Who are you?

Before you can be successful in any relationship or business venture...you need to realize what you have to work with. And what you have to work with comes down to one thing...self awareness.

Now by self awareness...I do not mean what the Al Franken character; Stewart Smalley was selling you on SNL. I mean a real hard core look at ourselves from a strength and weakness perspective. What are we good at? What do we need to work on? What are our potential personal potholes and where can we excel?

Have you ever taken a personality profile? How did you incorporate that knowledge of yourself into your life moving forward? Did it affect how you deal with the people or tasks in your life?

You are the base. Nothing else can happen if you don't know what you have in your base. Once you have that down, find the balance. I am a big fan of balance. I think you have the best chance for success if you have it. But it sure is a helluva lot easier just to sit down at one end of the teeter totter isn't it. Problem is...you don't get anywhere by just sitting at that one end do you?

Realize the base...and then build around it.

Vision Funnel

How do you create?

If you choose to do it alone...you are missing the boat.

If you choose group think...you are steering the damn boat.

Plug in...un-plug...whatever you need...group think can accomplish it.

Some people use the term Think Tank when referring to group think. Not a big fan. A tank has no opening...it's a trap.

I prefer Vision Funnel . With Vision Funnel you start wide with hundreds of ideas and bring it down to one focused solid direction. Things go in...some things are left out. And what you have left is amazing.

Vision Funnel . Get a group together and think about it.

How to do a start up...at warp speed.

Gene Roddenberry was a brilliant CEO and could write a book on how to manage a start up. Seriously.

If you look at the crew (not the cast) of the original Starship Enterprise, you would see a talented team of people who brought in different strengths and balanced each others' weaknesses.

Kirk = Passionate Inspirational
Spock = Logical Driver
McCoy = Emotional Caregiver
Scotty = Creative Problem Solver
Uhura = Caring Listener
Sulu = Stoic Facilitator

Everyone had a role and expertise and the puzzle pieces fit together.

Same principles hold true when putting together a team for a start up company.

You need clearly defined roles and the talent fit to match.

You need to make sure there is some creative and talent tension that will push people so that the bar is continually raised. But too much tension...will break it apart.

You need to find people who have the ability to do more than the job description. They must have the ability to break glass ceilings.

You need innovators and adapters.

You need people with passion, ownership and integrity.

You need to be able to look before you leap and shoot from the hip at the same time.

You need someone who leads as a conductor does with an orchestra and you need very talented musicians.

You need people who will push each other and pull people through.

You need people to be able to wear multiple hats without losing their head.

You don't need titles. You need leaders.

One final thing to remember with your start up...unless your names are Uhura or Scotty...no one should wear red...because no one is expendable on any given mission.

Random thoughts on a Saturday night...

First of all...I usually reserve these random thought..."on a tangent" posts for Sunday mornings on my deck.


Ain't going to happen tomorrow.


So...here is the virgin voyage for the SS Saturday night Randomness.

If you think about it...every individual day of our life is a microcosm of life's long term roller coaster nature. Think about it...it's true.

What is it about the piano that makes you turn introspective?

"I love you" is a the most powerful thing to say in the world...especially when the right person says it.

Getting old really does suck...no matter how truly young you feel. I don't consider "sucking" a permanent thing though. It seems more temporary...especially on this subject.

Everything in life depends on how you react to things.

Kids truly do need to be told things several hundred times before it sinks in.

I like lakes and oceans more than rivers. What about you?

There are people who are title chasers. You know the kind. They define themselves by the label on the business card. There are other people who are result chasers. No business card can define them. Thus...the difference between managers and leaders.

I truly believe people come into your life for a reason.

Final thought...take a page out of electricity. Plug into something and feel alive.

Last call...

Make a big splash...

Ever leave your comfort zone?

I'm not talking dipping your toe in the water. I am talking taking the plunge...head first...sans floaties.

Most of us do not leave our comfort zone on our own.


Most of us need outside encouragement (prodding and pushing works too).

How does it feel when you are out there? Scary? Intimidating?

You bet.

But what happens when you start getting more comfortable in that new uncharted territory? Guess what...your comfort zone moves out with you and becomes bigger. Your boundaries grow...your ability to "do" grows...and your reward usually grows as well.

I'm not saying you need to completely throw all logic out the door. Calculated risks are OK. Actually...the more you take...the more calculation comes into play and the variables actually lessen.

Do your research...remove the variables and do it.

When was the last time you took the plunge? If the answer is too long...jump in. The water's nice.

No such thing...

A good friend of mine who coaches baseball talked about his team's "ugly" win last night.

I just got done running 4 miles this morning and felt like it was a "bad" run.

Debunk the myth...

There is no such thing as an ugly win in sport (life wise...that's another blog for another day) and there is no such thing as a bad workout or run.

Sure...there are things you can do better and you can learn for the next time. But...for God's sake celebrate the victory...whether that's a final score or just getting out of bed and kicking yourself in the butt and getting moving.

Enjoy it! We have enough losses in life...make sure you celebrate the victories...no matter how small they seem.

Style points...nope. Winning points...yup.

What catches your eye?

Painting or photography?

Perception or perspective?

I started thinking about which form of visual art I appreciate and enjoy more...



They both have the ability to stimulate the senses.

Painting is inward out focused while photography is outward in. Let me explain...

A painter's vision starts inside of him or her. They are able to put on an easel what the mind or soul sees first. The photographer takes the object he or she sees and personalizes it....brings it inside.

A painter looks at their creation from the mind's eye. A photographer sees it through their camera lens.

A painter paints time in a moment. A photographer focuses on a moment in time.

A painter sees the shape. A photographer sees the angle of the shape.

A painter paints to his or her idea of perfection. One painting at a time.

A photographer takes pictures to invite imperfection. Hundreds of photos to find one that works.

For me, it's photography.

What sees you?