This post details the top ingredients for listening and communication as inspired by "Trail Talk", the art of engaging when running an ultra distance. Trail talk creates that safe bubble where you and a running partner can cover a lot of important topics with focus, intention and action.
Read MoreEmail sucks or it's awesome. I don't know. So much of our headspace is spent checking emails, sending emails, thinking about what to write in emails, writing the perfect emails, hoping I didn't miss an email, waiting for an email response, figuring out how to respond, and on and on and on. Email may be the single biggest productivity killer and drama creator in your life. It is time to wrangle this beast once and for all to use it for good. Here are a few ways to navigate email crazy successfully.
Read MoreI recently finished leading a strategic planning process for a non-profit in Seattle. It was an incredible opportunity to work with the Board and the community to set the course for the next three years. But the process also exposed an area of risk for both the Board and senior leadership. The risk was one of altitude. Boards fly at one level. Executive leadership at another. Staff at another. Knowing your altitude often determines the trajectory toward the destination.
Read MoreHave you ever started a new project, a new business, or a new relationship and realized, when it's too late to turn back, that you're in a little over your head? Many of you know what I'm talking about and it is a defining moment. Frankly, if you haven't had that moment you aren't pushing hard enough. Most people will run away before they hit that point of no return because the force of fear is too great. For many of you though, you make the decision to take control and in the theater of battle, to wrangle the uncertainty. Why do you do it?
Read MoreIn 1996 I nervously approached Day 1 of investment banking in New York. The training program would last about a month and we were all bright eyed, anxious, committed, and less than humble. Frankly I couldn't even believe I landed the job (a different post for a different time) but I was ready. The trainer for the program was a guy who made such an incredible impression on me. His name was Paul Kushel, but he went by "Cash" and he managed to make even the most mundane accounting topics crazy fun and exciting (I know, I have issues). You can read about how he got the name Cash here but it wasn't because his wife's name was Flo (that's run of the mill accounting humor). Cash left a big impression on me and an impression I want to leave on you. When it comes to business: CASH IS KING. Know it. Love it. Lean into it.
Read MoreMy meeting is in 30 minutes. I'm sitting in a hotel lobby chair at a Courtyard Marriott, my eyes closed, visualizing what a successful business pitch is going to look like. I slow down my breathing and focus on having a "conversation" with people that just happen to hold the future of the Company in their whimsical hands. No pressure.
Read MoreEntrepreneurship is a little like pressure building up in the Instapot you bought over the holidays. There is so much energy inside of the vessel that it feels like it’s going to explode. I was reading about Instapot horror stories online where people accidentally (or out of curiosity) flipped the release valve, only to have tonight’s soup spraying on the kitchen ceilings and walls. I have felt like that guy many times over the years. That might be you too.
Read MoreI stopped carrying keys around about two years ago. Carrying keys stresses me out. First, keys weigh me down. I don't like the bulkiness of keys in my pocket. But metaphorically the weight is much greater.
Read MoreOn Thursday night I looked over my daughter's shoulder as she was showing my wife a video she had made at her school with a group of girls called Beautiful. It was simple. Tell people on camera that they are beautiful and capture their reaction. I'm going to let you see this for yourself but it moved me.
Read MoreI do some work facilitating strategy with non-profit boards because it's important and it's complicated with a sprinkle of drama and a whole lot of varied interests. Have you ever sat on a non-profit board and just shook your head at how difficult it is to get everyone aligned to just make a decision and move on? Why is that the case? Well, many non-profit boards are grown organically, not intentionally.
Read MoreIn 2015 we were struggling with a hard decision at EveryMove. There were four of us in a conference room, my co-founder and two relatively new senior people that had joined the Company. We were struggling with the question of whether we were a B2C (Business-to-Consumer) or a B2B (Business-to-Business) company.
Read MoreSo I'm nervous, like is often the case before many Board meetings. I tell a story in my head that I need to be massively prepared and if I'm not I'll undermine investor confidence. So I spend a ton of time putting together material upon material and it's impressive. Fully prepped. Ready to go.
Read MoreI'm running home from a beautiful trail run at Tiger Mountain this morning, feeling strong. I had the intention when I went out that I would move for 2 hours, 30 minutes and not stop on the climbs. I ended the run and I felt powerful, accomplished, and grateful. On the drive home I turned on my local NPR station and listened to Dalcher Keltner being interviewed about his book, The Power Paradox. It got me thinking about power as a leader.
Read MoreWhen I stumble on productivity tools that allow me to do more faster, to knock down obstacles, to improve my organization, and to save time, I get pretty fired up. Here are some that I really like that I have used over the last couple of years.
Read MoreI am not a huge fan of conflict. Or let me say that historically I have not been a huge fan of conflict. It is just a story that I told myself that conflict was bad and avoiding conflict was good. Absurd. Thankfully I managed to shake that childhood baggage with a fresh look on conflict introduced to me by Vince Corsaro.
Read MoreYou might think Entrepreneur and Endurance are synonyms and it can certainly appear that way from the outside. But there is a very specific zone where endurance is truly defined and tested in building a business. It is called the "Valley of Death".
Read MoreA terrific book has been written by Techstars leaders, Brad Feld and David Cohen titled, Do More Faster. The book synthesizes the key ingredients necessary to start and scale a business and reduce the risk of failure. I have been thinking a lot about that title recently since I have made a pledge this year to actually Do Less Faster. Part of me feels like I am shortchanging my goals but I think the opposite is true. Why will doing less make me more successful this year and why might you want to consider it as well?
Read MoreI am a pretty open book. I think if you met me you would see quickly that my agenda is to “grow the pie”* of opportunity, not necessarily take more slices than you. I think it makes a lot of people uncomfortable or skeptical. I don’t know if it has made me a stronger leader yet because the world can be pretty unforgiving if you don’t look out for #1. I’ve tried to live my life with a “grow the pie” strategy but it’s really hard. Why?
Read MoreI had the pleasure last week on 10/22/14 to present at a Startup Week event here in Seattle along with one of my great friends, Andy Liu. It is always enjoyable sharing stories from the trenches of what it has taken to move the ball forward at EveryMove on an idea, a purpose, and a passion. Entrepreneurship is full of bumps of bruises and each one gives me strength to be smarter the next time around. After many years I'm convinced that the skills to be a successful entrepreneur are not innate. They are learned through many years of relentless pursuit. I've put together a Haiku Deck to share my perspective.
Read MoreIn August 2016 I ran a 70 mile race in the Canadian Cascades called the Fat Dog 70. It was a hot day, running at elevation and the run would take over 21 hours. I took my phone with me and shot some video along the journey. It shows the high highs and the low lows. There is so much I learn about myself on these runs and most of all I learn to dig deep and know that when I'm in my darkest moment, I keep moving because it will get better. Check out this video to see the real story.
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