Afleveringen
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Recently, a brilliant young founder came to me with a startup idea. In this case, “young” = high school. Junior year.
Instead of judging his idea or spouting off a lifetime of advice, I told him the cautionary tale of another young founder who rose to great heights with potential, yet eventually lost it all.
I followed this story for over a decade, and I’m still learning from it. Now it’s your turn.Adam Mastrioanni’s “The Bluetooth Test and other keyholes to the soul.” https://www.experimental-history.com/p/the-bluetooth-test-and-other-keyholes
Schedule Office Hours with Bob: https://calendly.com/bob-gilbreath/bob-gilbreath-office-hours
Fleet: https://fleetholdingco.com/
Revelin: https://www.revelinsolutions.com/
A2 Influence: https://www.a2influence.com/
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One of the interesting things about being an entrepreneur is discovering how many other people would like to follow in your footsteps—and are hungry for advice.
Years ago, I would fill a half-hour conversation with my assessment of the idea, keys to success, and watchouts.
However, I’ve finally realized that my evaluation of an idea is essentially meaningless. I’ve seen so many “great ideas” of my own die an ugly death, and frequently been surprised when products I thought were dumb ended up as massive hits.
While I don’t know whether an idea will work or not, I do know what it’s like to be an entrepreneur—and an Idea Person. It’s a rare gift…that can turn into a curse.
I’ve wasted years of my life on bad ideas that once got me excited.
Now, when people bring an idea to me, I try to help them see themselves in the mirror. This is my little speech, and my story…
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Zijn er afleveringen die ontbreken?
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Twenty-seven years ago this month, one of my first managers, Ann, shared something with me that changed my career and life for the better…
In coaching me on how to work with my agency, she said: “They don’t work for you, you work for them.”
It blew my mind at the time, but eventually it made sense. I used it to great success and continued to find new ways to be a servant leader throughout my career.
I’ll bet you can similarly rattle off a phrase or two that made a big difference in your work+life. But only now do I understand why I was able to listen back then, and how wise words can take hold in us today.
When we let the walls of our ego—our defenses—come down, the most valuable truth eventually finds us.
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I wasn’t planning on posting this week. The long Memorial Day weekend is coming up in the U.S., and I know from previous years that open, listen, watch, and engagement rates plummet starting now.
But about ten different synchronicities—including from people close to me—suggest that people are really struggling out there.
Welcome to the challenge of our generations.
It sucks, it’s not fair, it’s been going on too long, and it feels like we’re sacrificing our children to some golem of change—with no relief in sight.
We need something to believe in and something to do about it. I want to share what works for me. It might help you handle the stress, and maybe even convince you to be the tiny pair of butterfly wings that delivers positive change.
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Do you know why people buy your company’s brand and category? Are you really sure?
Often we’re fooling ourselves…or at least not digging deep enough to understand how these crazy people called “customers” actually make decisions.
It takes lots of curiosity—and usually getting personally embedded in a business—to see how things really work.
Here I share the lesson I first learned from my friends on Downy—the product that’s really Love in a Bottle—then went on to practice myself on Mr. Clean Magic Eraser and in my advertising agency.
Digging into the real reasons people buy your product or service can unearth directions for innovation and differentiation. It can also highlight blind spots where customer retention is at risk.
And you just might use it to learn more about yourself along the way.
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Is there anything in the business world more celebrated than an IPO?
After many years of skill, luck, and grinding, your company name goes up in lights—with its own ticker symbol—and people worldwide can own a piece of the magic you and your team made.1
Of course, a lot of cash comes along with it, too. Some access it before others, of course…
An IPO is a game-changer for a company’s founders, investors, employees, and countless stakeholders who helped them get there.
But the game of company-building changes dramatically the day after that bell rings. For most, it is the first day of the end of the success story.
I think it’s time to re-examine the actual value of going public, especially for founders who aim to build something that lasts.
This piece is the result of months of marinating, which made me see my ignorance and a need to confess my sins.
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My discussion partner this week, Marc Stoiber, is a Founder, Consultant, and Strategist who (re)invents leading brands for a living.
