In the spring of 2020, over 250 Million Americans — not to mention most of the world — became confined to their homes overnight. Just about every state was issuing “stay at home” or “shelter in place” orders.
Amazon, an e-commerce juggernaut, was surprised when they suddenly needed to use…
I’ve known fear.
The first time I encountered, it was in 1985.
I was returning home from a part-time job I had in high school. My baby brother made me promise to bring him a bag of chips.
So, I stepped off the bus on my way home and swung…
Creating products that people love is hard.
Just ask Dean Kamen, the inventor of the Segway.
It’s the most successful, unsuccessful product.
It was brought to market in circa 2001 as the Segway PT–short for personal transporter.
The launch had much fanfare, with the legendary Steve Jobs saying it could…
Imagine you are a Painted Reed Frog in the Okavango Delta in Botswana.
It’s a beautiful sunny day, and you are serenely sitting on a lily pad in a pond.
You’re not alone. There are a few of you enjoying what the Delta has to offer.
For the fun of…
It happens rather quickly.
Your new investors sign a shareholder’s agreement, a subscription agreement, and a corporate charter. Usually, you create a new class of (preferred) shares. You receive a notification from your bank that the wires from investors have cleared. …
Managers love to reward hyper-specialization. But is it better to hire for general problem-solving abilities?
My wife and I hosted our first book club. It was nothing fancy, just some pizza, wine, and one fascinating book: Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World, by David Epstein.
In it, Epstein…
In healthy funding markets, it is easy to raise money.
(Even during a pandemic.)
At times, in the right market climate, venture capital will come your way in truckloads.
But, it is easy to fall into the trap of using a recent round of funding as a measure of success.
…
Last summer I watched a shocking video.
(We all did.)
It made me pause.
It reminded me of a 400-year-old virus that has caused countless deaths.
That virus is called Hate.
On 4.20.21 — a year later — we witnessed something special.
A verdict.
It was the glimpse of the first vaccine jab against this virus.
The vaccine is called Hope.
We can all smile and let out a sigh of relief as we witness the miracle of humanity.
I know George is smiling too. 🙂
Thank you for reading CEOPLAYBOOK.
Cheers,
John
Editor
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In 1984 John McEnroe suffered a devastating defeat in the French Open. His opponent was Ivan Lendl, aka “The Terminator.” Lendl got the name from his killer forehand that used a powerful topspin to dominate his opponents.
McEnroe knew about Lendl’s reputation, so he deliberately focused on countering it using…
