Maybe adults should act more like children when it comes to fairness
I recently asked readers to weigh in on my column — subject line: My Thoughts. You know, let the old man have a piece of your mind, tell him exactly...
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9 lessons for innovators from a Nobel Prize-winning economist
After a sailboat race on Jan. 1, my partner in crime buys me a Bloody Mary and asks a simple question: “What are your goals for 2023?” Y’all think about...
If you pay an employee more, do you get better ideas? An employee who thinks outside the box?
“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell just as sweet.” — Romeo and Juliet.Yeah, try telling that to the person you...
Should I worry that ChatGPT will take over my column?
I have been replaced.Not just fired like a Twitter employee, not just pushed to the sidelines like the gas-guzzling car by the electric vehicle, not just put out to pasture...
Agreeing to disagree is not a bad thing but sometimes you just want to cut your losses and get out
The New Year. Let’s look at the bright side. If you are reading this column, then you are still alive.The holidays are over and your in-laws and out-laws have left....
It’s time to seize the day in 2023
So in case you may have missed it, today is the day after that day, Dec. 25, that everyone knows as The Day. And I hope you had a great...
Why is it so hard to do the right thing?
Let’s look at bad behavior.As many of you know, I spent almost six years teaching entrepreneurship at Donovan State Prison. During that time, I interviewed more than 50 of my...
When your company’s return on investment trumps growth
The infamous potpourri.A friend comes to me. The problem is a simple one. He would like to find someone to catch a falling knife for a real estate deal he...
Is this startup really about sharing and community?
I belong — at last.Now I can finally tell the shrink that my feelings of inadequacy and rejection have been salved, that my embrace of the imposter syndrome can be...
Finding a co-founder is a little like finding a marriage partner
A co-founder, don’t leave home without one.Every company that I have started has been started with a co-founder. In over half of them, it was the other person’s idea. You...
Here’s why you can’t go wrong asking a question. And then another. And another
Recently, I arrived early to give a talk at the University of San Diego, and I wandered into a networking event for the Knauss Business School. I see 200 +...
Why is it so hard for entrepreneurs to do certain things – even when they know it’s right?
I waited too long.I knew that I had to fire someone, and I really did not want to do it. I had a Rubik’s Cube dilemma. I kept spinning it,...
New California law opens the door to pay transparency but are employers – and employees – ready?
Do you know how much money the person next to you is being paid? Do you want to know? Are you sure you want to know? Management gurus tell us...
Do you really know what your customer wants?
Harvard professor Clay Christensen was famous for the book, "The Innovator's Dilemma," and later in his career, he wrote a lesser-known, but equally compelling book, "Competing Against Luck."In that book,...
Always play the long game and don’t argue about dilution
The dreaded “D” word. Death, depression, disease, disappointment and the granddaddy of them all — divorce.But no cigar, the word most feared by the entrepreneur is Dilution. And I would...
As an entrepreneur or investor, how do you decide what’s important?
A pal sends me a TikTok from Kevin O’Leary, one of the Shark Tank ists, whose famous mantra when a contestant does not accept his offer or seems clueless is...
Employees crave but managers don’t want – or know how – to give it
Recently, I wrote about three qualities that NASA looks for in an employee — one of which is thick skin. That quality s the idea of not being bothered by...
Mastering the art of persuasion
“Try to see it my way.” – The Beatles“What we’ve got here is failure to communicate.” – Cool Hand LukeThe problem we are considering today is the art of persuasion....
If your boss is a jerk, why is everyone walking off the cliff for them?
Labor Day, celebrated on the first Monday in September, is meant to honor the contributions that American workers have made to our country’s social and economic success.I believe in the...
Why teamwork is often more important to success than talent
I have a hobby. I like to race my 33-foot sport sailboat. I am a pretty good sailor, our team wins more than it loses, but we are nothing to...
Care to wager a simple venture capitalist bet on the next generation?
I recently read a New Yorker article “Is Selling Shares in Yourself the Way of the Future?” by Nathan Heller. The premise of the article is simple. The Liberman brothers,...
Big personality can be a good listener
He’s the life of the party. And when exactly can I tell him/her to shut up?The question sometimes asked about leadership is does it depend on the infamous “big personality?”...
Completing set of tasks gets you to the extra mile
I confess. I have a bit of ADHD. If I walk into the kitchen and the silverware drawer is slightly ajar, I push it closed. I do all the dishes...
Next time you make a hire, try what NASA does for hiring astronauts
Blast off.In an effort to hire better, NASA has researched and developed the “NASA Systems Engineering Behavioral Competency Model.” The document is 27 pages, and as you would imagine, it...
How to dial up a healthy dose of optimism, while at the same time being transparent
Sundar Pichai is the CEO of Google. He recently gave a speech at Stanford, and I want to share a few of his thoughts. Talking about Google 20 years ago,...
