Rule #2: “The people possess far more intelligence than is currently developed.” Even the least educated and inexperienced individual can grasp incredibly complex concepts and ideas if provided in the context of their own cultural background and societal experience. The, not-so-very-liberal, liberal radicals who’ve so successfully assumed near absolute … [Read more...]
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, the critical tip of the spear. Neither recognize they are only a bit player, providing only an infinitesimally small piece of a much larger effort. In the world of SpecOps, any given mission is only a small part of a much larger … [Read more...]
Startup Success is a Sequence of Running Gun Battles
A running gun battle: an argument that continues over a long period of time; and a fight that takes place as one group chases another. These are the very definition of a startup. The long running argument being why your product and service, as opposed to your competitor’s or complimentor’s product and service, should successfully obtain and increase market share … [Read more...]
Imperfections, Special Forces, and Entrepreneurship
It is often subtle differences, slight incongruities, which are the real strength of the individual, making possible extraordinary contributions. And the success of any difficult venture is far more often than not, realized through the collective efforts of a group of individuals, each with their own slight or not so slight incongruities. In the world’s of startups and Special … [Read more...]
Special Forces and Entrepreneurship: Pushing Beyond Failure
Special Forces and Entrepreneurship: Pushing Beyond Failure by EM Burlingame this article first appeared in The Havok Journal in December 2017 The truly important things, those that change the course of a life or lives require mastery of a domain, the kind of mastery only happens after failure, a series of smaller failures, a major failure, or in those very rare cases, … [Read more...]
Special Forces, Entrepreneurship: Only the Practical Matters
Few weeks ago, in Never Quit!, I discussed Malcom Gladwell’s 10,000 hours Outlier theory, the concept it takes 5 years of research and diligent effort to master a domain. This pursuit however, mastery of a domain, is never a straight or obvious path regardless whether one possesses natural talent, is highly intelligent and highly motivated or any combination of the three. To … [Read more...]
On The SpecOps Battlefield, And In Business, Don’t “Believe,” Know
Only two types of confidence exist: the artificial and the real. The first is the far more common of the two, arising from either a need to feel accomplished when not or from a need to feel strong when weak. Conditions even those with real confidence feel at times. The difference between those who remain with artificial confidence and those who possess real confidence is … [Read more...]
6 Rules Anyone Can Follow to Rise to the Occasion
“Your life is an occasion. Rise to it.” ― Suzanne Weyn, Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium Last night was movie night with my nine-year-old daughter. Quite by accident we chose to watch Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium. It’s a nice feel-good family movie I of course didn’t pay much attention to having my mind focused on work and … [Read more...]
Special Forces, Entrepreneurship: Group Think Kills
Group Think Kills by E.M. Burlingame Equally on the battlefields of war, startups and politics, group think kills. There is no more destructive force than everyone at the table thinking the same way, interpreting the intelligence to mean the same thing. Particularly when information is incomplete, when the truth is something quite different, or when an enemy is actively … [Read more...]
Special Forces, Entrepreneurship: 3 Tips For Leading From Any Position
It really doesn’t matter your role in a startup, even if in a more established startup with multiple successful Capital raises behind it and formal roles and responsibilities with some form of hierarchical structure. You can still lead. This is true also of a Special Forces Operational Detachment Alpha, the "startup team" of the US military. In fact, outside the team room, it … [Read more...]
