David Beatty

[djbeatty]

Book Recommendation - The Checklist Manifesto

Just finished this - trying to knock off the big stack of books on my bedside table.   This is 100% not a self-help book.  “The Checklist Manifesto.  How to get things right” (2009,2010) by Atul Gawande seems closer to a Behavioural Economics, offering an amazing insight into human fallibility, and how something as simple as a checklist can drastically improve outcomes.

As a surgeon, working with the WHO, his goal is to improve patient outcomes.  Studying the successful use of checklists primarily in Aviation, he led development of surgical checklists with very impressive results from Third-World hospitals, to top-tier global facilities.

Entrenched opinions, hubris, pride and resistance to change get in way, but the results seem to speak for themselves.

He suggests that many industries / professions could benefit, and offers suggestions for how to create and implement appropriate checklists.

Worth a read.

[djbeatty]

So... I’ve wanted to start a blog for some years called “Failure of Design” about products which don’t quite hit the mark, and lessons that can be learned. 

Now that I’m Blogging daily ( Well, just day 3 here... so can’t confirm this as a habit yet ), and also studying User Experience Design at General Assembly, makes sense if I make Failure of Design or FOD a part of my regular stream.

Here’s a great one.    Wonderful hotel in Chennai, the Park Hyatt - highly recommend a stay here - great rooms, great service.

The #FOD though, was on checkout...  Envelopes that are about 10mm too short...  So my colleague had her letter folded and stuffed into the envelope, and mine had a new fold in the flap to make it fit around the A4 page..

Strange #FOD, as the close American paper sizes (Quarto, Letter etc.) are about the same (slightly wider) than A4, so surprising that they would order (arguably quite expensive) envelopes too short.   

Anyway, if anyone can think of the explanation, I’m interested to hear!

[djbeatty]

Daily Blog

I recently listened to Seth Godin on Tim Ferriss' podcast, and I highly recommend listening to the episode. You can find it here or on iTunes. http://fourhourworkweek.com/2016/02/10/seth-godin/#more-25428 One of his top recommendations was Blogging daily, which Seth does religiously. Hence, I'm adopting this habit, and this post is the first public post in my new series. I'm also posting internally at work, probably on alternating days. So a public post 3 or 4 times/week, and an internal public post at work 3 or 4 times per week also. Finally, I also really enjoyed one of the Audiobook recommendations Seth makes on the podcast. It's called "The Art of Possibility" by Rosamund Stone Zander and Benjamin Zander. Some practices there for transforming your perspectives. Well worth a listen, but start with the Podcast first. Posting this from Chennai, where I am attending workshops with the Workspace Engineering and Delivery team at SCB. Enjoying the great hospitality of my Indian colleagues, and of the staff at the beautiful Park Hyatt Chennai.

[djbeatty]

Interview on StartupsHK

I was recently interviewed by StartupsHK.  Check it out here - http://www.startupshk.com/5-questions-with-david-beatty-co-founder-of-refer-me/

[djbeatty]

A great view of my home base, Hong Kong.  This was an amazing evening in June when we gathered to celebrate the refer.me beta go-live.  Hong Kong has some spectacular views, and great photographers are really able to find some magic.  This image was captured by leading sports architect (famous for the Watercube in Beijing and Copper Box in London) and good friend John Pauline.  ( And on a cheap camera he tells me! )

[djbeatty]

Startup kick start, the alumni effect

I was thinking about which specific course from the Kellogg-HKUST EMBA program helped me the most with getting my Internet startup off the ground, and it proved a difficult choice. Many subjects together with inspirational professors came to mind, such as the Venture Capital elective held in Tel Aviv University, Israel, and the Entrepreneurial Finance elective held at the Kellogg campus in Florida, as well as some great core subjects taught in Hong Kong.

However, I could not pinpoint a single course that was more beneficial to me than the impact of the alumni network. For me, in the startup business, connections, strategy advice, honest feedback, inspiration and support are critical components of finding a winning business model and building a new business. These things can all come from an excellent alumni network.  Read more at Education Post…

[djbeatty]

From Fortune 100 to an Internet startup: How my Executive MBA prepared me

I blog for Education Post, part of South China Morning Post.

I was fortunate to attend the Kellogg-HKUST EMBA program from 2010 to 2011. At the time I was an Executive Director at a top investment bank where I had worked for 12 years. A large part of choosing to study an Executive MBA was to help me figure out the next steps in my career and life.

In hindsight, the decision to take the EMBA program could not have been better. In many ways, the course helped me to decide what I wanted to do professionally, and ultimately take the plunge and start my own business.   Read more at Education Post...