When you’re expecting a positive response but get ghosted
I have a dilemma, and I am turning to the crowd for guidance. The issue revolves around a disappointment in someone and what is the proper rational response.The fact set...
How wanting less can result in greater satisfaction
When this column appears, I will be fishing on the Missouri River in Montana. I am working virtually; my office is a drift boat.There is a high likelihood that I...
Borrowing some gems worth sharing
Sometimes you just have to give it up and steal from the absolute best in the business. I give credit to David Brooks, New York Times columnist, who recently posted...
Silence might lead to gold
>>>>The above gap is not a mistake. That space is blank to graphically indicate to my readers what silence looks like, and by extension its power. Sometimes called the pregnant...
Companies inclined to look after their own best interests
I know that we are living in turbulent times but you can always count on one thing — they are still trying to screw you.Herewith a story that touches on...
The ion in living, working and changing
A few weeks ago, I wrote about having a sense that the financial world was changing. I am not an economist and don’t play one on television, but I would...
So you want to start a venture fund …
A friend of mine is starting a venture fund.That sounds like the opening line to “so a man walks into a bar.” Starting a venture fund is only slightly less...
How to have more successful conversations
How to have a conversation?I spend a lot of time talking and probably should spend a bit more time in the listening area, but regardless, I always have an objective...
CONNECT’s wildly successful Innovation Day shows San Diego is finally on the map for startups
Wow! And now let me be perfectly clear — wow!Recently, CONNECT put on its first Inaugural Innovation Day. Cool companies, a broad range of sponsors, technology information booths and about...
When the chips are down, how does your leadership react?
We all know about the Nigerian prince. He has to get the money to someone immediately, and somehow because of my excellent reputation as a dummy/rube/chucklehead/rollover/financial novice, I got picked....
From NFTs to rituals at work to who is the best VC picker?
This is potpourri week.A few weeks ago, I went to an NFT convention in San Diego. Without debating the merits of the metaverse, I clearly saw that whatever it is,...
Why ‘adversarial collaboration’ takes a back seat to trusting your gut
I recently watched an EDGE lecture by one of my favorite mavericks, Nobel Prize winner Daniel Kahneman, my personal touchstone to rational person behavior.His piece was on “adversarial collaboration,” which...
Reverse mentoring: Why you should tap Gen Z’s digital expertise in your workplace
The world has created age ranges and categories to better define when you were born and where you stand in the hierarchy of waiting for Social Security, which may or...
No slapping, please. Can you ‘negotiate’ anger issues in the workplace?
The slap heard ‘round the world — except for those 20 seconds of real-time on network television, when your screen went blank, while an angry Hollywood celebrity was expressing his...
Friendships are important in the workplace but do they help get the best results?
Emotions are powerful. Strong ones can be frightening when experienced up close and personal, and in the business world, they can be extremely revealing about the team and its persistence...
When you’re making a pitch, you’ve got to tell a story. A really good story
I recently spent a morning listening to 25 startup companies tell their stories at the New York University Pitch Session, three minutes each. Some were memorable, others not. It was...
Some traits for leadership that could equal more success
You are leading a company into a digital transformation. You can pick one of the following as the key trait that will make the company successful — provide a steady...
Don’t agonize over looking at multiple outcomes
There is a famous story about venture capitalists. It says that if the one you are pitching to likes to invest their money in chocolate cakes, don’t bring them lemon...
How do entrepreneurs know who is giving them the ‘right’ advice?
The Innovator’s Dilemma is a well-known problem. It is the classic work of Harvard professor Clay Christensen. He describes how large incumbent companies lose market share by “listening to their...
The business of death: Online cremation services may be efficient but where’s the humanity?
The Metaverse. Alternate Reality. Virtual Reality.Can’t I just go to the market and get a quart of real milk, without having to navigate a sea of cows who are in...
Curse of Knowledge can get in the way
I had an interesting experience with a startup. I ran into what is called “The Curse of Knowledge.” The curse is defined as a cognitive bias that occurs when an...
Debunking some classic myths and mistakes about decision-making
“Come on, Harry, for God’s sake make up your mind.”Decisions, decisions, we make them every day, but do we make them well? OK, maybe you can ask Siri or Google...
Adler’s laws of venture capital
I often turn to the advice of my elders. However, as I age, that runway is getting shorter. But there is still a bit of room left, and today let’s...
Behavioral economics of entrepreneurs: Why do we tip, when and how much?
The past few weeks have been filled with a variety of columnists and opinion writers telling you their “best of” for 2021, and I don’t want to be left out...
‘Due diligence’ lessons from Elizabeth Holmes and Theranos
At this point, slightly more words have been written about Elizabeth Holmes than have been written about Elvis Presley. But I can’t resist playing Blue Suede Shoes one more time....
