'Read the writing on the wall,'' a lesson from the Bible's Book of Daniel is especially relevant in a high-tech world. Daniel, a Jewish student living in Babylon during the 5th century B.C. captivity, was known among this peers as a spot-on interpreter of dreams. When mysterious handwriting appeared on a wall in the king's chambers, Daniel was summoned in the hope he could offer some insight to the meaning of the message. Daniel informed the king his reign was nearing an end. The king was slain that very night. Herein is a lesson in the power of reading, comprehension and application.
Modern technology fetches data in seconds. Data is collated in seconds more. Decisions to buy or sell are made and lives are changed. Why is someone who reads noteworthy?
The answer is in the person's reading material. Geoffrey Abbott, a fund manager at GCA Capital reads the annual letters to investors from CEOs. By his thirtieth birthday at the end of May, he will have read 3,000 of them. The letters provide a snapshot of the CEO's perceptions of his company and his philosophy, as well as successes and goals. A dating profile, if you will, which hopefully will go beyond 'poking' into a solid relationship with investors. It's a statement beyond number crunching of the short term and long range goals to express the vision of the CEO for his company. Vital information to possess.
Yet, Geoffrey Abbott's task is newsworthy and that says he is unique. Numbers provide a snapshot of a company at any single given time. A collection of those snapshots can demonstrate a trend, but the story of the company comes from the written word. From the written plan comes the action.
Reading is knowledge. Knowledge is power.
Read. Learn. Take appropriate action.
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