A friend asked me if I knew a guy the other day, and I said something like, “Yeah, but what a cold, indifferent cat he is!” My friend responded, “Are you kidding? He’s a great guy!” Shame on me. He is a great guy once you get to know him. The fact that he’s introverted […]
I’m on my third cup of coffee sitting in my warm home office looking out the window — where it’s 10 degrees — at a woodpecker banging away at one of our trees. My wife says it’s an ash. I wouldn’t know an ash from my own … forehead. She also thinks the tree has […]
If you’re fascinated by business strategy, by how you can address a market differently than everyone else, you might enjoy this story. If you’re just trying to be like everyone else, skip this one and crawl back into your hole. I recently had coffee with the founder of a successful company in the outdoor product […]
What truths are you avoiding? It is important to be “all in” when you decide on a strategy. Alignment of your team and your investments is the quickest path towards success, as long as you choose a viable direction! However, you need to make sure that you are not ignoring the truth just because you […]
“Freedom from the desire for an answer is essential to the understanding of a problem.” —Jiddu Krishnamurti, Indian philosopher I had an epiphany a dozen years ago when I transitioned from CEO to consultant and coach. I’d spent the previous 25 years looking for answers — the faster the better! Ready, fire, aim! Provide clarity […]
I had the business equivalent of the the chicken vs. the egg discussion with a colleague the other day. Which first, people or strategy? He voted egg, but I’m a chicken guy. Getting the right people on the bus, as author Jim Collins suggested in his book “Good to Great,” is imperative. But like all […]
I’m as web-based as the next guy — searching, buying, posting, texting and noodling just like most of you. I’m also pretty disciplined, so I try to do my noodling only after finishing my work. But I don’t often peruse social media looking for deep thoughts. I still shudder at the poor-quality content that self-made […]
I once heard a comedian say his brain was his favorite body part … but then he questioned the source of his thought! Breathing your own exhaust is dangerous. It has nothing to do with your car and everything to do with an isolated mind that starts believing it is your favorite body part and […]
Have you read “The War of Art” by Steven Pressfield? If you’ve ever struggled to maintain motivation or conquer internal demons, you should pick it up. It’s a bit off the wall, but great. In the book, Pressfield talks a lot about muses. If you’ve forgotten your Greek mythology (I had!), the Muses are the […]
If you spend any time in outdoor retailers, you’ve probably seen YETI coolers. If you’re part of the hook and bullet crowd, I bet you own one or two … and perhaps needed a second mortgage on your house to buy them! The first time I saw a YETI cooler price tag at REI, I […]