POPULAR ARTICLES
TOPICS
- Antifragile
- Being CEO
- Blockchain
- Bookshelf
- Branding
- Coaching
- communications
- Crisis
- Culture
- Decisions
- Diversity
- Documentaries
- Featured
- Founding
- Fundraising
- Habits
- Hiring
- Inclusion
- Insurtech
- Interviews
- Leadership
- Letters
- Life Lessons
- Management
- Marketing
- Mental Models
- Product
- Recruiting
- Sales
- Tribe Vibes
- Women
RECENT ARTICLES
Startups are like a long series of runs. The moment you start running, you encounter obstacles large and small that are designed to surprise you.
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.
I believe that the life story of everyone on Earth is not just a linear fairy tale with a straightforward beginning and end. Instead, it is a mosaic of mini-stories that come together to create a masterpiece like the work of Antoni Gaudi. When I opened my copy of Michelle Obama’s book Becoming, I half
“Four votes for John,” said one of my four co-founders. It was 1997, and we were deciding who among us would be the titular head of our first venture. It was a simple ceremony, no cryptic puffs of smoke through an old chimney. While I was happy to have won the election — I wanted to win — I
“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.
I have been the CEO of Soluna for the past year (2018) and what a great year it was! If you read one of my earlier articles on Soluna’s blog, “My Next Adventure”, you may recall that I knew very little about Blockchain when I first started this journey. However, like many of you, I
Want Some Mental Candy in Your Inbox?
Join over 1,500+ CEOs who receive our carefully curated newsletter full of inspiration.
You’ll get thought-provoking morsels from around the web, book reviews, inspiring quotes, and exclusive tools delivered to your inbox on #motivation Monday mornings.
And, you’ll never miss our new stories and successful plays.
It starts deep in the pit of my stomach. It’s hard to describe. It’s like a cross between butterflies and sharp fluttering stomach pain. Sometimes, it manifests itself as a pain on the left side of my neck. It feels like a burning, humming sound. The buzz you might hear at a power substation full
Sales is an integral part of any business, but rarely associated with the CEO’s role.
WHAT OUR READERS SAY

“I am no CEO, but I found your blog looking for mental models to improve my thinking. Thank you so much for sharing your treasure trove of knowledge; I enjoy reading your [Mental Candy] newsletter.”
“You are the first writer that I feel teaches the complexity easily without telling only stories about being a CEO.”
“Thank you for what you do and sharing the story of your journey. You’re an inspiration and set a great example for what true entrepreneurship means.”
“I find your thoughts so well crafted, timely, and helpful (and have forwarded them to other startup folks I know too).”
“I’m on a journey to reinvent myself to get to the next level of my career and looking forward to reading about your insights in business.”
“Thank you for your [Mental Candy] newsletters. I get many blog posts and newsletters in my inbox every week, and you’re one of the very, very, very few that I read.”
“I have been following your CEO playbook, and really enjoy it. I am always striving to improve my performance as CEO, and learn a lot from what you share.”
“Amazing!!! Loving your CEO Playbook.”
“I wanted to drop you a note to tell you that the work you do with CEOPLAYBOOK is right on point. Thank you for you and the rich content you provide.”
My strategic accounts sales team met me in our NY office for a final briefing before our big meeting. After my usual grilling questions, I packed up my laptop and some choice tools for the job. I loaded a pair of red Vic Firth Drumsticks in my briefcase and taped up a box of a
I was fortunate enough to attend the first HYPERGROWTH conference hosted by Drift at the beginning of October 2017. 24 hours later, I was still resonating with the energy from the event. I thought I’d share my experience and learnings. Enjoy! The Scene The sold-out event took place at the top of 60 State Street,
Reading is a breath of fresh air for the mind of a busy CEO.
Companies are a unique combination of people that make them legendary; or not.
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