Data

• If your Leadership Vision is un clear --> Fuzzy Data Streams

• If you are a Political Organization --> Lack of Data(people unwilling to share data)

Whilst data may be the new oil, data is also the first thing that gives away clues in to whats broken before you start fixing things. Data is a proxy for most organizational issues, solving data problems is not about buying BI tools or building excel charts or bringing highly paid consultants, instead it requires a deep rooted understanding of organizational complexity along with steady hands to take decisions that will shake things to the core.

Outcomes

Work to lead better ones in the new year for your self. If you are young/(er) entrepreneur and you are waiting for some one else to change your outcomes, you need to take a bet on your self. Stop feeling sorry for your self and stop being on the cycle of in-action. For you to win, you have to try, for you to try, you have to start, for you to start you have to decide that today is the day you will do some thing to change the rest of your life.

One New Thing (that I learnt recently)

The first mac & cheese recipe dates to the year 1390, when it appeared in the cookbook "The Forme of Cury". It used fresh, hand-cut pasta sandwiched between a mixture of melted butter and grated cheese.

Boring Stuff that Scales

Reading curated lists of ideas to launch your own in 2023. I came across a list of 100 Curated AI startup ideas. You can go signup here for free and get access to the list.

For more inspiration read how you can translate the above ideas, or your own, in to 12 startups in a year. Heres a fantastic post from Jon Yongfook who planned to build 12 Startups in 12 Months. On month 7 he built Bannerbear which now makes 553k+ ARR.

What you should be Reading

Status Anxiety. Alain de Buotton

Unlike the days when status was largely inherited, the meritocratic notion that anyone can achieve anything, and the related assumption of social mobility, gives hope to those who wish to rise in status, but it also results in self-blame when we fail. This is despite the fact that achievement is greatly influenced by factors outside our control (ie, luck). We're often uncertain or mistaken about what will make us happy. For example, the pleasure provided by material acquisitions is usually fleeting, whereas we expected it to be sustained or even permanent. Likewise, in envisioning careers, we often make the mistake of focusing on the positives while downplaying the negatives. I wish I had read this book years earlier the reviews(as above) were fantastic and I do concur. If you are looking relaunch the way you think about status and your own life, this is a must read for 2023.

Monetize your time

Here is an idea I read this week. I think it has merit. As you look to build your brand/services online, do you think you could build a business of one, using this model? Why not take this idea and setup a service on online platforms and pricing it right for a trial? Perhaps cheaper than a 100$?

Made in Pakistan (Pre Nationalization Monopolies)

Zulfikar Ali Bhutto (1928–1979) became President of Pakistan (1971–74) on 21 December 1971 after a disastrous end of 1971 war with India. The nationalization programme was implemented for the first time in the history of Pakistan and it was promulgated through three different stages.

I recently came across a fantastic publication. Private Industrial Investment in Pakistan: 1960-1970.

Why is this important? It sheds light in to how the economy was structured and who controlled the monopolies before Nationalization eroded economic capital of the country. It also shows some thing very critical, the growth rates of industry by sector.

Far more interesting is that I was able to see for the first time, the interplay between banks, their ownership, the insurance companies and the overall major monopoly families and their directorships across enterprises. It was an eye opener for me. So as you start to build your journey of better outcomes, be mindful of history, understand how made in Pakistan can be extremely successful and the pitfalls you must avoid to avoid an other era of nationalization if you were to become too big too fail.

But my most favorite table is the only that shows the inter-connectivity between the groups.

One Last Thing

Always focus on what the user wants, vs what you think the user wants. As you build better outcomes in 2023, know this, your initial assumptions are typically wrong, you are a winner if you can change them. You will continue to be a looser if you are married to a solution vs an idea. Unlearn to evolve, and evolve fast to build better products/services.