My professor cursed: “You’re too fucking cheap to buy my book?!” This was an Ivy League business school. I was stunned. Class just ended and I was asking him a question, as students do. Other students probably heard as they packed their bags and left the room. He had assigned his own book for the class. A couple weeks before, the bookstore clerk told me the book would come out[…] Keep reading →

Few people like unsolicited advice. People of every culture love stories. Mostly I write posts about observations based on my perspectives on leadership, but I think a lot of it reads like unsolicited advice. Meanwhile, I don’t tell many stories. In other words, my behavior is inconsistent with my beliefs. I’ve meant to write more stories, especially the stories that led me to the observations and perspectives I’m trying to[…] Keep reading →

I can’t stand people who give up too easily. I never want to be like them. People who overcome adversity to achieve greatness inspire me. They remind me I don’t need external advantages to succeed. If they could do it, so can I. So when I hear of someone’s greatness coming despite adversity, I take note of them and when I can I record them here—their names, achievements, and the[…] Keep reading →

I was watching Chris Rock on Inside the Actors Studio. He talked about how growing up in dangerous neighborhoods in Brooklyn helped form him. Personally, I highly value the self-made-ness of a self-made man or woman. I think most people do, especially compared to someone born with a silver spoon in their mouth. His description of his childhood in a bad neighborhood reminded me of a neighborhood I spent some[…] Keep reading →

Friday night I was out with a few friends in the East Village. At the end of the night it was time to go home. Leaving the last bar I started walking home. One guy suggested a slice of pizza, then we could split a cab home. I didn’t want to pay cab fare at all, but everyone was going so why not. Walking in the pizza place, I noticed[…] Keep reading →