People have a need to be engaged in purposeful work. We want to feel like we’re part of something bigger than ourselves, and that our work makes a difference in the world. […]
Servant Leadership: Key Concepts
Quick Read: Better?
Here’s a short thought experiment about the difference between better and good. Imagine you’re driving a big truck along a highway. You see a sign that says low overpass ahead. 13′ clearance. […]
The Secret Formula for Building a Winning Culture
The challenge with growth companies is to figure out how to scale the culture as the size and complexity of the business grows. How do you grow the business without breaking the culture that made the business great to begin with?
Demma’s Notes: My 3 Favorite Concepts from How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big by Scott Adams
What could a cartoonist possibly have to teach you about living your life? That’s the question I had before starting Dilbert creator Scott Adams’ book How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big. By the end of the book, I was an Adams disciple. It turns out there’s so much more to Mr. Adams than Dilbert.
Demma’s Notes: Limbo. A book about working class kids who migrate to the middle class.
Limbo, by Alfred Limbrano, is an eye-opening book about what it’s like to be raised in a working class family, be the first in your family to go to college, and then migrate to a middle class world.
Demma’s Notes: Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future
“There’s a starman waiting in the sky, he’d like to come and meet us, but he thinks he’d blow our minds.” – Bowie Elon Musk has been grabbing more headlines than usual […]
4 Ways to Win Back Time From Your Phone
“You’re already a cyborg.” Elon Musk In 2012 I noticed how addicted I was becoming to screens, mostly my phone. I wrote this article about it. To clarify, I was then, and […]
How to Get Rich Quick in Real Estate (kidding, it’s just another love story)
A switch flipped inside of me after college. I became obsessed with being successful and getting rich. I devoured self-help books like popcorn shrimp. How to Win Friends, 7 Habits, Think and […]
Sad News, New Territory, 2 Great Books: 3 short posts in 1
What follows is a somewhat disjointed collection of updates from the past month. I probably should have made this three separate posts, but I’m short on time and I wanted to memorialize […]
Demma’s Notes: Orwell’s 1984 for Managers
1984 is a book about power, life, government, freedom (or lack thereof) of speech, human nature, love, strength, and weakness. It’s gripping, suspenseful, horrific, and at times, maddening. This post contains a summary of the book, some of my favorite (or most terrifying) quotes, and some applications for business people.
What is Leadership? Defining Leadership and What Leaders Do
The primary job of a manager is to provide leadership for their team. To be a leader. But what is leadership? This post is about my definition of leadership.
Management Skills: First, Do No Harm
Has it ever occurred to you that not only are you not doing a good job at work, but maybe you are actually making things worse? I think it’s a really good question to ask yourself, especially if you’re a manager. The answer might not be so obvious.
New Job, Mistakes, Travel, Family, and Discovering My “Why”
I have made some mistakes during my on-boarding, mostly centered around my ambition to start contributing quickly and my obsession with getting things done.
Demma’s Notes: Learning to Eat Soup With A Knife
Learning to Eat Soup With a Knife by John Nagl uncovers common themes for effectively dealing with insurgent or non-conventional warfare.
How to Create Great Team Building Exercises
Teamwork is important.
In fact, teamwork may be the most important competency for an organization operating in a world of complexity.