1/6 As part of @_surgeahead, I recently ran a workshop for 40 #founders about metrics . Numbers. It was 16 years ago when I learned about the importance of numbers from Napoleon.

2/6 Or, really, from a Dutch guy who reminded me of Napoleon. Small guy. Man of few words. But he owned the room. Oh, and he was CEO of a company with billions in revenue and over 100,000 employees across the world.
3/6 A colleague was presenting to a group of 5 that included me and that CEO. The presentation sounded like this:

- “Things are going well.”
- “We’re really proud of our team. They’re very passionate.”
- “Performance is incredibly strong this year.”
4/6 Napoleon was silent. Said nothing throughout. But in the end, he stood up and said:

“The language of business is numbers. The language of business is finance. If you don’t give me ONE number out of every TEN words, you are not talking business.”

Then he left.
5/6 I never forgot that. I realised I spoke 6 languages but didn’t speak numbers. Couldn’t speak finance. And business is all about numbers. ONE out of every TEN.
6/6 As a founder, you need to speak that language too. Become fluent in it. Use the formula:

Give ONE number out of every TEN words

#metrics #KPI #datastorytelling #ONEinTEN

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॥ॐ॥
अस्य श्री गायत्री ध्यान श्लोक:
(gAyatri dhyAna shlOka)
• This shloka to meditate personified form of वेदमाता गायत्री was given by Bhagwaan Brahma to Sage yAgnavalkya (याज्ञवल्क्य).

• 14th shloka of गायत्री कवचम् which is taken from वशिष्ठ संहिता, goes as follows..


• मुक्ता-विद्रुम-हेम-नील धवलच्छायैर्मुखस्त्रीक्षणै:।
muktA vidruma hEma nIla dhavalachhAyaiH mukhaistrlkShaNaiH.

• युक्तामिन्दुकला-निबद्धमुकुटां तत्वार्थवर्णात्मिकाम्॥
yuktAmindukalA nibaddha makutAm tatvArtha varNAtmikam.

• गायत्रीं वरदाभयाङ्कुश कशां शुभ्रं कपालं गदाम्।
gAyatrIm vardAbhayANkusha kashAm shubhram kapAlam gadAm.

• शंखं चक्रमथारविन्दयुगलं हस्तैर्वहन्ती भजै॥
shankham chakramathArvinda yugalam hastairvahantIm bhajE.

This shloka describes the form of वेदमाता गायत्री.

• It says, "She has five faces which shine with the colours of a Pearl 'मुक्ता', Coral 'विद्रुम', Gold 'हेम्', Sapphire 'नील्', & a Diamond 'धवलम्'.

• These five faces are symbolic of the five primordial elements called पञ्चमहाभूत:' which makes up the entire existence.

• These are the elements of SPACE, FIRE, WIND, EARTH & WATER.

• All these five faces shine with three eyes 'त्रिक्षणै:'.