addIfError()
I was recently working on a large spreadsheet, with plenty of worksheets and complex formulas. When I’m creating one of these models, I would rather not check for errors, since it helps me debug better.
However, once it’s working and I want to move it to production, it needs to do some error checking to fail gracefully (there are some legitimate reasons to have errors, such as dividing by 0).
I started wrapping the formulas with IFERROR when needed, but after doing it I few times, I realised I would have to spend too much time on it. Instead, I created the following macro in my Personal workbook to handle it.
You can clone the gist from https://gist.github.com/02db99c2f85e6765b72d.git
I’ve assigned a shortcut to this macro, so it’s now always available when I need some error checking.
While We’re Trying To Follow His Game Of Checkers, Jeff Bezos Is Playing Chess | TechCrunch
Here’s the thing that most people, and certainly many in the tech press, don’t seem to understand about Amazon, and by extension, Bezos: when it comes to business, there’s a game being played almost flawlessly. The goal is actually to not make a huge profit too early, and Bezos manages it perfectly. You want to avoid showing your cards too early as you continue to lay the groundwork for an ever-larger business. Occasionally, you’ll have to show those cards and win a hand to prove that you can. But the rest of the time you call and fold, as you await the monster to take the entire pot.
Is Bezos playing a different game, or the same game as everybody else at a whole new level? I don’t know and don’t particularly care. It’s just fascinating to see him going about business.
Battlestar Galactica KPI - Feld Thoughts
In my world, as companies grow, I notice a proliferation of KPIs being tracked. On a periodic basis, I encourage CEOs to keep paying attention to all the numbers, but surface – on a daily basis – the three magic numbers that drive their business.
Interesting application of an important concept: concentrating on just a few KPIs for day to day management. Also, BSG.
Bryan Dyson's 30-Second Speech | Peter Legge's Insights
Says the former CEO of Coca-Cola: Of the five balls you juggle in life, you can drop only one.
Imagine life as a game in which you are juggling some five balls in the air. They are Work, Family, Health, Friends and Spirit, and you’re keeping all of these in the air.
You will soon understand that work is a rubber ball. If you drop it, it will bounce back. But the four others – Family, Health, Friends and Spirit – are made of glass. If you drop one of these, it will be scuffed, nicked, damaged, even shattered. And it will never be the same.
Work efficiently during office hours and leave on time. Give proper time to your family and friends, and take a decent rest.
Value has a value only if its value is valued.
How to Wow Your Manager
Matt Blumberg:
What impact does a Wow have? It sends the signal that you are on top of things. Symbolism is important. It also advances the cause further and faster. Why do you want to foster Wow moments with your team? High performing teams have a lot of Wow going on. If all members of a team see Wow regularly, they are all inspired to do more sooner, better.
He then goes into concrete examples of ways to wow your manager. I have to take some of this advice!
What Makes an Effective Executive - Harvard Business Review
Peter Drucker on what makes effective executives:
So what do effective leaders have in common? They get the right things done, in the right ways—by following eight simple rules:
Ask what needs to be done. Ask what’s right for the enterprise. Develop action plans. Take responsibility for decisions. Take responsibility for communicating. Focus on opportunities, not problems. Run productive meetings. Think and say “We,” not “I.”
These are the highlights, but you should read the whole article.
The job the iPhone is hired to do | asymco
The iPhone is primarily hired as a premium network service salesman. It receives a “commission” for selling a premium service in the form of a premium price.
» Lisa The Digital Antiquarian
The Lisa was in many ways half-baked, and its commercial fate, at least in hindsight, is perfectly understandable. Yet its soft power was immense. It showed that a sophisticated, multitasking operating system could be done on a microcomputer, as could a full GUI.
The Digital Antiquarian just keeps hitting it out of the park. All the drama of the early days of computing told in an entertaining and engaging blog.
Jeff Bezos on Leading for the Long-Term at Amazon - HBR IdeaCast - Harvard Business Review
JEFF BEZOS: Percentage margins are not one of the things we are seeking to optimize. It’s the absolute dollar-free cash flow per share that you want to maximize, and if you can do that by lowering margins, we would do that. So if you could take the free cash flow, that’s something that investors can spend. Investors can’t spend percentage margins.
On Productivity — MacSparky
No collection of productivity hacks and software is going to make a difference when you’re heading full speed at that iceberg.