Zekrets: The First Edition
July 2020 (Volume 1). Work-life balance. Exclusion is economically stupid. Will COVID kill globalization? Plus recommendations on things to watch, read, and listen.
Thank you for reading the first edition of my newsletter. I hope you’ll find it useful. If you haven’t done so yet, please subscribe!
Click on each title to go to the full article, or read the summary first to see what piques your interest.
Zekret: Work-Life Balance?
I struggle mightily to meet the demands of my multiple responsibilities. I’ve learned that balance is the wrong goal. Two principles have helped me be productive and stop feeling guilty:
Communicate with the important people in my life to reach “imbalance by mutual consent.”
Honor my commitments to those people.
Exclusion is Economically Stupid
Recent events in the U.S. have reminded us that much work remains to be done to defeat racism, xenophobia, and other forms of exclusion. Besides being morally wrong, exclusion is economically stupid because it makes the victims and perpetrators economically worse off. The article showcases empirical evidence demonstrating why we all miss out of life-improving innovations because of racism and xenophobia.
I’ve also been actively commenting on the recent moves by the U.S. to severely restrict legal immigration in the name of protecting the economy. I was interviewed on Marketplace (listen here) and wrote two articles on LinkedIn:
Will COVID Kill Globalization?
Many pundits are predicting the end of globalization, initiated by a wave of protectionist governments and accelerated by COVID-19. I disagree. Five facts suggest that cross-border economic activity is likely to return to its pre-pandemic levels once we get COVID under control.
Other Stuff
WATCH
American Factory, the most recent winner of the Oscar for best documentary feature. It tells the story of a former GM factory in Ohio acquired by the Chinese company Fuyao, and the challenges of integrating an American workforce with Chinese management. It’s an amazing story of global strategy, cross-cultural exchange, and human dignity.
The UK’s National Theater is streaming recordings of many excellent plays for free. My wife and I really enjoyed Frankenstein with Benedict Cumberbatch and Jonny Lee Miller.
READ
Cash in, Cash Out by Hannes van Rensburg tells the story of Fundamo, a pioneering firm in Africa’s fintech sector. It’s a nice on-the-ground description of the challenges of building a viable global strategy. And a peek inside one of the more interesting emerging industries from a business and development standpoint. The book doesn’t stand out for its literary flourish, but it has a lot of business sense.
One Mighty and Irresistible Tide by Jia Lynn Yang tells a gripping story of immigration politics in the U.S. It begins in 1924, when the most racially-charged and restrictive migration law in the country’s history was passed. It ends in 1965, when the current law based on family reunification and skills was adopted. It helped me understand that the issues we’re debating today have always been around, and that progress isn’t inevitable—it depends on the committed and patient efforts of individuals willing to take on hard tasks.
LISTEN
Raj Choudhury Sees a Future Where You Don’t Have to Move Your Family for a Job: The pandemic has created a lot of buzz about whether remote work will replace the traditional office. My friend and colleague Raj Choudhury from HBS is an expert on the topic and recently spoke about it on the Distributed podcast. I trust Raj’s insights because they’re based on solid research.
If you found this newsletter valuable, please tell your friends about it!
BONUS: Help name my newsletter
I’m feeling indecisive about what to name the newsletter. I kind of want it to include Zekrets somewhere. You can read why here. But are there better options, like Global Zekrets, or Zekrets of the World, or can you think of a better name? Take this survey to vote and suggest!