October 26th, 2008 by admin
This is not something that I expect to do often, but every so often something can’t be made more clear. Here is something I just read in a wonderful new book by Seth Godin called “Tribes” about what leaders know and do:
“People don’t believe what you tell them.
They rarely believe what you show them.
They often believe what their friends tell them
They always believe what they tell themselves.
What leaders do: they give people stories they can tell themselves. Stories about the future and about change.”
Thank you Seth!
December 7th, 2007 by admin
There’s no question about the need for talent on your team when building any kind of business. But talent is not the end all be all. The truth in business, especially a start-up, is that a team needs chemistry. Beyond the talent that everyone brings to the table, there is a lot of hard work and sacrifice that needs to be made in order to make a business work. There are long hours, good and bad days, conflicting opinions about strategy, and critical moments when miscommunication can set your project back weeks (or months) at a time.
What I’ve learned is that you need both talent and leadership when you are building your team. You need leaders to move your dream forward. You need people who are willing to come on board because they believe in the vision you have put forth and are not just bandwagon businessmen hitching a ride on a cool new idea. But you also need the talent. Hall of Fame Notre Dame Football coach Lou Holtz once said, “You can lose a championship with great players, but you can’t win one without some.” However, it is critical that you understand the order in which you need these people.
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November 28th, 2007 by admin
Entrepreneurs are ironically alot like everyone else. We want more for our families. We all want more money than we can spend. We all have at least one unfulfilled dream that we wonder about and think how much different life would be if we were to get there somehow. So the difference is not our hopes and dreams.
Entrepreneurs, contrary to some people’s belief, are also just as afraid as anyone else. Many would-be entrepreneurs never get started because they are afraid that they will fail. Coincidentally most of the self-starters that I have met question themselves constantly. In fact, one of the hardest parts for me is to have clear and rational thoughts separate from the fear. Its kinda like walking through a minefield; every step you take that doesn’t kill your project is a small victory to be celebrated but is quickly canceled by the fear of the very next step. So the difference is not our bravery.
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November 24th, 2007 by admin
Through my many business blunders I’ve learned an obvious truth about business (and life) that is not always so obvious. That true is this: “No one does it alone.”
It marks a significant point in an entrepreneur’s maturity to “need” some help. That’s hard to hear considering that it also takes a certain amount of ego to start a business in the first place. But it truly does take a team to build something sustaining and significant. A quick glance at many of the digital business titans we all admire, and you’d be amazed at the networks that they have built and leveraged to achieve what they have.
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Category :
Leadership 
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