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...

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 branded retailer—a household name—selling...

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 actually an assumption.  So of course we experience everything through the lens of our experience and personality. Why so philosophical today, you might ask? Because...

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...

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.“ 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...