Founders of creative service firms and other agencies have built a platform that’s created leverage for them. They have a team. They’re leading an organization from a positional sense. However, the team doesn’t always do what they expect, and sometimes team members act in puzzling ways that contradict the direction they have set. To gain…
When we are trying something new, whether we are attempting to grow our business or make new friends, when we push out of our comfort zone, there will be times when it goes horribly wrong. And when that happens, it feels terrible. When it happens to me, I wonder why I’m putting myself through this….
The quality of our lives is directly proportional to the quality of questions we ask ourselves on a consistent basis. If you ask better questions, you will have better focus and better results… ~ Rich Diviney Early in my career, I had a job where I traveled a lot. My office was in Chicago, our…
“I wanted to ask, ‘Why did you let this happen?’ but that was blasphemy. You never ask why. It was not a question for you to ask.” ~ Nnedi Okorafor, Binti As I have worked to grow my own leadership, one superpower is self-awareness. If I can see myself the way others see me and become more…
We have two products, one we sell to our customers (HubSpot’s CRM) and one we sell to our employees (HubSpot’s culture). Like your product, you need your culture to be unique relative to the competition (for talent) and you want your culture to be very valuable. Like your product, when it is unique and valuable,…
AI is the next great thing! AI is ruining the world! Yes, there are a lot of overreactions to AI going around, and I’m consciously trying not to add to that noise. Instead, I thought I’d give you a quick overview of some instances in which I’ve found AI useful and some insights into where…
One of the great privileges of my role is that I am invited to listen to 10 – 12 clients every week. During the hour or so I spend with them, my whole job is to listen. In the process of doing that, I’ve discovered something amazing. When I give someone my full attention, their…
A few years ago, I read Being Mortal by Atul Gawande. It’s an excellent book about end-of-life issues and I highly recommend it, but the idea that most stuck with me is summarized in this quote: “We want autonomy for ourselves and safety for those we love. That remains the main problem and paradox for…
Did you know that Warren Buffett has created over 90% of his wealth since he turned 65? He became a millionaire in 1962 when he was 32 years old. He became a billionaire in 1990 when he was 60. Last year he reached $20 Billion in net worth (after giving away much of his Berkshire…
Focusing our business on solving a specific problem for a specific group of people (e.g., “Accounting and financial operations for brewery owners.”) makes growing a business so much easier. But at the beginning, everything about this process feels wrong! It can feel like we’re going backward. Imposter syndrome is everywhere, and your gut tells you…