Entrepreneurs who act like banks by raising huge sums of money opportunistically, or worse, out of pride or false validation, often face unfavorable outcomes. Growth capital, when used properly, has energized many of the best companies, and handled incorrectly, it has created toxic dependencies and poor outcomes. The conventional wisdom

If you allow people the opportunity to learn something new or to show their craft, they will give you their best work. The magic is in providing the opportunity. Often managers have little faith in their employees’ ability to survive the twists and turns of a rapidly evolving business landscape.

If the goal of all our collective activities is to have a more equitable society that is economically thriving and offering citizens a meaningful quality of life, then we need to stop measuring progress in GDP, which measures everything in short, except that which makes life worthwhile, and it isn't

Aspiring leaders need more and better mentoring than 'they're getting today. Mentoring also needs to extend beyond a current career to be more effective in helping people fulfill their true full potential. Mentoring the whole person takes more effort, time, and thought. Here are some practices for doing it well:

Chances are your boss doesn't take the time to think through how best to deploy your talents properly. Therefore, you have to take control of your career planning to ensure you're putting yourself in a position for long-term growth. Here are four ways to become more strategic about the process:

Building a visionary company requires 1 percent vision and 99 percent alignment. When you have perfect alignment, new people coming into the company should be able to quickly grasp the company's purpose, mission, vision, and values without ever reading it on paper or meeting a single executive. Thus, as a

The ability to communicate effectively can make or break a person’s assessment of your intelligence, competence, and authenticity. Expertly employ Tumlin’s three musts for powerful and persuasive communication: 1. Be still: Avoiding erratic movements while talking, whether in a meeting or on stage, will give the impression that

Some of the most brilliant minds of all time were/are successful not because of how hard they work(ed), but because of how they thought/think. The genius problem-solving method is called 'first principles thinking', which is the practice of actively questioning assumptions about a given problem or scenario

Great people do great things; not because they are great, but because they refuse to be average. Irrespective of your personal story and whatever you are doing now, there is a greater potential in you to explore. To achieve the life you want, one filled with success and happiness that

Your future career progress depends on your ability to keep learning, and your past achievements and present level of expertise are less critical. Simply put, what you know is less relevant than what you can learn, and smart companies are less interested in hiring people with particular expertise than with

Your attitude may help more than your IQ, and intelligence is not the most important factor in achieving success. People can be divided into two categories; those with a “fixed mindset,” and those with a “growth mindset.” “With a fixed mindset, you believe you are who are and you cannot

Most companies manage growth like rocket launches. An enormous amount of planning goes into anticipating every possible scenario and removing every potential risk. Once launched, it's micro-managed to ensure that everything goes according to plan. This might have worked in the past when markets moved incrementally. But in a business

Below are five quotes from Leonardo da Vinci. With his appreciation for learning and growing, there's much to learn from the Italian superhuman: * "Learning never exhausts the mind."   * "I love those who can smile in trouble, who can gather strength from distress and grow brave by reflection." * "It had long

Sandberg, COO of Google, says that's the best advice she ever got because it meant Sandberg herself would grow: New skills, new connections, new perspectives...

Successful people don’t fear failure; they keep trying until they succeed. Stay motivated in the face of challenges by adopting a growth mindset, i.e., focus on learning and improving and accept that innovation is often born of a long series of failures. There is no shame in failing

When companies evolve at a rapid pace, some individuals who fit the company in its infancy may not fit over time as they may have difficulty keeping up with the company’s growth and the requirements of their evolving roles. Conversations around fit often assumes that round pegs go in

> As the CEO, you have to realize you can't do everything yourself anymore  - Michael Dubin [https://www.linkedin.com/in/ACoAAACBm5UBgs9Mrp7ktLmm4jmopliSFV7uUbo/], Dollar Shave Club. Get busy hiring amazing talent, people who in many ways are much better at their specialty than you will ever be. Recognizing and acting on

To grow your start-up from $1 million to $100 million, here are three things to focus on: 1. Be the best at what you love. No matter what you're good at, you should try to be the best. 2. Bet on a market that will get big fast. If you