Thoughts on the Suez Canal blockage

This image has been doing the rounds on social media and news outlets around the world the past few days. The Suez Canal blockage is holding up $10B of goods a day. There are many pieces of thoughtful analysis on the causes, possible solutions, and potential impact of this. This note is not one of them. Instead,…

What great educators do

Great educators… …inspire us to be students for the rest of our lives. They do this by encouraging our curiosity, filling us with a love for learning and demonstrating that approaching life as a student can be very fulfilling. This is why the saying “Nine tenths of education is encouragement” is both wise and true.…equip…

Doing the work and presenting the work

Would the iPhone have been as successful if Apple delivered it without that presentation from Steve Jobs? Given how exceptional the device turned out to be, it just might have. But, that presentation sure helped. A lot. In fact, years of doing those phenomenal presentations meant the iPhone was already set up for success. There…

Entrepreneurs are MacGyvers

Entrepreneurs build their businesses under severe difficult circumstances. If you wait for the ideal situation to start, you may wait a while. I think at the core of what defines entrepreneurs is the ability to thrive under difficult conditions. I meet entrepreneurs saying to me I don't have money so I can't start. This is…

Feast and moonlit

“A man who calls his kinsmen to a feast does not do so to save them from starving. They all have food in their own homes. When we gather together in the moonlit village ground it is not because of the moon. Every man can see it in his own compound. We come together because…

49 years of The Godfather

Yesterday, 49 years ago [24 March 1972], "The Godfather" made all of us an offer we could not refuse. Released on March 24, 49 years ago, this classic mob movie based on Mario Puzo's novel: The Godfather and directed by Francis Ford Coppola was the highest-grossing film of 1972. I have lost count of many…

Being there…

“Today was a difficult day,” said Pooh. There was a pause. “Do you want to talk about it?” asked Piglet. “No,” said Pooh after a bit. “No, I don’t think I do.” “That’s okay,” said Piglet, and he came and sat beside his friend. “What are you doing?” asked Pooh. “Nothing, really,” said Piglet. “Only, I…

My league

Out of my league  vs.  Not my league The difference brings so much clarity.  Out of my league means you believe in your own stuck-ness, that there is a better league but yours is inferior, that you do not belong there, that you are swimming way in the deep end. Not my league means you…

We Need New Names

There are times when reading a book, you get to interesting parts that forces you to pause, to re-read that part, underline or highlight that paragraph because it was that good. I had a number of those moments when reading NoViolet Bulawayo's book We Need New Names. Here are some of those moments: __________________________________________________ “Because…

10 Lessons from My Biggest Blunders – 18 March 2021

Yesterday I had the opportunity to listen to two stories of entrepreneurs who were vulnerable enough to share their biggest blunders in business and the lessons they learned. Here are some of their blunders and lessons they learned: If you are working full time but want to start your business, don't rush into entrepreneurship. Plan…