Monthly Archives: September 2013

“Getting the hang of” working in big companies taught me to keep starting companies

on September 24, 2013 in Blog, Entrepreneurship

I know some people like working in big companies. They like the feeling of stability, the benefits, the uniformity, I guess. Regular readers know I prefer small companies, especially having co-founded one. Why? Because of big company culture. One incident cemented this perspective for me. I’ll tell you the story that made me not like big companies. You may feel I extrapolated too far. Maybe. What turned me off from[…] Keep reading →

My start with emotional intelligence and self-awareness

on September 23, 2013 in Awareness, Blog, Leadership

You don’t have emotional intelligence, you were born with it, or you developed it. If you developed it you started sometime, like I did. If you don’t have it, you can start too. Here’s my start. I don’t pretend I’m the world master of emotional intelligence, but I’ve come a long way and I know anyone else can. I hope sharing the story motivates others. Context Before business school I[…] Keep reading →

How would you improve the world if you had supernatural powers?

on September 22, 2013 in Awareness, Blog, Evolutionary Psychology, Nature

Here’s an exercise to see your values from a new perspective. I used to do it all the time until I learned my lesson from it, which I’ll write at the bottom. Answer the question “how would you improve the world if you could have a magical wish come true?” and follow through to see if the change would, in fact, improve your life. To clarify, I mean a supernatural[…] Keep reading →

How do you decide when your decision affects other people? Involve them in the process.

on September 21, 2013 in Blog, Tips

People struggle over decisions they know will affect others. Their concern for other people sounds important for building and maintaining relationships. Their anxiety, on the other hand, suggests they’re missing its source. If they don’t know what causes their anxiety, they’ll miss the otherwise obvious solution. For some reason, people in challenging situations often withdraw from others. Typical such situations include Figuring out how to tell a client news they[…] Keep reading →

One of my top principles for business relationships: After the project, I want teammates glad to work with me and wanting to work with me again

on September 20, 2013 in Blog

After yesterday’s post on my principle to avoid surprising teammates in business, today I’ll mention one of my other top principles in business relationships: I want people I work with glad to have worked with me and wanting to work with me again. Though this one speaks for itself, I think it bears repeating and reinforcing why it works. This principle Puts accountability to the people you work with as[…] Keep reading →

One of my top principles for business relationships: No surprises

on September 19, 2013 in Blog, Tips

I love a surprise birthday party. I love to surprise friends with good news. I once surprised a girlfriend with a Tiffany’s necklace. All great experiences. I love surprises with friends. In business I strive not to surprise anyone I work with (competitors I like to surprise)– not with news I think they don’t want to hear, nor with news I think they do want to hear. When I figure[…] Keep reading →

The benefit of blocked cable

on September 18, 2013 in Blog

It’s Sunday afternoon. If you didn’t know I like watching football. So why am I writing instead of watching? The more relevant question is why I used to watch — not just football, but anything on TV. When I moved into my apartment almost fourteen years ago I plugged my TV into a coax cable already installed. For some reason, it worked. No cable box, no nothing. I didn’t pay[…] Keep reading →

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