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
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
“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
“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.
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
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.
It was the beginning of summer. I did not particularly enjoy riding the subway this time of year. It was blisteringly hot. However, it was the quickest way to get around the city. Traffic had become a year-round nightmare in New York City. “Hey John,” he said. “Are you ready for this?” “I better be,
The surprising thing about diversity in tech is the lack of technology solutions to help address these complex problems.
