Weekly Distillation No.13
Bats; Stealth Bombers; Fashion; Shorter Meetings; Virtual Assistants; Gold; Elections; Turkey; Whisky
Photo by Rishabh Agarwal on Unsplash
This newsletter is written for entrepreneurial organisational leaders and aims to help identify themes of our current context and provide questions, tips and tools that can help in navigating that.
“One doesn't have to sit through exams and go to universities to play rock n' roll.” - Paul Rodgers
"We assess with a high degree of likelihood that November's elections will be marked by a chaotic legal and political landscape" - Transition Integrity Project
“No foreign nation, company or ship will be allowed without permission into our maritime areas.” - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan
“I think fashion is repulsive. The whole idea that someone else can make clothing that is supposed to be in style and make other people look good is ridiculous. It sickens me to think that there is an industry that plays to the low self-esteem of the general public. I would like the fashion industry to collapse.” - Steve Albini
“G20 countries alone have mobilized more than $10 trillion US dollars in fiscal stimulus to treat and mitigate the consequences of the pandemic. That is already more than three and a half times as much as the world spent in the entire response to the global financial crisis.” - Director General of World Health Organisation
Skim it in a minute
Thematic insights from the news and the web to help you think about potential future and current contexts and how to be productive, creative and successful in your work now
The future of work
Photo by Christina @ wocintechchat.com on Unsplash
This article in quartz, highlighting work meetings are getting shorter now, is consistent with what I am seeing. Zoom calls regularly becoming 30 minutes rather than 60, team meetings becoming 45 minutes rather than 60, people more keen to get off Zoom than hang around and chat. I joined a 90 minute Zoom today that lasted 48 minutes. More space is being given for strategy and planning sessions instead. I’m a massive fan of shorter meetings.
Where work can’t be automated or batched, one of the greatest productivity tools remains delegation. I’ve been considering a virtual assistant for some time and most recently have been in discussion with a contact in India about scope for procuring a VA and researchers. But what pitfalls can you face? One entrepreneur hired a VA and talks about the questions to process and the tools to use to free your calendar from low value-add tasks.
Coronavirus
Photo by Peter Neumann on Unsplash
It’s so strange to think about how this all began in a bat. You can’t change the world? Tell that to the bat. The Baterfly effect. OK, stopping already. Cleverer people than me are speculating on how the pandemic plays out, at a viral rather than economic level. Are we winning the fight? In Europe, there is a worrying rise in cases again and the debate has turned to which countries will have to go on the UK’s quarantine list.
I’ve been intrigued this week by the collapse in price in Gold and Silver - is this just profit taking after such a rapid run, or are investors taking a different view on what is likely to happen in the economy? You sell gold when you see inflation risks disappearing (perhaps with the lack of the new US stimulus bill passing) or when risk lowers. It’s hard to see what the drivers for either perspective would be. Bitcoin is edging back into the non-work social conversations again, which is always an interesting sign of market froth.
How technology is changing our future
Photo by Element5 Digital on Unsplash
I’ve addressed Robinhood in the last two newsletters - this article in Bloomberg picks up the thread about no fee trading platforms, lockdown and a rising market in the tech stocks is the cocktail that is enticing inexperienced retails into the stock market. Will some of these people make lots of money? Probably. Will some of them lose their shirts? Almost certainly, as a glance at history of retail trading would tell you.
It feels too early from here to obsess over the November election (in the US). I found myself trying the argue a pro Trump position this week to a friend, just to walk it through in my head. On a global level the progress with North Korea (temporarily), standing up to China on trade, reshoring, the Israel/UAE peace announcement Thursday, Iran - it all is surprisingly positive. Clearly there are more than a few challenges on the other side of the coin. From a technology standpoint the issues remain 1) censorship 2) big tech breakups 3) overseas influence and security of voting machines 4) battling China and 5) immigration of highly qualified software engineers. With the news of war gaming this week that led to analysis of Trump refusing to give up power, Buzzfeed picked up the thread on what would Facebook do if Trump hangs on despite a claim that he has lost?
