Build a great company on a powerful foundation!
Returning from my holiday break, I experienced a palpable difficulty re-engaging with my work. In one sense, it felt like I had to put on a completely different brain that I hadn’t used for a couple of weeks.
It was a welcome break, and gave me the opportunity to reflect on the bigger picture.
That’s something I love doing with my clients as well – to give them space to get away from the day-to-day issues. To think bigger.
Read the rest of this entry »This should be an easy question to answer, right? You’re the boss, so you’re steering the ship!
But there’s a good chance that when I listen to you, I’m hearing you mention a lot of other people. The employee who called in sick. Those customers who just keep demanding. The weather. The government.
I get it, I really do. It feels like I’m just a tiny boat on the water, at the mercy of anything and everything.
Read the rest of this entry »Recently, CB Insights tabulated the top 20 reasons startups fail. There are some fascinating conclusions in there, but I simply want to focus on the top reason, the one which contributes to 42% of failures:
No market need.
At one level, this is the most obvious conclusion, not worth more thought. But let’s look further.
Read the rest of this entry »Maybe you’ve been discouraged because the better future you’ve been hoping for still doesn’t seem to be on the horizon.
At some point, though, you’re going to have to make it happen. It’s going to take focused, intentional effort. That’s what it means to be a leader.
I was thinking about this because of my recent health scare. Thankfully, I survived this time due to the talent of some great doctors. But it got me pondering the larger questions in my life.
Read the rest of this entry »We all struggle with the idea of when to change and how much. And when you’re leading a team of people, everything you do is magnified in impact – both positive and negative.
But there’s a key which helps give you some direction.
Know your foundation.
Read the rest of this entry »No doubt you’ve heard the term that’s been in vogue with entrepreneurs for a few years: Pivot your business.
As a skeptical outsider, it looks like an excuse for someone getting bored, who can’t commit to the hard work of building and running a company. And there is some truth to that.
But it’s not the whole story.
Read the rest of this entry »I needed the support of so many people to get through 2019! After being pronounced free of prostate cancer, I’ve had the chance to reflect on how important that was.
We don’t like to ask for help.
Especially in the business context, we want to present this image of professionalism. Having it all solved and sorted. Being in control.
Read the rest of this entry »This is SUCH a common phenomenon; I see it all the time. You’re busy doing a million things, but you’re in a fog about why.
Time to climb up above the murkiness, my friends.
And look at the big picture.
Read the rest of this entry »This is an insanely busy time for some of you, while others are taking the chance to settle back a bit and prepare for next year’s challenges.
But wherever you’re at, it’s always good to maintain perspective. That’s what leaders do, right?
Read the rest of this entry »I’ve noticed there are industries with “innovation fatigue.” Social media has been this way, with the rate of change going faster than people can absorb.
It wears people out.
The interesting part is that this rate of fatigue is different for each person and situation. I’ve been a tech geek for over five decades, so I tend to enjoy these innovations more than most people do.
But even I stopped looking for the ultimate word processor 25 years ago. I stopped investing in the latest and greatest laptops a bit later.
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The Values-Based Business 