Equally, on the battlefields of war, startups, and politics, groupthink kills. There is no more destructive force than everyone at the table thinking Continue Reading
Special Forces, Entrepreneurship: Never Quit!
Growing up, despite my best attempts not to listen, the elders taught me nothing worth anything ever comes without a great price being paid. That is, Continue Reading
An Investor Goes to War: 7 “Key Truths” from a Green Beret
When I set out to join the U.S. Army Special Forces, better known as the 'Green Berets', I never imagined the skills and mental development as a Continue Reading
Calm in Crisis: 5 lessons from Gunfights | Special Forces and Entrepreneurship
“Never underestimate the power of stupid people in large groups.” This line has stuck with me for decades from one of my all-time favorite comedians Continue Reading
Get Over Yourself, You’re Not the Main Effort
SpecOps “Cool Guys” and first-time entrepreneurs “Cool Kids” suffer alike from the very same malady. Both believe they are the center of the universe, Continue Reading
Survive Crisis: 5 lessons from Gunfights | Special Forces and Entrepreneurship
“I called a detox center - just to see how much it would cost: $13,000 for three weeks! My friends, if you can come up with thirteen grand, you don't Continue Reading
Influence-based Leadership: Critical Importance of the Alpha
Mostly in the West and Far East, post-WWII, but increasing dramatically during the Vietnam War and after, the understanding, acceptance, and role of Continue Reading
Imperfections, Special Forces, and Entrepreneurship
It is often subtle differences, and slight incongruities, which are the real strength of the individual, making possible extraordinary contributions. Continue Reading
Why Putting Others First Ensures Your Own Success | Special Forces and Entrepreneurship
Stop taking credit for what you’ve not done. More critically, stop taking credit for what you didn’t think of or didn’t think through in detail. It’s Continue Reading
Stop, Shut Up and Sit Down | Special Forces and Entrepreneurship
2003, Far East Asian nation, the mere formality of a meeting. Little more than a press event really, the final meeting between Minister of Finance Continue Reading
In SpecOps and in Successful Business, It’s the Team or Nothing
That the team is everything in a startup or any high-risk organization for that matter, has been stated to such a degree it now passes as cliché and Continue Reading
Pick Your Fights, Carefully | Special Forces and Entrepreneurship
Years ago, my then mentor and lead investor, told me calmly, succinctly. “You don’t know what you don’t know.” This a week into my discussing, Continue Reading