February | 2010 | Business lessons from rock

Business lessons from the Dead

February 20, 2010 / 22 Comments

The March issue of The Atlantic carries an engaging article, "Management Secrets From the Grateful Dead."

In it, Joshua Green writes: "The Dead's influence on the business world may turn out to be a significant part of its legacy… The band pioneered ideas and practices that were subsequently embraced by corporate America."

This is not headline news to blfr readers (see my earlier post and comments) but it's nice to see some mainstream acceptance of the notion that rock bands have a few things to teach us in business matters.

Green goes on to argue that the Dead were savvy businessmen who jumped all over merchandising as a key revenue source and were ahead of the curve in their "customer first" orientation and determination to deliver superior customer value.

Cloud illusions: Joni Mitchell weighs-in on web backups.

February 5, 2010 / 31 Comments

Confused about the risks/rewards of cloud computing? Squeamish about storing your data and apps on the internet—on remote servers and computers? You're not alone.

In fact Joni Mitchell expressed ambivalence about the cloud decades ago in her brilliant song "Both Sides Now" (video below). She noted the fairy-tale promises of web-based computing ("ice cream castles in the air") and yet she saw both sides of the issue and even questioned her initial love affair with it.

Sure, storing data & apps on the cloud assures unlimited storage, lower computer costs, universal document access, increased computer performance, improved data reliability, device independence, easier group collaboration—but there are still downsides.

Of course Joni couldn't go into detail in a three-and-a-half minute song, but she recognized that using the cloud requires a continuous internet connection, entails some loss of control, and runs the risk of proprietary data being stolen or lost. (That was her precise point in the now-famous line: "Something's lost but something's gained in living every day.")