Leadership and Management
The Secrets To A Successful And Happy Life
Dearest Avery, My beautiful daughter. Mommy and I are so very proud of the young girl you are. You have many gifts and talents that are going to serve you well in life. But I want to tell you the secret to a successful and happy life: Perseverance and a positive attitude. I would love…
Read MoreThe Rocky Show: The Importance of Great Leaders
By Brett Fox I woke up and looked out my window. There was snow everywhere. The 100-foot tall giant TV antenna Dad installed was on its side: The April blizzard had knocked the TV antenna down. How were we going to watch Chicago Blackhawks home games in the Stanley Cup playoffs? The only way to…
Read MoreThe Six Steps to Dealing With a Bad Boss
By Brett Fox “Common sense is not very common,” said the Michelin Man. You’d ask the Michelin Man a question and he would just sit there for minutes with a blank stare on his face. His arms were folded about two feet away from his body. It made him look like the Michelin Man. …
Read MoreHow Parenting Makes You a Better Manager
Blossom was taking Avery home from school on a Monday when Avery surprised her. “Mommy, the form to participate in the talent show is due Friday.” Blossom said, “Okay.” Blossom took Avery home Tuesday, and Avery spoke up again. “Mommy, have you filled out the form, so I can participate in the talent show? It…
Read More20 Hidden Benefits From Losing Your Job or Selling Your Company
It was Sunday night at 11PM, and I heard the phone ring. The second I heard the phone ring I knew my Dad was dead. My Mom told me the paramedics were at the house, but Dad was gone. “I need you here tomorrow,” she said. Blossom and I hurriedly arranged to fly down to…
Read More20 Pearls of Wisdom From Warren Buffett’s Last Annual Letter
Berkshire Hathaway board member Bill Gates calls Warren Buffett’s 2014 annual letter his best ever. Now that’s saying something since Buffett has produced 50 of them, and Gates is not easy to impress. Truth be told, I love Warren Buffett. I think he’s brilliant, and he just oozes common sense. So I am fan, and…
Read MoreHow do you Deal with a Toxic Co-Worker?…A CEO’s Perspective
It was the summer of 2009, and we were closing in on our Series A funding. I wanted to update my fellow co-founders on our progress, so I scheduled a meeting at the local Starbucks. A little bit off topic, but Starbucks is a great meeting venue for an unfunded company with no office space.…
Read MoreWhat Everyone Needs to Know About Effective Communication – A CEO’s Perspective
I’ve been answering a lot of questions on Quora these days. You get some good questions, and you get some not so good questions. One of the not so good questions was, “Why do so Many Silicon Valley VCs Demand the Startups they Fund are Located in the Silicon Valley?” I referred to Marc Andreessen’s…
Read MoreSix Business Lessons You Can Learn From Project Runway
I am coming out of the closet, so to speak. No, not like THAT! My family’s favorite television show, Project Runway, began season 13 last Thursday night. For the next 16 Thursdays, my family and I will live and die with the escapades of an unknown group of eclectic fashion designers. We will make it…
Read MoreDo You have what it Takes to Lead People? Lessons I learned from Bill Walsh
“I was so distraught that I broke down and started crying.” Bill Walsh I was fortunate, in the 1990’s, to take a continuing education class on leadership at Stanford University. The class featured 10 speakers including Stanford’s provost and Stanford’s head football coach. The provost was future United States Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and…
Read More