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.
Once, when meeting with the CEO of a new customer, I pulled out a bottle of ketchup and set it on the table. It was one of these … Once, when meeting with the CEO of a new customer, I pulled out a bottle of ketchup and set it on the table. (Image: istockphoto) It was
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.
The first time I went to Disney World if my memory serves me, was the summer of my freshman year in college. It was 1990, and it was part of an annual family pilgrimage to Florida to visit our extended relatives in Miami and Port Charlotte areas. We’d drive just under 24 hours from New
“…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
It’s been two years since I have been at the helm of a fast-growing #insurtech startup. I have since moved on to new adventures. But, I have kept up with the pulse of the industry by serving as an advisor and coach to newbie CEOs who are among a class of innovators. In my role,
“Crunch, crunch, crunch,” was the sound my gait made as I marched along a distant barren landscape. Here, there were no demanding customers, no competition putting pressure on me. There were no employees anxiously seeking consensus and no investors asking endless questions about our sales forecast. Absent were the industry publications offering views of the
Hand-picking the right people is not easy. Having a playbook helps
“Resisting pain only increases its intensity.” — Chogyam Trungpa I am 47 years old and I have made a lot of mistakes in my life — both professional and personal ones. I hope I make many more. It’s true. I have hired the wrong people on my management team. I have taken too long to fire people after I realized
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.
Never fall in love with your product, keep your ego in check, and love your customers.
Reading is a breath of fresh air for the mind of a busy CEO.
The role of a CEO is fraught with tough decisions. Firing people is not easy, but it is part of the job.
Coney Island Subway Train — istockphoto.com A few years ago, I wrote the following (internal) blog entitled, “See something? Do something!” It was meant to empower my employees to take charge of some of our company’s challenges. I wanted them to help me and my executive team solve them. To my surprise, it set the stage for
