The Golf Shot Heard Round the Academic World: Guest Post

When my little cousin called me up some years back to tell me how much he hated his Ivy League College professors and their biased political views that corrupt young minds, I thought no big deal. This is what your College professors do. Mine thought they were really special. I know differently now.

Playing B-Ball with Obama: 6 Steps to Crossing Anything Off Your Bucket List: Guest Post

This is one of the most inspiring posts I have read in a long time via Tim Ferris' blog. In 2009 a junior at Cornell contacted me to ask about his idea for a non-profit, based on helping people achieve their dreams. Fast forward to today, Everest is no longer a non-profit pipe dream, but a Silicon Valley start-up with a lot of determined people pushing to create a way to help people live their dreams. Check them out and follow them on Facebook or Twitter.

U.S. Competitiveness: What American Business Can and Should Do (In Its Own Interests): Guest Post

I came across this article by Edward Alden, the Bernard L. Schwartz Senior Fellow, specializing in U.S. economic competitiveness and Director of the Renewing America Publication Series. And I think he nails it. The media and politicians have made the topic of U.S. Competitiveness a government issue, as well as a broader civic one. This is incorrect and Alden explains why.

Creating Wealth In Times of Uncertainty: Guest Post

I attend a lot of meetings and networking events as part of the efforts to build our North American business. One of the common topics in this election year is job creation, and government's role in the same. I hear people share their views on this hot topic and its interesting to discern between those who truly have a view based on fact versus those who repeat rhetorical views from the media, politicians and academics.

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.

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 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.

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.

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?

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.

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.

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.

When China Ruled the World (Or why the "China Century" will be the shortest on record): Guest Post

Back in September I posted a blog titled Why Fearing China Is A Mistake, outlining a number of cracks in the invincibility of China, and underlining my growing belief that Brand USA has a massive opportunity to manufacture "Made In USA" products for export to the growing Chinese market. As a follow up to that post I am excited to share a must read guest blog by Thomas P.M. Barnett of Esquire that is both thought-provoking and insightful in why we must not fear China and instead gear up to compete in the free market.

20 Things I’ve Learned From Traveling Around the World for Three Years: Guest Post

I read a post this morning that I just had to share. Gary Arndt is the man behind the blog Everything Everywhere, one of the most popular travel blogs in the world. Gary is a true Nomad. Since 2007 he has been traveling around the world, having visited more than 70 countries and territories, and gaining worldly wisdom in the process. Gary posted this on Tim Ferriss' blog and it really captures the most important lessons you need to learn about traveling around the world.

Are You Sure You Want To Follow Today’s Executives?: Guest Post

Anyone who has tried to sell anything to corporations, and specifically the decision makers inside corporations, will appreciate the fallacy of proof. I remember some years back when I was working on a strategic project with a client in the UK who was looking at outsourcing a part of their operations worldwide. In a meeting with the COO of the company it was clear that leadership wanted to do this because of the perceived value, but implementation was going to be the biggest challenge to making it happen. To ensure success we embarked on a lengthy crusade to 'sell' the concept inside the company and win over the key stakeholders who would be impacted by this change.

Government 2.0: Guest Post

In 1990 I was privileged to attend the 50th Anniversary dinner for Bruce Lee in Los Angeles. He would have been 50 had he not tragically passed away in 1973. It was a wonderful evening, lots of stories from his family (wife, son Brandon and daughter Shannon all in attendance), as well as Ip Man, the grandmaster of the martial art Wing Chun and Bruce Lee's Master, who is the subject of the highly rated Chinese film Ip Man, a must see for avid foreign film lovers. That night I learnt an amazing lesson that has stayed with me 20 years on, and holds so true in today's complex world.

Balancing It All: Guest Post

Some of the best people I have worked with were women. In fact, of the top five people I have had work for me, 2 of them were female. If I think of the top ten colleagues I have had under me then 5 of the 10 were women. Most were wives and mothers, balancing life at home as well as at work. Yet they performed at the highest levels for me, outperforming their male colleagues in an apples to apples comparison. And let me be clear, my management style is all about accountability so I don't see a difference between male and female team members, old and young or experienced and inexperienced. You are either in the role or not.