Leadership and Management
Why You Should Give Your Team Lots Of Equity
“Would you mind telling me your stock option plan at Maxim?” Carlos, the VP HR at Micrel asked me. “I want to do some benchmarking.” I had just joined the company as General Manager of one of three divisions the company had, so I was glad to help. [Do you want to grow your business?…
Read MoreThe Most Important You Need To Manage Any Crisis
There’s nothing that challenges a leader like a crisis. Like it or not, your team is looking at you for answers and leadership through the COVID-19 crisis. There’s one skill you need to master that is likely the difference between you and your team successfully navigating any crisis. I’ll explain what this skill is and…
Read MoreWhy Cutting The Bottom 10% Of Your Team Is A Bad Idea
“Brett, I know you love Netflix’s culture document,” Jeroen, my cofounder and VP Engineering, said to me. “But I’m not sure I like the idea of firing our worst team members.” “I’m not sure I’m on board with that either,” I responded. “There must be a better way to do that (manage the quality of…
Read MoreWhy Is The Stockdale Paradox So Important For You?
Do you want to die of a broken heart? Good, I didn’t think so. Then you want to learn about the power of what Admiral James Stockdale learned as a prisoner during the Vietnam War. It’s called the Stockdale Paradox, and it might be the most important thing you’ll need to get through the tough…
Read MoreHow Do You Manage A Board Of Directors Meeting?
“This looks pretty startup friendly,” Marsha, our attorney, said to me when I sent her our term sheet. “There are no crazy terms, and the board composition looks reasonable. [Do you want to grow your business? Maybe I can help. Click here.] “I think this is pretty clean,” Marsha concluded. “What about the board composition?”…
Read MoreHow Do You Deal With The Stress Of Being CEO?
“I think we should sell the company,” “Raul,” one of our investors said to me. Raul’s demand came out of nowhere. We were doing well. Revenue was growing at a healthy clip, and we had just received a term sheet from a new investor to lead our next round of funding. [Do you want to…
Read MoreHow Tough Is It To Get Funded After COVID 19?
How hard will it be for you to raise money in the aftermath of COVID-19? No one knows for sure. But I have a pretty good idea because I raised $12M during the Great Recession. I’ll give you my thoughts on how the funding environment is likely to change, whether it makes sense to continue…
Read MoreWhy You Shouldn’t Wait To Raise Your Funding…
Despite the crazy times we are living in right now Coronavirus (Covid-19) has thrown everything for a loop. The fundraising environment and economic environment reminds me of when I was raising money during the Great Recession. There’s a lot uncertainty, just like during the Great Recession. And there’s a lot of fear, just like during…
Read MoreThe 11 Steps You Need To Take To Deal With Coronavirus
“Brett, what does it mean? We have to shelter in place starting at midnight according to the mayor.” Blossom said to me. “Maybe ‘Jane’ (a friend of ours) isn’t that crazy after all.” [Do you want to grow your business? Maybe I can help. Click here.] Jane’s been in a panic because of the Coronavirus. …
Read MoreHow You Can Keep Your Family And Be A Success
Supposedly, in order to be a successful startup CEO, “they” tell you that you have to give up everything, including your family, and be 100% devoted to your startup. I am here to tell you that “they” are wrong. And who are “they” anyways? But that’s a different story. Yes, you do need to make…
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