I met Jennifer in April of 2004. We got married in January of 2008. We celebrated our 10th Wedding Anniversary this week.
Wow, how time flies!
On one hand, it seems like just yesterday. On the other hand, portions of that decade seemed to take forever.
As an entrepreneur, I live in a weird "tense". For me, the future and present are often blended. Meaning, I imagine the future I want – and then I find the path to create (or manifest) that destiny. Not surprisingly, some of the things that were easy to imagine were hard to bring into reality (in a reproducible, efficient, and effective manner or process) … And these things seem to take forever.
Other things (like relationships or the growth and maturation of my kids) seemed to happen in the blink of an eye.
I am consciously trying to be more mindful and grateful for the progress (and even the minor moments, wins, or curiosities) before me. The truth is that if you fail to notice them, you don't experience them.
Here is to experiencing all that you need or want … and I hope the rest serves as raw material, learning, or fuel to get you there faster.
Recently, Apple was caught slowing down old iPhones (supposedly, to preserve battery life), and now faces at least 12 class action lawsuits because of it.
Here's a related graph of search trends in relation to new iPhone releases. Assume there's a Placebo Effect and confounding variables … it's still an interesting chart.
There's always an opportunity in the market; some are short-term speculation, others are long-term regime shifts … things that terraform industries and change our world.
I'm excited about 2018. Several new technologies have the opportunity to be game changers. So do several companies.
To put the current state of IPOs in perspective, Way back in 1996 there were 706 initial public offerings, fast forward to 2016 and there were only 105 IPOs. 2017 showed an almost 50% increase, which is great (except when you compare it to what was).
Human's can't do a lot of things. Honestly, the fact that we're top of the food-chain is pretty miraculous.
We're slow, we're weak, and we're famously bad at understanding large numbers and exponential growth.
Our brains are hardwired to think locally and linearly.
It's a monumental task for us to fathom exponential growth … let alone its implications.
Think how many companies have failed due to that inability … Radioshack couldn't understand a future where shopping was done online and Kodak didn't think digital cameras would replace good ol' film. Blockbuster couldn't foresee a future where people would want movies in their mailboxes, because "part of the joy is seeing all your options!" They didn't even make it long enough to see "Netflix and Chill" become a thing.
Innovation is a reminder that you can't be medium-obsessed. Kodak's goal was to preserve memories. It wasn't to sell film. Blockbuster's goal wasn't to get people in their stores, it was to get movies in homes.
Henry Ford famously said: “If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses.” Steve Jobs was famous for spending all his time with customers, but never asking them what they wanted.
Two of our greatest innovators realized something that many never do. Being conscientious of your consumers doesn't necessarily mean listening to them. It means thinking about and anticipating their wants and future needs.
Tech and A.I. are creating tectonic forces throughout industry and the world. It is time to embrace and leverage what that makes possible. History has many prior examples of Creative Destruction (and what gets left in the dust).
The leadership in your company is often the difference between a good company and a great company.
Leadership (not just the boss, but the top-level managers as well) can make or break a company.
Am I hands-on or hands-off? Am I encouraging my team to grow? Have I made our company objectives and values inherent?
These are all questions that we – as leaders – need to be asking.
As you answer those questions, you can also be thinking about what leader archetype you follow …
Laissez-Faire leaders are hands-off. They don't directly supervise employees or provide regular feedback. Highly trained employees may benefit from this style, but most employees find this a hindrance.
Transactional leaders show the difference between a leader and a manager. They're worried about tasks and provide reward/punishment based solely on task completion.
Autocratic leaders make decisions without the input of others. They possess total authority and impose their will on their employees. This can benefit low-level employees who require close supervision. This will stifle creative employees.
Participative leaders are democratic. They value the input of their team members but hold ultimate decision-making power. This can cause challenges when there's a time crunch.
Transformational leaders require high levels of communication from their management team. They motivate employees through effective communication and high visibility. This requires more involvement from the various layers of management.
Or you can check out this less serious flowchart to see which fictional boss you are.
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