I first got to work with Marc when he was Executive Creative Director for the Grey advertising agency. Together, our teams turned around the iconic Mr. Clean brand.
Marc told me he was building a one-person strategy+creative agency…with the help of an army of AIs. That stopped me in my tracks—and I just had to get the rest of the conversation on the record.
Click below to hear his story about using AI as a creative wingman, looking at the future of work through an augmentation lens, and embracing our inner cluelessness.
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Re-orgs…Is there a more dreaded hyphenated word in business-speak?
You’ve been there: The surprise all-hands meeting. The admission of challenges from within and without. The syrupy faux excitement for the future. The release of new org charts with fresh reporting relationships. And the inevitable departure of trusted colleagues.
Businesses and organizations must evolve. But does it have to be this hard?
I don’t think so. Years ago, my partners and I lucked into selecting an organizational structure that addressed our problems and fueled breakthrough growth.
Instead of building a bigger ship, we spread our crew into rowboats.
We got bigger by getting smaller, trusting the power of teamwork instead of command and control. This is how Dedicated Teams can tap the power of social capital at scale…and continue delivering value long after a company is gone.
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Last week, I wrote a fictional story for this newsletter. Aside from a few startup pitch decks with optimistic projections, this was my first fiction since high school.
Writing fiction was hard. I couldn’t rely on historical happenings and real-world personalities to guide me. I worried that people would dislike my work. Visions of unsubscribes filled my head as I ploddingly invented characters and dialogue.
But I had to go for it….because that’s what I do now. I listen to invitations from the Universe and say Yes.
Over the past few weeks, I have been in “Default Yes” mode when interesting—and especially fear-inducing—opportunities come to me.
I want to share three examples below…and invite you to join me in this next chapter of self-discovery…
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“I’ve gotta tell you about this AI experiment we tried…”
My old friend, Dave, dropped this on me just as we sat down to catch up over drinks in Las Vegas last week.
He proceeded to share a jaw-dropping story of what happened when he invited an AI tool into his Executive Leadership Team meeting.
Thankfully he gave me permission to share the saga—with several disguises to protect his company and his job.
It was a wild ride with a potential lesson for all of us: By showing us humans at our worst, AI might bring out our best.
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I’ve met with +300 people in each of the past two years.Many of these meetings involved requests for advice…and one trend stands out: The more specific people are in the questions they ask, the better the perspective I can provide.
It’s a lesson that my new friend Jodi exemplified when she used ChatGPT to get the basics before we met.
Listen to get the full story, tips for diving deeper, and a potential best use case of combining Human and Artificial Intelligence…
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I’m excited to share the next podcast episode in my series of conversations with interesting people on topics where business and life intersect.
My discussion partner this week, Meredith Meyer, is CEO and Lead Consultant of Infinite Potential, LLC, where she provides strategy and talent consulting services. I first met Meredith over 20 years ago, when we were both assistant brand managers on Tide at Procter & Gamble.
Since then, she has spent a career moving from marketing and brand roles to people leadership at software companies.
I walk away with an insightful perspective and a big smile whenever I meet with Meredith. So this time, we decided to record ourselves and stick to a topic: Lessons we’ve learned from coaching people.
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Almost every company, of nearly any size, has at least one employee who makes life miserable for everyone around them.
We all know they are a problem—up to and including the CEO—yet nothing is done about their behavior. It’s like we’re all being held hostage…
I was one of those leaders who let such a problem fester.
But I finally overcame my fears and did the right thing.
I hope this story motivates you to move faster when the toxic employee arrives at your company…or are they already there, and you’re still not handling the problem? Let’s fix that.
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“You should create content”
This is becoming the go-to advice for college job seekers, small business owners, and mid-career layoff victims.
But it’s not for everyone…
And if you don’t love your work, it won’t be great and won’t lead to your heart’s desire.
Read, listen, or watch if you dare to fall in love with the creative process.
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Recently, I had the chance to join John Warrillow on his podcast, Built to Sell. He’s the best in the business at pulling stories and success tips from sellers.
