Who Are You Spending Your Time With?

I've been relaxing in Zanzibar off the coast of Tanzania the past week. Zanzibar was on a very long list of places I have always wanted to travel. Known as the Isle of Spice, the history and beauty of this place deserves a closer look. I highly recommend you google it and read about what makes this small island nation so unique. From its Islamic roots as a trading post to its unique architecture, Zanzibar has far exceeded any expectations I had when I packed my bags and set off for the 20-hour trip.

How Will You Measure Your Life?: Guest Post

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday of the year. This American dose of culture should truly be exported to the rest of the world. Not only is the meaning of Thanksgiving a noble one, but the fact that it brings families together for a day or two makes it that much more special.

Do The Right Thing

I was traveling through Nicaragua last month for a week and was blown away by everything that country has to offer. The city of Granada is the oldest town in all of Central and South America. Beautiful colonial architecture, very safe and bustling with tourist friendly activity. The Mombacho volcano shadows the town that sits on Lake Nicaragua, one of the largest fresh water lakes in the world. Great food and friendly people, lots of nice hotels and restaurants make for a great long weekend getaway (4-5 day stay is perfect).

Why the Peter Principle Works: Guest Post

There is so much crap on the internet these days I find myself craving something good to read. Magazines and Newsletters are no different. Twitter is a minefield of useless sh*t people say. Its like every idiot with a keyboard is a writer now, or I should say 'blogger'. Trouble is they don't have a heck of a lot to say...at least that that I find of interest.

The Number One Success Factor

The difference between success and getting by in life could be down to whether you understand the simple rules of networking. At least that is what some 20 extremely successful individuals I have been informally interviewing tell me. And it agrees with my own experience of launching my company, BrainNet, in North America the past year. The trouble is the majority of people still do not understand how or why they need to be networking.

Solving The Gender Gap - How Not To...

Why are regulators so short sighted? They think a single regulation can fix everything thats wrong with a complex issue. The past few weeks I have scanned a ton of titles regarding countries establishing quotas for the number of female directors serving on executive boards. Malaysia is the latest to come out and establish a rule that states “30% of all corporate decision-makers must be women”. Really?

The Russian Fat Loss Secret: Guest Post

A couple of months ago I met Jose on a trip to Honduras and we are now good friends. Jose is General Manager of a well-known hotel chain in Atlanta and, like me, he loves to travel and see all the world has to offer. As we smoked cigars and enjoyed the beautiful country of Honduras, Jose shared his biggest fear with me. Approaching 50 years of age, Jose is 50lbs over weight and struggles with his energy levels. Like many over weight people, what frustrated Jose most was the lack of understanding why, after years of being in decent shape, his body was now giving way to love handles, a gut and a feeling of labor just to get up in the morning.

Time To Cancel The Cable Subscription, Honey

The US has a very different culture of work and rest than Europe. Three times a year the country slows to a halt and people disconnect to be with family and friends. This past weekend was one of those occasions, Memorial Day weekend. Everyone was off on Monday and the streets were awfully quiet as people stayed home, attended cook outs and hopefully stopped to remember and honor those who gave everything for the rest of us.

The Seeds of Our Destruction: Guest Post

I am in the process of applying for my citizenship. Its incredible how much history is behind what made the US the country it is today. As history has taught us, there is no perfect. There is no country or era in history where things were perfect. You can definitely categorize historic periods in terms of growth, evolution and innovation. And you can also map depression, war and turmoil.

A Walk On The Nomad Side

Earlier this month I got on a flight to Tegucigalpa, the capital of Honduras. The trip was a mix of business and pleasure. Business comprised of visiting the operations of the biggest tobacco grower in the world, and pleasure was every other minute I spent in the country. This small Central American country is a land of beauty beyond my expectations.

Reflections On Good-To-Great: Guest Post

I recently posted about the The Key To Gen Y Is Gen X. As an advisor to clients I am always surprised by the lack of understanding Gen X has for the mindset of Gen Y. Most of us who are older than 30 don't seem to realize how fast the world is changing around us. I recently read that the Nokia-Microsoft partnership is going to produce its first phone in two years. Really? Two years? Have these guys even thought about what the smart phone landscape will be like in two year? I don't think we even know who all the players will be two years from now (Facebook will likely be a main competitor), so how can you be designing products for two years from now?

