Leadership and Management
How Can You Keep Your Great Engineers From Quitting?
“Brett, I wanted to let you know I am going to retire,” Dave said to me. “What? Why!” I said getting my bearings. “You can’t retire! You’re too young to retire.” “I don’t want to retire,” Dave said. “But I’m being pushed out by ‘Ted’.” [Do you want to grow your business? Maybe I can…
Read MoreHow Can You Make Team Building Work?
I looked at the inbox of my email one morning, and there was an email with the title, “Team Building,” from Mark, the Chief Operating Officer of the company I was working at. I opened the email, looked at the content, and I groaned my disapproval. Mark wanted a limited group of senior managers to…
Read MoreHow Being Too Frugal Can Hurt Your Company
“We’re not spending money on voicemail!” Jack Gifford, the CEO of Maxim Integrated Products said. “We don’t need it!” Do you want to grow your business? Maybe I can help. Click here. Several other senior executives and I were meeting with Gifford and the subject of voicemail came up. Gifford’s negative response wasn’t a surprise…
Read MoreDoes Experience Help You Or Hurt You As A Startup CEO?
I used to love watching Roger Federer play tennis. He looked like he was gliding across the court. And, no matter how hot it is, the guy never sweats. Never. [Do you want to grow your business? Maybe I can help. Click here.] Then, there’s his polar opposite, Blossom’s favorite player, Rafael Nadal. Before he…
Read MoreDo Introverts Make Better Startup CEOs Than Extroverts?
“Who do you know that might be interested in what we’re doing?” I said to Chuck. Chuck was engineer I was introduced to by a friend of mine. [Do you want to grow your business? Maybe I can help. Click here.] “Oh, you should definitely talk to Richard. He’s one of the best engineers I…
Read MoreCan You Avoid No Man’s Land? Your Startup Depends On It.
Have you ever found yourself in No Man’s Land? You know. It’s kind of like you’re driving along on the highway, and a sign comes along: “Next gas, 50 miles.” Do you want to grow your business? Maybe I can help. Click here. Your tank is close to empty. And you’re wondering, “Can I make…
Read MoreBuilding Trust Is Your Most Important Trait
“Whatever you do, never, ever lie,” I said to the large group of startup CEOs I was talking to. Then, I continued and said, “It’s much better to say, ‘I don’t know the answer. I’ll get back to you,’ then to lie.” [Do you want to grow your business? Maybe I can help. Click here.]…
Read MoreAre You Better Off With An Older Team or A Younger Team?
“So, you’re thinking of going the young route,” Bruce Wooley, who was the dean of the electrical engineering department at Stanford, said to me. One of Bruce’s past students had introduced us, and we were having coffee. [Do you want to grow your business? Maybe I can help. Click here.] I told Bruce I was…
Read MoreShould You Set Up A Fast Exit Strategy For Your Startup?
“So, how long do think it will be before we can exit?” The engineer said to me during his job interview. “Two years? three years?” [Do you want to grow your business? Maybe I can help. Click here.] As politely as I could, I said, “I hate to burst your bubble, but it’s going to…
Read MoreHow Do You Prevent Killer Mistakes As A First Time CEO?
“You don’t know what you don’t know,” I said to “Evan,” a young CEO I am working with. I was telling Evan that he needed a world-class VP Operations for his startup. Evan challenged me, and he said, “Why?” [Do you want to grow your business? Maybe I can help. Click here.] Evan’s company was…
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