After spending decades in the HDD  industry, I came to believe that even the slightest loss of stored data was so catastrophic as to justify a hurried team meeting and a frantic search - using the latest high-tech tools - for the root cause. I never hesitated to buy extra storage for my own personal data so that I could always have a backup. Computer memory stores data as a string of 1’s and 0’s, typically represented by either tiny, magnetized regions on a surface, or as electrical charges...

My family and I once spent two weeks in Spain, where we explored some of the charming small towns along the Costa del Sol.  One of the must-see destinations was the Museo Picasso in the Andalucian city of Malaga.  Although I confess that I still don’t “get” Picasso, there was an unmistakable aura of historical importance in each of the many gallery rooms.  Great art is like a great brand, I concluded; it is unique, unmistakable and stands the test of time. You don’t need an art degree to tell...

I know you think you understand what you thought I said, but what you heard is not what I meant. This phrase, sometimes attributed to former Fed Chairman Alan Greenspan, nicely captures the problem we often have in communicating. Getting our ideas across to another goes far beyond just articulating them clearly - it involves a subtle combination of body language, volume, emphasis, cadence and inflection. It benefits tremendously from continuous feedback. As text messaging and social media...