Author: TheBarrettGroup
Crude oil has recovered somewhat from the Covid-19 shock to consumption. This reminds me of Jonathan Swift’s famous quip: “Rumors of my death are greatly exaggerated.”
But is the recovery in oil prices reason to cheer?
In the short term, perhaps, unless you focus on climate change, but let us...
Overcoming challenges at a major pharmacy retailer
Here I am continuing my interviews with a number of retailers. All of them have interesting stories to tell about how Covid-19 transformed their businesses. None of them are willing to state their names. So we’ll handle these stories anonymously.
Let’s continue with a major pharmacy retailer—a...
One Branded Retailer’s Experience in 2020
Recently I have interviewed a number of retailers. All of them have interesting stories to tell about how Covid-19 transformed their businesses. None of them are willing to state their names. So we’ll handle these stories anonymously.
Let’s begin with a major apparel retailer—a household name—selling...
Actually, I’m not always right
We are all essentially blind-sided by the limits of being human. We can only know what we feel, observe, and think. Everything else is an assumption. So of course we experience everything through the lens of our experience and personality.
Why so philosophical today, you might ask?
Because this...
You are not alone (even if it feels that way)
Looking for a new job can be a very lonely experience. You may often feel like you are alone in your quest..
It can be demotivating–submitting so many resumes to on-line job boards and receiving either a rejection or no response at all.
Or reaching out to recruiters who may be open to talking (or...
2021 promises to be a hot market for executives
Have you ever stood in line for something that was in short supply and wondered if it would still be available when you got to the head of the line? Concert tickets? Sporting events? Author’s autographs? A free meal?
What about a new job?
Effectively, if you wait to enter the executive job market...
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.”
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.“
That is how Charles Dickens began his classic A Tale of Two Cities. But he might well have been talking about the year 2020 if he were still with us.
I wonder if there is anyone alive who has not been touched by Covid-19 in some way. Whether with...
Whole Industries will Die
As in nature, so in business. Companies come and go. Industries are born, mature, and die out. But what is stunning is the pace of these changes.
Will your industry or job even exist in five years? Will it die? Let’s reflect.
Being an engineer at, say, General Motors specializing in transmissions...
Exploit the Power of a Personal Inventory
It is normal for manufacturers and retailers to conduct a year-end inventory so that their balance sheets accurately reflect the value of goods in their warehouses. In fact, given the sophistication of warehouse management systems these days, probably most such businesses know their inventory every...
Big tech has a heart after all!
We have probably all wrestled with automated phone prompts. Or maybe a recalcitrant app that did not want to take the information we were trying to input… Or what about your Siri, Alexa, navigation, or other virtual human interface? No frustration there, right? We all benefit greatly from the efficiencies...