Being jilted in a venture cap deal
Left at the altar. Painful. Expensive. Humiliating. And even worse, you still have to pay the caterer (in this case, the attorney).I have recently had a close-up and personal bird’s...
If it’s the New Year, I’ve got some resolutions – and predictions on how they’ll turn out
First column of 2022. The possibilities are limitless, the page is blank, the world stands before all of us, waiting for the paint to be applied to our unique picture,...
A short course in frank communication
This has been a hell of a year.But we are going out strong, and we are going to end the year with an English lesson suitable for all entrepreneurs who...
Levity and laughter for leaders: Why we still need a sense of humor in the workplace
Spoiler alert. This column runs the serious risk of not being politically correct. Just read or rip it up, but don’t send me emails telling me that I am an...
Are teams or individuals better at getting work done?
Do you want to be on a team or do you want to work on the project alone? Or put another way, are two heads better than one?A new study...
There’s no such thing as a hot hand in business but momentum and flow are real
Contrary to popular myth, there is no such thing as the “hot hand,” even if your lying eyes tell you differently. Don’t argue, just go read the NBA stats. That...
Why is it still so hard for women to get funding for startups?
If you are an angel investor or venture capitalist, and unless you have been living in a cave in the mountains of Afghanistan without the internet, you are aware of...
Good lawyers should not put your VC deal at risk
Entrepreneurs and lawyers. Peanut butter and jelly.Right before our founder figures out product-market fit, total addressable market, financial pricing, customer acquisition, and does anybody really want to buy this idea,...
How to balance uncertainty and ambiguity as an entrepreneur
A rule in my first book says that the entrepreneur needs to not only tolerate ambiguity but also, he/she needs to embrace it.Well, easy for you to say, but it...
Dealing with unethical behavior at work
Here is a question for my readers. Feel free to weigh in. I will set the basic parameters.A senior management executive s a startup, venture-backed company, growing fast, well-funded. After...
Intuition, asking the right kind of questions can help sniff out lie
Recently I completed celebrating the 10 Days of Repentance, which start with Rosh Hashanah and end with the conclusion of Yom Kippur. So, first off, let me apologize to anyone...
How to answer the hard questions in business with a bit of deflection
“Bob and weave” is a defensive tactic used often in boxing. To avoid the punch, you move laterally and downward at the same time. Another term is duck and dodge....
Films remind us of powerful work themes in a changed world
One of the great benefits of writing a column that appears on Monday is that I always get a shot at trying to say something pithy on Labor Day. In...
Starting at beginning with financial literacy for young adults
I am mentoring some young people who have aged-out of the foster care program and are now on their own making independent choices and decisions. My assignment is to improve...
Why the pitch contest is still a formidable rite of age
I recently attended a pitch for a very clever solution to a monthly issue that most women face, namely menstruation.The pitch had won some startup competitions, earning a couple hundred...
Picking a winner: Why going to the ‘best’ school or getting straight A’s doesn’t guarantee success
How to pick a winner?Now this is a fairly wide-ranging topic. People, deals, horses, sports, products, companies — you get my drift. I am fascinated by the concept of “winner,”...
A new way to think about equity in your company: Give ownership stakes for advertising time
On the day that you start your company, you own 100 percent of the equity. An important issue that you need to deal with at the beginning and going forward...
Can this subscription service make you a better parent?
This is potpourri week, a heady stew of random craziness.I am a grandfather to several (seven) grandchildren.All four children are happily married and to the best of my knowledge not...
Where does power come from and why?
Power.In scientific , it is the rate at which energy is transferred or converted. Power = Work divided by Time, and it is often measured in watts.But in organizational behavior...
When someone at work is having a bad day, do you care enough to ask why?
“How you doing”? The verb “are” is missing because this is how the meat butcher in Brooklyn talks to his customers when they come in the door. Linguistic accuracy is...
Shining a light on change, but still it’s hard to do
The Greeks had a word for it.“Change is the only constant in life,” said Heraclitus, a Greek philosopher who ran a small venture capital operation in the town of Ephesus...
Meet the person who put in the winning bid for this column
And the winner is Mike Kostelyk.Of all the gin ts, in all the towns, in all the world, this guy stumbles onto my column. You may that a few...
Why getting fired from a job might make you a better entrepreneur
Former President Donald Trump made the phrase “You’re fired” a catchphrase of the Apprentice TV show. I never liked the sound of the words; they felt final and hard, uncaring...
What many creators crave most is the autonomy to create – so give it to them
We all know that the quality of the team is a critical component to startup success. And I have written frequently about how to think about building a team, but...
Why would anyone pay $560,000 for a New York Times column?
I owe it all to Kevin Roose, a writer at the New York Times.In late March, Roose decided to offer one of his columns, specifically the column he was writing...