In preparing for my discussion with John, I wondered what I could bring to the table that would be different than the other 479 guests he has spoken with.
But I kept thinking back to a surprising consistency I’ve heard in John’s interviews:
Most earnouts don’t work out—and that’s a shame.
I’ve been fortunate on the other side. Nothing was easy, and we got lucky as hell. But each time I hear of others’ struggles, I wish I had a chance to share my experience with them beforehand.
So I sat down and tried to distill what I learned and screwed up in going through this twice.
Whether you hope to sell your company someday, are an employee at a company that goes through this, or are just curious, come with me for a peek behind the curtain at an interesting, under-reported corner of the business world…
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I’ll bet there’s a German or Japanese word for the sudden pop of a long-forgotten, meaningful memory that suddenly comes back like a strike of lightning.
I had one of those “memory pops” last week when reading Paul Fisher’s post, “You Can Learn Anything from Anyone.” In it, Paul shares the story of a steelworker who was proud to point at a skyscraper and tell his children that he was responsible for placing the beam on the 45th floor.
It reminded me of going into marketing many years ago, in part for the chance to see the product of my work on thousands of store shelves.
Meaning is important, but it is different for everyone. Try a bunch of things until you find yours.
“Proof of impact” has been special for me. Maybe it can be for you, too.
Listen for more on how to make meaning this way.
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There’s no certification course needed to become a CEO. One day, you find yourself in that position and must figure it out on your own. Everyone is waiting to see what you’ll do first.
No pressure, of course…
Everyone who has been in this role has a unique story to share. This week, I sat down with Rob Reinfeld, the Co-founder and CEO of A2 Influence, a content development agency that helps leading brands and retailers create and distribute authentic content at scale.
We’ve been friends and business partners for years, so I was curious to hear his impressions after completing his first year as CEO—and share some of my own memories in the process.
Whether you’ve been a CEO for years or aspire to be in that role someday, I’m sure you’ll uncover some valuable lessons—and enjoy a few laughs with us along the way.
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Lots of people I know are waiting for their exit.
They don’t love their jobs and dream of doing something else with their lives. But the promise of life-changing money keeps them in their seats.
Some are waiting for the IPO or their Private Equity owners to sell the company. Others wait for the options to vest or for the commission checks to be paid.
I see and feel for their suffering—because I’ve been there. In total, across two acquisitions, I’ve spent eight years of my career waiting for a check.
Neither case was “Rest and Vest”—we had to work our butts off to get those checks.
However, I learned that a painful journey can bring a reward more valuable than what hits your bank account. Here’s how…
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Life is full of little phrases that make us flinch…
“We’re still waiting for our flight crew to arrive.”
“Due to an accident overnight, the bridge is closed for repair until further notice.”
“I saw something that concerns me, and I’d like to run more tests.”
They bring immediate annoyance and the worrying prospect of more pain.
Leading a business gives you many other opportunities to listen for and correct problems.
It took me decades of work to compile the following list of phrases. Ignore them at your peril…
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“I’d love to start a business, but I think my ego is holding me back from giving up my current position.”
“I can’t share this idea until it’s perfect. My ego is getting in the way.”
“I’m afraid this will fail, and I’ll look like an idiot in front of my peers. I guess it’s my ego again.”
These quotes are a sample of what people said to me last month—just like the month before and the one before that.
Each individual I spoke with is a strong, proven mid-career leader with a robust network. An entrepreneurial path tempts them, and they could easily return to a traditional job if the leap doesn’t work out, but a voice in their heads blocks them.
Choosing the career path of an entrepreneur has forced me to understand and overcome my Ego. It has been a wild ride of two steps forward and one-and-a-half steps back.
You might choose to start a company someday. Or you may have no choice—forced into a freelance or contract assignment in a corporate environment that increasingly drives us to fend for ourselves. Either way, I’d like to share what your Ego is in for.
Despite the risk of making entrepreneurship seem an even scarier proposition, I hope to share an under-reported payoff that is more valuable than any financial windfall that may result.
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