Better Business and Career Decision Making

… through the obsessive and actionable study of business expertise. Sign up for the weekly newsletter and join thousands of readers:

     Feature image for Operational Excellence is the Pursuit of ‘Knowledge’

    Operational Excellence is the Pursuit of ‘Knowledge’

    It turns out that operational excellence results from the pursuit of a certain form of knowledge and using metrics in business is about the pursuit of this knowledge. This is Part 3 of the Becoming Data Driven series, and the result of a deep dive into the field of Statistical Process Control.

     Members only
    Feature image for An Expertise Acceleration Experiment in Judo

    An Expertise Acceleration Experiment in Judo

    I relocated for a three month expertise acceleration experiment in Judo. These are my notes from two months in: what I learnt, what was hard, and what deliberate practice actually feels like.

    Feature image for How to Become Data Driven

    How to Become Data Driven

    The answer, like most things from Statistical Process Control, is more surprising and more obvious than you might think.

     Members only
    Feature image for Commoncog is Off for the Chinese New Year

    Commoncog is Off for the Chinese New Year

    A quick announcement. Happy Year of the Rabbit everyone!

    Coming Soon: The Commoncog Case Library

    Accelerate your acquisition of business expertise. Backed by cognitive science. Learn more →

    More Posts

    Feature image for Goodhart's Law Isn't as Useful as You Might Think

    Goodhart's Law Isn't as Useful as You Might Think

    Goodhart's Law is useless. It tells you about a phenomenon, but it doesn't tell you how to solve it. We look at how organisations actually prevent Goodhart's Law, and illustrate this with Amazon's Weekly Business Review as an example.

    Feature image for The 2022 Commoncog Recap

    The 2022 Commoncog Recap

    This was the final newsletter edition sent out to subscribers at the end of 2022. A recap of Commoncog's best ideas, and a preview of several upcoming experiments.

    Feature image for The Shape of a Technological Window

    The Shape of a Technological Window

    Technological Windows is Steve Jobs's conception of the game of consumer technology. We look at how he used it over the course of his career. Note: this is a follow-up to and an update for the Commoncog Case Library Beta.

    Feature image for Is This a Moat: Mailchimp and PayPal’s Algorithmic Advantage

    Is This a Moat: Mailchimp and PayPal’s Algorithmic Advantage

    Two case studies of real world competitive advantage, followed by a question: was this a moat or not?

     Members only
    Feature image for The Disaffected PhD Skunkworks: A Story About Process Improvement

    The Disaffected PhD Skunkworks: A Story About Process Improvement

    A concrete story of positive process improvement, deep from the trenches of early customer service at Amazon.

    Feature image for Process Improvement is Trickier Than You Think

    Process Improvement is Trickier Than You Think

    Most companies skimp on process improvement. But the surprising thing is that they do so not because they're bad or lazy — but because there are system dynamics that prevent them from doing so. We take a look at what those are.

     Members only

    Book Summaries

    Feature image for Accelerated Expertise

    Accelerated Expertise

    Accelerated Expertise is the best book we have on creating accelerated training programs today.

    Feature image for 7 Powers

    7 Powers

    7 Powers is arguably the best book on business strategy currently available today.

    Feature image for Working Backwards

    Working Backwards

    Working Backwards is the first book that explains how Amazon really works.

    Feature image for Range

    Range

    David Epstein's mediocre book argues the merits of being a generalist. Instead of reading it, read this and subscribe to Epstein's newsletter.

    Burnout

    What do we actually know about burnout? What does the research say? Is burnout preventable? All the research, in one free, updated place.

    The Starter Manager Guide

    The bare minimum you need to know to be an adequate manager. Short enough to finish in three hours. Meaty enough to take 6-8 months to master.

    Career Moats

    The soup-to-nuts guide to building a career moat. We start from understanding your job market, executing a skills audit, all the way to building and then maintaining a moat.

    The Commoncog Membership Program

    Accelerate your pursuit of business expertise. Become a better decision maker. Access to members-only content, the full selection of Commoncog guides, a growing case library, and an exclusive forum.
    Learn more →