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If you’ve done initiatives in business, you’re very familiar with this graph:
Often referred to as a “hockey stick growth chart”, it indicates how revenue will shift from investment mode (on the left) to wonderful growth (on the right). The problem is that this is always used to project the future, not the past. What actually happens is far messier and doesn’t follow a nice pretty growth curve.
This came to mind when I heard recent reports about why WeWork went bankrupt. Since I’ve fallen into this projected-growth trap myself, I thought it might be good to explore how we might do something different.
Read the rest of this entry »Every human needs to be connected to other people.
Unfortunately, people are all flawed and make mistakes. Compounded with the messiness of communication, you end up with chaos. That’s what it means to be human.
But we know all that. What I’m focusing on today is that connecting with others is an act of becoming vulnerable. It’s risky.
Read the rest of this entry »It’s easy to freak out about all the things that can go wrong.
But, as a leader, your role is to push progress forward despite the dangers. It feels like you’re caught in a bind.
But business leaders are accustomed to making decisions in an environment of risk. It’s what we need to do.
Read the rest of this entry »I heard an interesting article on the Innovation Hub radio show recently, talking about how riskiness affects people’s decisions. It got me thinking, because I’ve wondered for many years about the connection.
When we’re working on connecting our products and marketing to the customer need, we often start with their needs and desires. The customer desires a phone which is functional and attractive, with long battery life and easy-to-use apps.
That’s fine as far as it goes, but it’s a pretty surface-level way of thinking.
Read the rest of this entry »
THINGS DON’T GO SMOOTHLY all the time.
Yes, you’re on a powerful mission. But danger happens:
- Regulations change
- New competitors arise
- A key employee leaves
So how do you navigate when things turn dark and threatening?
CONFESSION: I HAVE started business which failed. OK, I’ve admitted it.
But you know what? It’s not the end of the world. It’s a natural part of the cycle of learning.
Yes, I realize that doesn’t alleviate the pain very much, especially as you’re going through the process. But you also can’t let the prospects of failure keep you from ever taking a risk.
How do we think through this?



