A Balkan Lesson On Investing
In the Balkans, the grandparents studied Russian, the adults speak German, and the kids are learning English. This is due to shifting foreign influences, first from the USSR, second from Germany, and third from the United States. Let’s ask three…
A Muslim Extremist Ran Up Behind Me in Bosnia
I was walking alone in Bosnia, in the countryside far from the capital city of Sarajevo. It was night, and I had a few kilometers of walking to reach the small village, a collection of ~100 unpainted houses on the…
How To Have A Conversation Without Understanding A Word
Big cities are always full of people who speak some English, but in the smaller towns you will need to communicate without it. Here in Bosnia, many very kind and generous people speak only Bosnian. (and a bit of Russian…
Incentives Don’t Make Up For Lack of Skills (And Tracking Doesn’t Solve The Core Problem)
I lost 2 years of business growth because I thought unskilled freelancers could negotiate and innovate with Chinese manufacturers. I interviewed and hired ~6 freelancers. I gave them template emails and instructions documents. I ‘delegated’ products for them to…