The most surprising thing about 2019 was that I found out that I’m highly allergic to buckwheat. Buckwheat!? Yep, buckwheat. Got an Epi-Pen and all. The doctor was so surprised he wanted to use me as a case study. Apparently no one is as allergic to buckwheat as I am. My 2019 word was Finish.… Continue reading Twenty Nineteen
Let’s play startup.
Stop trying so hard to play startup. Build a business. Get funding or bootstrap. But the real goal is to solve a problem people value enough to pay for. Creating a company should come after the product or service; not before. Stop trying so hard to play agency. Build a team of people that drive… Continue reading Let’s play startup.
Tearing down fences.
I’ve been thinking a lot about the fences we put up in our minds. What would we love to do, but think impossible? What are we saying “no” to before others–people or markets–even have a chance to? I recently found a card given to me when I was young. It had a quote from Shakespeare… Continue reading Tearing down fences.
Pause.
I’ve been re-reading some books that are considered classics. One I’ve been slowly working my way through again is The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. My dad gave me a copy when I was 14 years old and I’ve read a few times since then. Even if you haven’t read it, you’ll recognize a lot… Continue reading Pause.
5 points of strategy execution.
Execution doesn’t always equal alignment. It’s coordination across units. Execution doesn’t mean stick to the plan. It’s continuous, disciplined reallocation. Communication doesn’t equal understanding. Simple, consistent communication does. Performance culture doesn’t drive execution. It’s the right behaviors that fuel execution. Execution isn’t driven from the top. It happens in the trenches.
Tension for growth.
The seeds of growth are found in discontent. However, if we’re too focused on dissatisfaction we can easily get frustrated with where we’re at and could find ourselves unhappy. Or even get fed up and quit. So, how do you become dissatisfied enough to grow and do it patiently? Here’s one thing that works for… Continue reading Tension for growth.