change the world

“When we talk about settling the world’s problems, we’re barking up the wrong tree. The world is perfect. It’s a mess. It has always been a mess. We are not going to change it. Our job is to straighten out our own lives.” – Joseph Campbell

“Let’s not try to figure out everything at once.” – The National, from “Fake Empire”

The most important thing I do at work every day is lead with my personal beliefs.

I cannot end world hunger, break down racial barriers, make hate disappear, or eliminate any of the world’s biggest problems. I’m one out of seven billion people.Read more

If you were hired for a new position today, what would you try to do on your first day?

It’s a question we should all ask ourselves. We’re in the process of hiring a new member to our team, and it makes me think back to my first day at AiM&M. They knew I’d fit in because of how I handled the first day. What did I do?

I jumped in and offered my help in what the team was doing.

We were still figuring out how to position this new technology to prospects. I overheard some of the conversation in the room, picked up on what I could, and gave advice on how to present it better. Immediately I had credibility because I was making something positive happen. The next day I was trying out our new angle myself.

Who cares if you don’t know everything about the company, or had their official training yet? You were hired for who you are, not who you’ll become. Find someone you can help out on day one. Get involved. It’s the best way to understand what’s going on, develop relationships, and make the most of your new position.

As TechCrunch’s TC50 conference wrapped up the buzz was about how weak this year’s group of companies were. The judges, the writers, and everyone in attendance was wondering, “Where were the earth changing companies?”

TechCrunch made post after post asking this very question. Top to bottom, they wrote about how unimpressed their panel of judges were over this year’s crop.

Which leads me to ask TechCrunch one thing: uh, why didn’t you pick better companies?

There’s nothing respectable about pointing out how bored the judges were over your fifty chosen finalists. You picked them, remember? You’re the reason they were on stage strutting their stuff. Every step of the way you stomped on them. Were you hoping people would forget YOU are the sole reason these particular 50 companies were on stage presenting?Read more