1: “We had lost our bearings. We were wandering in the valley of death,” Andy Grove writes in his book Only the Paranoid Survive: How to Exploit the Crisis Points That Challenge Every Company.
The year was 1984, a pivotal moment for Intel.
The company had been founded 16 years earlier. “Every start-up has some kind of a core idea,” Andy notes.
“Ours was simple. Semiconductor technology had … continue reading
1: “What are we not doing?”
That was the question Opsware CEO Ben Horowitz added to the agenda of his weekly staff meeting.
After several near-death experiences during the dot-com bust of the early 2000s, the company began to show signs of life.
“Now that we’d improved our competitive position, we went on the offensive,” Ben writes in his wonderful book The Hard Thing About Hard Things: Building a Business … continue reading
1: Yesterday, we looked at the wild story of Opsware’s acquisition of Tangram.
Which saved Opsware.
Because it allowed them to retain EDS as a client.
Which accounted for 90% of Opsware’s revenue.
“During acquisition talks,” Opsware CEO Ben Horowitz writes in his book The Hard Thing About Hard Things, “both sides had agreed that Tangram’s CFO, John Nelli, would not become part of Opsware.”
2: But, … continue reading
1: The two Opsware leaders sat in a sterile conference room at the EDS headquarters in Plano, Texas.
EDS was their largest customer.
“Largest customer really understates it,” Opsware CEO Ben Horowitz writes in his book The Hard Thing About Hard Things. “EDS accounted for 90 percent of our revenue.”
On the other side of the table sat Frank Johnson (not his real name)—“a big guy who grew up … continue reading
1: “Why does everybody hate Ben so much?”
That was the question asked by Loudcloud CEO Ben Horowitz‘s mother-in-law.
Ben called an all-company meeting, which his wife Felicia typically attended.
“This time her parents were in town, so they came, too,” Ben writes in The Hard Thing About Hard Things.
It was the year 2000, and Ben was in a difficult spot.
A year earlier, his start-up, Loudcloud, … continue reading
1: “Imagine we’re floating in a clear blue ocean—somewhere warm like Hawaii or Mexico,” Ron Shaich writes in his terrific book Know What Matters: Lessons from a Lifetime of Transformations.
“Waves are breaking and rolling toward the white, sandy beach,” Ron notes. “We know that’s where we are headed, so our ultimate destination is clear. And we know that any wave will take you to shore.
“But not just … continue reading
1: Researchers at Harvard and MIT analyzed the moods and behaviors of 28,000 smartphone users.
What did they learn?
“When people felt down,” Rachel Barr writes in How to Make Your Brain Your Best Friend, “they tended to seek out activities that promised instant gratification, like watching TV or drinking wine.”
When the participants were in a good mood, however, “they leaned toward more productive activities,” Rachel notes, “that … continue reading
1: “The fog was thick that day,” Anne-Laure Le Cunff writes in Tiny Experiments: How to Live Freely in a Goal-Obsessed World.
It was the evening of September 8, 1923.
“Captain Edward H. Watson and Lieutenant Commander Donald T. Hunter were leading a fleet of warships on an engineering run off the coast of Southern California,” Anne-Laure writes.
“Because of the poor visibility, Captain Hunter had been navigating by … continue reading
1: “Greg Sloan was on the fast track,” Sahil Bloom writes in his book The 5 Types of Wealth: A Transformative Guide to Design Your Dream Life.
“Just into his early thirties,” he notes, “he had risen to become a vice president at Goldman Sachs, one of the most prestigious financial institutions in the world, and he served as a trusted financial adviser to a long list of well-known corporate … continue reading
1: As leaders, what’s more addictive than flying in as Superman or Superwoman to save the day?
“It feels downright intoxicating,” Dan Martell writes in his book Buy Back Your Time: Get Unstuck, Reclaim Your Freedom, and Build Your Empire.
The only problem with regularly donning our capes?
Our teams become dependent on us to provide all the answers.
“It may feel good,” Dan observes, “but over time one … continue reading