Where Is The Courage?

The lack of courage in corporate America is frightening. From CEOs and Board Directors to Senior leaders and middle management, the lack of courage to do the right thing and make the hard decisions is a sign that we, as a society, are firmly in decline. Yet I personally see this as an opportunistic environment to step up and take action, speak up and be heard, and, most importantly, to stand tall and lead when so many others fail to do so.

The Most Interesting Interview In The World: Guest Post

I spent a wonderful weekend in Washington DC. You can say what you want about the type of creatures that lurk in those waters (politicians, lobbyists, special interests, POTUS...) but that city is first class. From the hip cafes of Capital Hill to the cobble stones of Georgetown, Washington DC is a romantic city calling for the kind of attention reserved only for a special someone.

From Capitalism Comes Charity

Last night I was reminded again of the power of capitalism. The word conjures up different emotions to different people, but to me capitalism has always been a social system based on the recognition of individual rights. Its that simple, don't complicate it with your many interpretations, opinions and intellectual derivatives. And the individual is what I personally believe to be the most powerful and important entity above any group or system of belief. Including religion. The individual is what makes human beings so wonderful, not groups.

25 Guys to Avoid on Wall Street: Guest Post

I recently participated in an executive workshop where they made us look back on our career and dissect the key milestones to understand what exactly happened. One of the areas was focusing on the key people who have influenced your career, either knowingly or unknowingly. What was really interesting was when one of the participants said he got more from avoiding certain individuals in his career. That really struck me as insightful given my own career path.

Why Black Is My Favorite Color

Black. Strictly speaking, black isn’t a color at all. It is, in fact, the absence of all color, of light and, indeed, of anything else. Black does not reveal all, but keeps the most important things under wraps. It has an allure epitomised by the legendary ‘little black dress’. Quite simply, it symbolises the power of attraction.

People Matter: What The Turmoil In The Middle East Has Taught Us

This past week I have been asked by numerous friends and colleagues what my thoughts are on the demonstrations in Egypt. The world has been watching as tens of thousands of people hold anti-government rallies across the land of the Pharaohs, and another Mid-East government collapses in a short period of time, and thus far without major human casualties. I am always hesitant to offer my opinion on politics because I don’t believe it adds much value. Politics is a dirty game in case your mother never told you, and I try to steer clear away from it, but what I do love to talk about, and encourage every individual to be aware of, is the important lessons coming out of events like Egypt.

The Key To Gen Y is Gen X

As I sit in the Leaf & Bean in Pittsburgh's Strip District this fine Saturday morning, the NY Jets are arriving at their hotel to challenge the Pittsburgh Steelers in tomorrow's AFC Championship game. Whats interesting about both teams is that arguably the key to their success thus far has been a handful of Generation Y players - young rookies or second or third year veterans who are no older than 23 or 24 years old. However, what makes players like the Jets' Mark Sanchez or the Steeler's Mike Wallace successful is the support, leadership, guidance and experience of the Generation X players around them. In short, for Generation Y to be a success they need Generation X.

Some Thoughts On Charitable Giving: Guest Post

Alan Veeck is a good friend, former colleague and a Who To Know of the Pittsburgh community and the VC world. Alan and I had a great follow up conversation on Twitter to my last post about The Problem With Charitable Giving, and it sparked Alan into action writing his own thoughts. I enjoyed his words and I'm sure you will too. If you are not following Alan on Twitter or his Blog Pittsburgh Ventures, I highly recommend you do. In the meantime here are Alan's thoughts on Charitable Giving.

The Problem With Charitable Giving

I'm a big believer in giving. I personally give a percentage of my annual earnings to various organizations I support. But that process has got so much harder in recent years because of the murky waters in non-profits and charities. And in an interesting discussion in Brussels this evening I got some great thoughts from our European brethren on the whole topic of giving. My belief comes down to this: any giving you do should be in the same manner as investing a dollar. And frankly, you are better off investing a dollar that would yield a return than giving a dollar away. Contradictory to my opening sentence, but let me explain.