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    Latest Posts

    Feature image for A Big Part of Being Data Driven is Will Not Skill

    A Big Part of Being Data Driven is Will Not Skill

    What it's like being data driven in the restaurant business ... and what it tells us about becoming data driven in business more broadly.

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    The Amazon Weekly Business Review

    Everything you need to know about the Amazon Weekly Business Review: how it works, why it works, and how it helps Amazon win.

    Feature image for Business Ecosystem Change Takes Time

    Business Ecosystem Change Takes Time

    The birth of Sony, and the possibility that private corporations and private individuals can change broader business ecosystems.

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    Feature image for Learning About Moats the Hard Way

    Learning About Moats the Hard Way

    How even legendary conglomerator Henry Singleton got caught out by competitive arbitrage at the end of his career.

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    Feature image for Setting Up For The Second Half of 2024

    Setting Up For The Second Half of 2024

    A new set of cases for two concept sequences, and the end of the Data Driven Series.

    Feature image for The Limits of Operational Excellence

    The Limits of Operational Excellence

    An answer to a puzzle: why is that some businesses go down the Deming path, become data driven, achieve operational excellence, and die, and others acquire Process Power and win?

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    Feature image for The Secret at the Heart of Continuous Improvement

    The Secret at the Heart of Continuous Improvement

    Continuous Improvement sounds simple, even obvious. And yet there's a profound secret at its heart that doesn't seem to get talked about.

    Feature image for Introducing Xmrit

    Introducing Xmrit

    Some free software to create, modify, experiment with and share XmR charts. Unlock the ability to become more data driven today.

    Feature image for Making Sense of Deming

    Making Sense of Deming

    A comprehensive summary of W. Edwards Deming's ideas, whose System of Profound Knowledge is one of the most powerful things you'll find on the Operations side of the business expertise triad. Read this, so you don't have to read multiple books to apply his ideas.

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    Feature image for Members Preview: An Easier Way to Create XmR Charts

    Members Preview: An Easier Way to Create XmR Charts

    Early access to some software we've built to make XmR charts more accessible.

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    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.
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