I am here to help you achieve your goals. I am your servant.
People don’t care what you know until they know that you care.
Micromanagement is a killer. All founders have trouble getting out of the weeds.
A leader’s job is to create the environment and the context where people can actually do the most, accomplish the most, and teams can be the most impactful.
The culture of a company can easily make or break it. Focus on making yours magnetic.
Corey Thomas isn’t in the role he thought he’d be as Chairman and CEO of Rapid7, but 7 years, a ton of successes, a failure or 3 and an impressive and enviable culture, show that sometimes our paths lead us exactly where we belong.
Keeping teams motivated is really hard. But, if you are only focused on what amazing thing you can personally do, you are missing the point.
I have noticed a pattern in the 20 years I have been an entrepreneur, advisor, and CEO. Every time there is something wrong with a company, there is a recurring problem. Either someone is not doing their job, or they didn’t know it was their job. It’s more common than you think. A problem with
Twenty years ago, on 11/19/99, I sold my first startup. It was a technology company selling something called “Java Beans.” My four co-founders and I had a life-changing experience when a company called BEA Systems acquired our company for over $100M. We were excited not just for our own lives, but the way it would
The body is strong, the mind is weak.
Slipping on a banana and breaking your hip is fragile. Getting hit by a truck then getting up to walk to your hair appointment is resilient. But, getting one of your arms cut off then growing a new one the next day is beyond resilient — it’s antifragile. Sh*t happens in startups. (Amen, right?) I can relate.
Managers love to reward hyper-specialization. But is it better to hire for general problem-solving abilities?
It happens rather quickly. Your new investors sign a shareholder’s agreement, a subscription agreement, and a corporate charter. Usually, you create a new class of (preferred) shares. You receive a notification from your bank that the wires from investors have cleared. Your lawyers file the company’s new corporate charter, and a new board of directors
Human beings are tribal by nature. Our need to belong far outweighs many things in life. So, we naturally split into tribes.
“…It’s both physical and spiritual. The essence is to try and feel what the poor feel without food and try to be a better person by reflecting on our actions and thoughts. Try to be nice to each other, avoid bad/angry thoughts, etc.” — B. Drissi (personal friend) As I write this article, we are 19 days
As a CEO, one of your jobs — it’s maybe the most important — is to give your fellow sapiens what they need most, something to believe in.
Companies are a unique combination of people that make them legendary; or not.
