Insights on leadership, entrepreneurialism and management
People Do Good
Read more“Corporate good” is not a new thing, though it has been the subject of a lot of recent chatter. The fact is that nearly all corporate leaders want to do good things for other people, be they shareholders, employees,...
Looking Over Horizons
Read moreGreat business leaders seem to look into the future, to perform magic. But they are not magicians. They simply know how to approach or invent the future. The nature of curves When the first sailors of old looked out...
Challenging Assumptions
Read more“In a start-up company, you basically throw out all assumptions every three weeks.” – William Lyon Phelps Assumptions are dangerous things. After all, to assume means to suppose something to be true but without proof. Hence, assumptions are...
Enjoy Risk
Read moreSome things scare the pants off me, but most things don’t. You will never see me skydiving, but speaking to an audience of a few thousand people doesn’t cause me a moment’s grief. We all have phobias. Some are...
Performance Metrics and Innovation
Read moreThere is a natural conflict between standard employee performance metrics and innovation. Being Silicon Valley’s longest serving CEO I have found this conflict an interesting topic, and one I have wrestled with for years. In tech, where my company...
Board of Director Selection
Read moreNot long after finding traction, a green CEO will need to establish a real Board of Directors (BOD), and not one composed of sundry friends, family and over-active venture capitalists. And it may be the most critical decisions you...