We control our story and the story we tell directly impacts the life we design. My stories in Costa Rica were filtered through axioms of curiosity and wonder and minimal judgement. I was able to let go of control and be open to what a new country and new relationships would throw our way. As we get ready to head to Seattle to continue our adventure, I appreciate the Costa Rica experience. But what I will bring with me is a new outlook.
Read MoreThe sales - product disconnect is what keeps teams from building a well oiled machine and it usually is the result of a timing difference. The urgency to sell precedes finding product market fit. As a result, the product or service deliver team gets frustrated. This post gets to the root cause of why that happens and how companies can avoid it.
Read MoreDo you ever wonder why you are working so hard and soooo busy but just aren’t changing the game in your life or business. The truth is that most of us are trying to push too many things forward and we end up pushing them an inch. Focus and prioritization can move initiatives forward a mile but we’re scare of “giving up” on the other activities. You much give up some things to progress in others. Focus on pushing your intention a mile and see the results.
Read MoreWe are eight weeks living in Costa Rica and we are learning so much about ourselves everyday. We made a major life transition that has opened up amazing new possibilities. The story of Rogelio is both fun and a metaphor for exploring new possibilities.
Read MoreThis post is about life trajectories and how to change them. I was inspired by a former business coach, Lex Sisney, who talked about achieving life and business goals through the lens of physics. That got me thinking about the variables that drive trajectories and how those can be changed (or at least having the intention to change.)
Read MoreThis is a post about life trajectories, about flipping the script, about living with intention in partnership with my spouse. It is about entrepreneurship in the context of the life that you want to live. We are embarking on a new journey in the unknown, me and my co-pilot(s).
Read MoreWe have to create the ripples and the ripples may turn into a wave and a wave may turn into a rapid and propel us down the river. If we aren't creating ripples often then there is no chance for a rapid to emerge. This is one example of acknowledging some truths in building velocity at your organization, the ability to move decisively to get a learning advantage.
Read MoreWhat will you stop doing? It is so easy to accumulate (projects, relationships, investments) but so darn difficult to let go of things to free up space for those things that will really make a difference. In this post we talk through some of the reasons stopping or doing less of things is so hard and some filters you can use to overcome the angst.
Read MoreI was a venture capital investor for about five years prior to starting my first healthcare company. It gave me the opportunity, while I was still pretty young in my career, to learn the process of sourcing, investing in, and then owning an interest in a highly volatile start-up company. I had a mentor who said to me once, “You don’t know what you invested in until you get to the first board meeting”. He also said, “The easiest thing you’ll ever do in this business is write the check”. The point is that the work of the venture capitalist begins once they are an owner.
Read MoreI recently finished leading a strategic planning process for a non-profit in Seattle. It was an incredible opportunity to work with the Board and the community to set the course for the next three years. But the process also exposed an area of risk for both the Board and senior leadership. The risk was one of altitude. Boards fly at one level. Executive leadership at another. Staff at another. Knowing your altitude often determines the trajectory toward the destination.
Read MoreIn 1996 I nervously approached Day 1 of investment banking in New York. The training program would last about a month and we were all bright eyed, anxious, committed, and less than humble. Frankly I couldn't even believe I landed the job (a different post for a different time) but I was ready. The trainer for the program was a guy who made such an incredible impression on me. His name was Paul Kushel, but he went by "Cash" and he managed to make even the most mundane accounting topics crazy fun and exciting (I know, I have issues). You can read about how he got the name Cash here but it wasn't because his wife's name was Flo (that's run of the mill accounting humor). Cash left a big impression on me and an impression I want to leave on you. When it comes to business: CASH IS KING. Know it. Love it. Lean into it.
Read MoreMy meeting is in 30 minutes. I'm sitting in a hotel lobby chair at a Courtyard Marriott, my eyes closed, visualizing what a successful business pitch is going to look like. I slow down my breathing and focus on having a "conversation" with people that just happen to hold the future of the Company in their whimsical hands. No pressure.
Read MoreEntrepreneurship is a little like pressure building up in the Instapot you bought over the holidays. There is so much energy inside of the vessel that it feels like it’s going to explode. I was reading about Instapot horror stories online where people accidentally (or out of curiosity) flipped the release valve, only to have tonight’s soup spraying on the kitchen ceilings and walls. I have felt like that guy many times over the years. That might be you too.
Read MoreOn Thursday night I looked over my daughter's shoulder as she was showing my wife a video she had made at her school with a group of girls called Beautiful. It was simple. Tell people on camera that they are beautiful and capture their reaction. I'm going to let you see this for yourself but it moved me.
Read MoreI'm running home from a beautiful trail run at Tiger Mountain this morning, feeling strong. I had the intention when I went out that I would move for 2 hours, 30 minutes and not stop on the climbs. I ended the run and I felt powerful, accomplished, and grateful. On the drive home I turned on my local NPR station and listened to Dalcher Keltner being interviewed about his book, The Power Paradox. It got me thinking about power as a leader.
Read MoreWhen I stumble on productivity tools that allow me to do more faster, to knock down obstacles, to improve my organization, and to save time, I get pretty fired up. Here are some that I really like that I have used over the last couple of years.
Read MoreI am not a huge fan of conflict. Or let me say that historically I have not been a huge fan of conflict. It is just a story that I told myself that conflict was bad and avoiding conflict was good. Absurd. Thankfully I managed to shake that childhood baggage with a fresh look on conflict introduced to me by Vince Corsaro.
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