This is an amusing take of the difference between Boomers and Gen Z(oom). Helpfully set out as a stream of social chats. Wondering how the kids think?
The rising geopolitical tensions
America sent three B-2 stealth bombers (>$1bn cost each) to Diego Garcia this week. These planes haven’t been in the region since Jan 2019 and even then were only in Hawaii. Why now? China. With live fire exercises starting north of Taiwan, and also more troops and equipment moved to near the disputed border region with India, the scope for misunderstanding and conflict is increasing.
In Europe, protests are kicking off in Belarus. With the current President once again securing over 80% of the vote, it wasn’t a surprise to hear wide calls of fraud and see the opposition leader flee the country. And in the Mediterranean, Greece and Turkey are edging closer to conflict as they contest waters and resources. France is responding by sending military ships to the region.
These global tensions matter for the ability of entrepreneurs to access new markets, to determine a strategy towards India and China and to be able to assess the external risks appropriately for 2021.
A long read for the weekend
Photo by Parker Burchfield on Unsplash
We’ve all reverted to a strange mix of clothing. At one point today I found myself walking around wearing brown dress shoes, jeans, a white collared double-cuff shirt, cufflinks and a hoodie - the only thing I can say is it didn’t fit together! This article dives into what’s happening in the fashion industry. A good insight into how an industry can fall apart, one we can all learn from.
The other weekly distillation
“the action of purifying a liquid by a process of heating and cooling.”
There have been over 30 new whisky distilleries opened in Scotland in the last 10 years. For some, this seems to be a resurgence of the industry over-building. However, there’s a counter-argument and that is that the new whisky drinker is tending towards craft, varied brands, strong story and provenance. I’m a long way behind the craft spirits drinker in the knowledge and taste stakes but I love to hear the back stories of the distilleries and the brands. Glasgow Distillery is one that appeals to me in how it markets but also the reflection of Glasgow’s heritage itself. Industrial rather than tourist, a portfolio of engaging and fun brands, brilliant at marketing itself and winning awards for the quality of its spirit.
The company already has G52 Vodka, Banditti Spiced Rum, Malt Riot Blended Malt Scotch whisky and Makar Gin. The narratives are great - “Malt Riot tells the tale of the people of Glasgow, who came together to stand up for what they believed in: It's the year 1725 and the government attempt to impose a tax on Scotland's malted barley. The Scots, foreseeing an increase in the cost of daily essentials, rise up in opposition. In Glasgow, malt stores are barricaded and the devilish excise men are chased from the city.”
However, it’s the Single Malt Whisky that catches the eye today. A 50cl bottle rather than the standard 70cl, it comes framed in a box open on two sides. Glasgow Distillery is the first Single Malt distillery in Glasgow for 100 years. The original Glasgow Distillery was formed in 1770 - the modern whisky takes its brand from this heritage. Although it’s a new whisky, it sells as a non-age statement.
The company says “Crafted by smoking the finest barley with aromatic heather-rich peat from the Scottish Highlands, Glasgow 1770 Peated combines the exceptionally pure water of Loch Katrine and has been carefully hand-crafted in the distillery’s two unique copper pot stills, Tara and Mhairi.”
Master of Malt’s tasting notes say “Matured in first-fill ex-sherry casks and finished in virgin oak, Glasgow 1770 Peated is a sublime and sophisticated smoky single malt. 1770 is always non-chill filtered and has natural colour only.”
This whisky sits in my cupboard and is one of only four whiskys in there. If you are in the market for a Lowland whisky less than 10 years old, you’d do well with this one. You can buy it here. Or if you are in the US, why not try the Makar Gin from Glasgow’s distributor bespoke Spirits??
If you have a favourite spirit you’d like to write about, or you make spirits, please do get in touch as I’d love to share about them.
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