Saturday, September 4, 2010
James Baldwin once said “People can cry much easier than they can change.” And it’s how I felt earlier this week… mostly about myself. I slipped home from work Wednesday night completely bushed, dog tired and sick of several “stupid things” I’ve had to deal with.
As I retreated to my favorite thinking spot, I couldn’t help but think, “Why is this so difficult!?” That’s when it hit me: my business is in a state of change. And most of the time trying to create brisk growth is really tough.
Sunday, July 4, 2010
I hear often about new entrepreneurs seeking to expand their businesses. This week a friend told me about someone who is bootstrapping a traditional business in a crowded space.
She’s been in business for less than a year, is the company’s only employee, and works out of her home. Now she’s decided to hire quickly – in fact, she’s determined she wants to immediately hire three people full-time. Presumably she’ll instantly take her payroll commitment from providing for herself to somewhere in the ball park of $100,000 – $150,000/year.
Thursday, May 27, 2010
I’ve always wanted to build a business that could make money without me – undoubtedly an aspiration of many. My ideal is the type where engagement takes the form of strategic oversight and occasional interesting deep dives.
But as many others have learned before me, growth requires giving up quite a bit of control. And stepping back doesn’t come naturally, especially to those whose “control” has helped shape the business. Continue Reading
Friday, May 7, 2010
“Most people start life as originals and end as carbon copies.” I’ve heard this quote a few times but have no idea who said it. Regardless, it’s completely true.
Each time I’m at a conference – and I’ve attended a hundred or so at this point – I’m always tempted to copy certain aspects of the presenters themselves. To try to become a bit of him. Why not? He’s usually one of the best leaders in his field. Resist the urge.
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Outside the presidential mansion… Sampsanis Loannis, a 49-year old doctor in a state hospital, said Greeks had had enough.
“I have 5 children, I work all day and I make 1,020 euros net a month. The measures [cuts in wages and pensions] are cruel and inhuman, people cannot stand it any more, they will revolt,” he said.
Several hundred rubbish collectors marched through central Athens behind a dozen garbage trucks, holding banners reading “hands off our salaries” and chanting “parliament is where the rubbish is.”
I read the above excerpt yesterday in a Reuters article that discussed the Greek unions’ resistance to the EU’s and International Monetary Funds conditions for aid. The EU and IMF are trying to save the country… by giving 110 billion Euros in funding and insisting on government budget cuts. The country, however, doesn’t want to endure the pain necessary to be saved.
Saturday, March 13, 2010
The idea of “tough talk” makes me think of movies like Diehard or Bad Boys and the main characters’ personas…their indulgent machismo or street-tested grit.
Phrases like that don’t describe me. But at times effective leadership requires forceful displays of strength.
Two week ago one of these situations sought me out.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
In a sweltering room in Philadelphia, Pa. in the summer of 1787, two groups, the large and small states, fiercely debated the future structure of the government for the newly born United States of America. Generation after generation would be impacted by the outcome. But they had a problem…they just couldn’t completely agree.
After nearly two months of deliberation, the delegates finally struck the “Great Compromise” creating a unique two-part Congress: Each state would have both a representative and an equal voice. And though neither party got exactly what they wanted, their losses created one of the most successful governments in the history of the world. The leadership lesson: It pays to compromise.
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Effective leaders can’t see dead people – but they possess a kind of sixth sense for reading those around them. During a summer internship in college I setup a number of meetings with the executives of the company to learn more about leadership. One lesson from the CEO to this day clearly stands out in my mind.
He said that his best leadership gift was his ability to know the keys to motivating each of his executives and managers.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
In Part One of this two-part series I introduced the topic of overcoming anxiety, shared my battle, put forth a partial list of well-known people who fought an anxiety disorder at some point and their life, and sought to provide motivation for taking steps to conquer it. I also mentioned that, according to some studies, highly intelligent people (execs, successful entrepreneurs, consultants, gifted creatives, etc.) are seven times more likely to develop an anxiety disorder. If you missed it, you can find it here.
I’m going to now dive right in and summarize Dr. Stan Hibbs three step solution to overcoming anxiety. It’s what he taught me, and he’s put it in written form in his book Anxiety Gone.
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Psychologists will tell you that a key motivator in life is fear. All people, especially leaders, must manage their behavior daily in dozens of different situations.
Much of our behavior, particularly our anxieties, are driven by conditioned responses. I’m not going to attempt to delve into the details of how they interrelate, but suffice it to say we respond to stimuli in such a way that our brains develop a pattern that make some of our actions almost reflexive in nature.
This is why most of us hate going to the dentist: While “George” was having a cavity filled by his dentist, the drill hit a nerve a couple of times that had not been dulled by anesthetic. Each time he cringed in pain. Our poor George now gets anxious each time he sees the dentist). Though this topic strays from my usual subjects, I am writing about it primarily for four reasons:
1. Everyone experiences anxiety and how we handle it will influence our level of personal and professional fulfillment.
2. Having dealt with it in somewhat of an extreme sense – I’ll share more about what happened in my story below – I’ve invested quite a bit of time learning strategies for handling it.
3. Highly intelligent people (read many execs, consultants, successful entrepreneurs, and gifted creatives) are by some estimates seven times more likely to develop an anxiety disorder than a person of average intelligence.
4. We lead from our character and skills. That which makes one a more capable person makes him a better leader and businessperson.
