Ego At Work – Public And Private

As the poet-philosopher Sturgill Simpson once said, “Woke up today and decided to kill my ego.” Leadership is a funny thing. Especially as an organization scales. It takes a healthy amount of ego to think you can do what others deem unthinkable. But if your only speed is full speed ahead, you can run into… … Continue reading Ego At Work – Public And Private

What Deadlines, Pumpkin Spice In Summer, And Ambitions Have In Common

“Do you believe they have pumpkin-flavored everything already?! It’s still summer!” - people (worrying about mostly pointless things) “To achieve great things, two things are needed: a plan, and not quite enough time.” - Leonard Bernstein (but he didn’t really say this, h/t Laurie H. and then Quote Investigator) “Two necessities in doing a great … Continue reading What Deadlines, Pumpkin Spice In Summer, And Ambitions Have In Common

Andreessen Thinks Offices Are Archaic (And He Has A Point)

Marc Andreessen has a great take on offices: “There was no office of the Roman Empire. There was no office building. They didn’t go to work. They ran the world.”  Offices and schools are byproducts of industrialization. They made sense in the factory-era. They don’t make as much sense, in their current form, especially given … Continue reading Andreessen Thinks Offices Are Archaic (And He Has A Point)

How To Know If It’s “Creative” Work

How you'll know if it’s creative work: you can’t do it perfectly. You can’t write the perfect message, play the song exactly right, fully nail the presentation, crush teaching the class, figure out where the blender looks best on the countertop, etc. Maybe you think “they” can. But that’s not how creativity works, it’s how … Continue reading How To Know If It’s “Creative” Work

Why Teams Bond (And How They Can Bond Stronger)

In my great tradition of watching things way after seemingly everyone else but me has seen them, I just got into Friday Night Lights. Yes, that means inevitably there will be a “clear eyes, full hearts, can’t lose” post in the near future, but as of right now, I’m thinking of it (a lot) in … Continue reading Why Teams Bond (And How They Can Bond Stronger)