To Nutkick or Not To Nutkick? That is the Question.

I have always believed in being 100% transparent with everyone around me, and to deal with the consequence of that transparency. I once heard a saying "the problem with people who say what they mean is they think everyone else does too." There is a lot of truth in that statement. I know from experience. But in the spirit of staying true to my core belief of speak your mind, I wanted to reach out to you and get help with a dilemma that has just presented itself.

Groupon Axes Mason

As you have heard by now Groupon fired Founder and CEO Andrew Mason last week. I was discussing this with the Founder and CEO of a start-up in San Francisco who is approaching Series A financing and the formation of a Board of Directors to whom he will be reporting to. The question that came up is "What happened to Mason?" 

Richard Branson on Office Ties and the Company Dress Code: Guest Post

You can't help but to love Richard Branson. Few people have made a ding in the Universe as big as Richard. Emerson, Edison, Gates, Jobs come to mind. There are surely others, but Richard has always been the most intriguing in my view. I have read his books and served some of his companies as clients. But the thing that always stands out in my mind is his anti-establishment views, notably never wearing a tie.

Ideas aren't Cheap, They're Free: Guest Post

Twice in my education I had the exam question "Why?" The first was my senior year of high school for Philosophy, the second was for my "Contemporary Philosophy" course my sophomore year of college. Both times I responded with a word or two - the first time "Why Not?" and the second time "Because". Both times I received an A on the essay question. When my fellow students heard about this, they challenged my college Professor and he gave a great response: "Anyone who writes that answer on a final exam is creative, courageous and demonstrated the ability to express themselves in a way few people can."

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.

The Need For Quantifiable Objectives

2012 is meant to be the year America makes its economic comeback. Since the economy tanked in 2007-8, we have been conditioned to believe that economic power and superiority has passed to China and our era was over. The US has too much debt, not enough prospect for growth, and we have outsourced our way to becoming an irrelevant economy.

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).

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?

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.