How can entrepreneurs ‘reset’ early in the process to make sure they’re not taking the wrong path?
Recently, I started a project. Like all entrepreneurs, I think I knew the problem I was solving for, and all I needed to do was plow ahead. At the very...
In building your company it there’s confusion and embrace the possibility
Last week, I talked with a good friend who sees “froth” everywhere. His company is getting a buyout offer. He sees other companies getting gobbled up by SPACs (special purpose...
How to break free of emotions that trigger stalemates in negotiations
I am struggling with a few deals, people and projects where I am battling tough competitors, and finding common ground is proving difficult. It is not clear to me what...
When entrepreneurs are close to getting what they want – why do they hesitate?
What happens when you finally agree with yourself that you are going to do what you have always wanted. Then in the next instant, when it is right there in...
Why saying ‘no’ is such a powerful word
There is enormous power in the word “no.”Meet Carol Tome, the CEO of United Parcel Service. In a recent extensive interview in the Wall Street Journal, Tome talks about saying...
How to find and how to hire talent
Hiring well is always a challenge.I had the occasion to watch an old, 1997 UCSD TV show about the San Diego software industry moderated by Barbara Bry when she was...
Why keeping an open mind is essential
Adam Grant, a famous Wharton professor, has a new book, “Think Again.” Don’t think twice. It’s all right. Read it.I am consumed with trying to make good decisions for myself...
Ownership fit and financing. What’s the formula for success?
Ownership and motivation and financing are inextricably linked in any effort to create a significant company, and fitting all the pieces together neatly is as much an art as a...
When did positivity become so toxic?
“Put on a Happy Face” is a song from the musical Bye Bye Birdie.Enough of this optimistic, smiling joyful engagement. Let’s get real and recognize that Armageddon looms just around...
Millennials and manifesting – is Gen Z onto something?
“The Power of Positive Thinking,” 1952, by Norman Vincent Peale, was on the New York Times Best Seller list for 186 consecutive weeks. The book blended a heady stew of...
Study says you shouldn’t be afraid to ask sensitive questions, but what’s reality say?
I don’t mean to pry or be too personal, but tell me true how do you feel about sex, religion, politics, money, diversity and your ex-wife?Those are what are called...
Why entrepreneurs need to talk to themselves with comion
If my parents couldn’t love me, how can I ever love myself? And if they always found me inadequate, how can I ever be worthy of anything?OK, let’s all take...
The art of hearing and listening
“Can you hear me now?” — Verizon“Mr. Watson, come here. I want to see you.” — Alexander Graham Bell“BlahBlahBlah.” — Robocall # 297The difference between hearing and listening is significant,...
Maybe you aren’t who you think you are
How do you begin to think about the gap between what you think you know about yourself and have told yourself for all these years and the uncomfortable realization that...
In 2021 focus on the winners – and not the losers – in the workplace and beyond
How to begin another year?We have all read the year in reviews from a dozen publications, online, offline, inline and out of line. Enough looking back. I am thinking about...
Advice from really smart people like Jamie Dimon, Elad Gil and James Currier
Today I am going to share some advice I have gotten from really smart people. As my readers know, I spend a lot of time negotiating, teaching it as well...
Be kind, and put in the effort to be there for others
It’s getting to be the time of year when old times should be forgotten. If I had my way, that would include burying them. We are coming to the end...
Does bad behavior by a CEO or leader carry a price to be paid?
Thanksgiving is over. The election is over. The year is almost over. COVID is not over. If you have not been personally impacted by the last nine months, then you...
The rise and fall of Quibi and what entrepreneurs can learn from its demise
Let’s imagine that you are rich and powerful and famous. In other words, you are a master of the universe, and you pick a co-founder who is also rich and...
Why mentoring and incubators should be part of the economic landscape
San Diego has more than 25 tech and biotech “incubators and accelerators.” How important are they in helping entrepreneurs, particularly women and founders of color from underserved communities, entrepreneurs who...
We start out with the best plan and intentions but why do we get sidetracked?
“Ladies and gentlemen, congratulations, this has been a terrific meeting, and we now have a plan. And as you well know, there is damn little chance that we will stick...
You need someone to vouch for you
This week I had a powerful he/she/they epiphany. I am not referring to LGBTQ gender pronouns per se, but rather to the puzzle of external validation. Allow me to amplify.A...
Why busy people need to take time to reflect
This column is running eight days before Election Day. Like many of you, I have a dog in the fight, and emotions across the country are running at peak RPMs....
Coming up with good idea takes creativity
How do you come up with a really good idea? (By the way, if I had a sure-fire answer, I would not be sharing it today). But in the proper...
The mindset of an entrepreneur can be a hard thing to change
Why is it so hard for people to change their minds when presented with evidence of their inaccuracy? Don’t try to confuse me with the facts, or to put it...