What's this blog all about?

Hmmm, that's a good question. The tag line above says it's about business, marketing, sport and life. Well, that could be just about anything... and who the heck wants to read a blog about everything (which means it's also about nothing). That may work for Seinfeld, but I don't think it's going to work for this blog, so let me explain a bit more about the tag line.

First and foremost, this is a blog about a subject that I love... business. Great businesses and business people tend to have a few things in common. One, they're often great marketers. Great marketing of a so-so product almost always trumps so-so marketing of a great product. That's why marketing is also a subject of this blog.

Second, great businesses usually have great people and cultures... people who are talented and driven, and cultures which support and encourage them. In that respect, great businesses share a common trait with the sports world, and it's one reason that I find sports so compelling. Competitiveness and the concept of "excellence" are things that get exaggerated in sport, but are often very hard to identify in other parts of society. These are critical components of success in business, and therefore, sports provide wonderful examples to anyone interested in winning in the business world. Also, since the sports world has now collided with the business world in a big way, it doubles my interest in the space.

Finally, great businesses usually have a great understanding of the environment... both the environment in which they operate, as well as the external environments which can impact their business. That means they're great at seeing what's going on in the world in general and understanding the impact on today and tomorrow. They're great observers and great interpreters. They gather lots of information, develop insights, determine implications, and take action. And, in order to do that, my lens on the business world is widened to see what's happening in life in general and determine how that might impact business.

So, that's my focus on this blog... talking about business. But, I intend to do that by talking about more than just business. Then again, that may all change. Any great business person listens to the market and makes adjustments. I encourage you to participate in the discussion and make this blog a community of great ideas.

Cheers!

The Big Egghead story

Believe it or not, the name of this blog has nothing to do with the fact that I actually do have an egghead. It comes from my time living in China, and the direct translation of my actual name... Dan Dato.

Dato is an Italian surname and, although we pronounce it DAY-TOE in the US, in Italy (and most other places around the world) they pronounce it DA-TOE. When I moved to China in 1997 I needed to choose a Chinese name for my green card. Usually this is done by making a direct phonetic translation of one's name. Sometimes this has a very appropriate outcome. For example, America is called "Mei Guo" (pronounced MAY-GWO), which translated means "beautiful land". Isn't that nice? :-)

Unfortunately for me, my name didn't come out quite so elegantly...

"Dan" means "egg"
"Da" means "big"
"Toe" means "head"

That's right, my last name literally translates to "Big Head" in Chinese (explaining the subtle chuckles everytime I'm introduced to a Chinese person). I've had a lot of nicknames in my life (The Dan, Dan-O, Danimal, Double-D, Triple, Triple-D, Scamper and CouchPoDato to name but a few), but The Big Egghead is the one that always makes me laugh.

What fun is life if you can't laugh at yourself?