Thursday, October 11, 2007
Life is about betting and betting... Nothing less.
As we all know, in betting, there's always risks involved. I just told Chatrin that I perceive life as series of bets, and there are high or low-stake bets. Making a decision is like putting the money on the table and say, "Let's play". Like I told her, my decision to move from Motorola to a startup company is a decision that has gone through some many rounds of thinking and risk assessment; to consider between the opportunity that's lost by making a move from a multi-billion dollar company to a company that's living on a tight budget.
Corporate life is also almost the same. The question would wander around, "are we betting on the right technology?" "Do we invest in the right product?" "Can the supplier be trusted?".
There are some differences, though, between betting in a casino, in personal, and corporate lives.
Betting in a Casino
You walk into a Casino in Macau, and you know your objective. The objective is to win as much money as possible. You know what the end result is (either you're winning or losing) and you understand the rule of the game. If you're not good at counting cards, not good at calculations involving lots of statistical theories, then the only thing you can count on is your luck.
Luck is the name of the game. Definite is the end result.
Corporate Life
A company is thinking that bicycle is the future of transportation. The company is focusing its resources to build a product based on that idea, starting from writing the business model, raising funds, developing the product, and researching for the next-gen bicycle. It projects 5 years to reach Return on Investment. It's a long term bet.
The company might be right, or wrong. During the period, it will face a stiff competition, new technology might appear, and the old one will be rendered useless. There will be changes along the way, the rule of the game is not really fixed. If the company can't facilitate change, it will lose. If it can change and reshape, it might end up producing scooters instead of bicycles.
Luck is not the name of the game but Risk management and how quickly an organization reshapes itself are.
Personal life
Sometimes in real life, we are faced with difficult decisions. Well, at least, I am. To weight between decision A or decision B. To study in Denpasar, or go to a dormitory school in Java (to stay far from my parents, or live an independent life). To wear braces or not (to lose money, or to have straight teeth).
Some people see them as sacrificing, but I see them as betting. Some bets are easy to make, because the risk is small, some are difficult because the risk is BIG. I lose trust to my luck, because it never did me any good when I bought lotteries. When placing a big bet, I don't know how the end result would be, but I know what I want it to be. Determination and the capability to reinvent and reshape myself are the telling factors.
Corporate life is also almost the same. The question would wander around, "are we betting on the right technology?" "Do we invest in the right product?" "Can the supplier be trusted?".
There are some differences, though, between betting in a casino, in personal, and corporate lives.
Betting in a Casino
You walk into a Casino in Macau, and you know your objective. The objective is to win as much money as possible. You know what the end result is (either you're winning or losing) and you understand the rule of the game. If you're not good at counting cards, not good at calculations involving lots of statistical theories, then the only thing you can count on is your luck.
Luck is the name of the game. Definite is the end result.
Corporate Life
A company is thinking that bicycle is the future of transportation. The company is focusing its resources to build a product based on that idea, starting from writing the business model, raising funds, developing the product, and researching for the next-gen bicycle. It projects 5 years to reach Return on Investment. It's a long term bet.
The company might be right, or wrong. During the period, it will face a stiff competition, new technology might appear, and the old one will be rendered useless. There will be changes along the way, the rule of the game is not really fixed. If the company can't facilitate change, it will lose. If it can change and reshape, it might end up producing scooters instead of bicycles.
Luck is not the name of the game but Risk management and how quickly an organization reshapes itself are.
Personal life
Sometimes in real life, we are faced with difficult decisions. Well, at least, I am. To weight between decision A or decision B. To study in Denpasar, or go to a dormitory school in Java (to stay far from my parents, or live an independent life). To wear braces or not (to lose money, or to have straight teeth).
Some people see them as sacrificing, but I see them as betting. Some bets are easy to make, because the risk is small, some are difficult because the risk is BIG. I lose trust to my luck, because it never did me any good when I bought lotteries. When placing a big bet, I don't know how the end result would be, but I know what I want it to be. Determination and the capability to reinvent and reshape myself are the telling factors.
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