Entrepreneurial Leadership

Last week I was invited to give a talk on a topic of my choice to the team of a high-growth startup in Durham. Because leadership challenges often cause friction during times of high growth, I chose to address the topic of entrepreneurial leadership. Check out my video below and let me know what youContinue reading “Entrepreneurial Leadership”

Leadership Journey

Twelve years ago today – 1/3 of my life ago – I accepted my first chief executive role. While I had been elected to and selected for leadership roles during my scholastic and athletic careers, this was the first time a Board of Directors actually hired me for it. That first chief exec role wasContinue reading “Leadership Journey”

The First Follower Principle in Action

Anyone who has seen the famous TED talk on “first followers” knows the speaker’s argument that movements aren’t just started by leaders; the first follower is just as – and possibly even more – crucial to the spread of a movement than is the originator of the idea. The first follower shows everyone else A.Continue reading “The First Follower Principle in Action”

IMD HPL

I’ve just returned from a transformational week back at IMD for their top-ranked High Performance Leadership program! This time five years ago, I was organizing my move to Lausanne, completing pre-work assignments, and preparing for a life-changing experience. As I flew across the Atlantic last week, completing preparatory work for this IMD program, I couldn’tContinue reading “IMD HPL”

The IMD Global Leadership Challenge is Over!

I’m so grateful for all the support I received in my participation in IMD’s Global Leadership Challenge! I finished #27 out of 5,380 contestants from 124 countries on five continents and I couldn’t have done it without all of the help I received. The contest was broken down into three sections, each of which embodiedContinue reading “The IMD Global Leadership Challenge is Over!”

The Right Path

Last Friday I had the privilege to attend the dedication event of the new Rice Center for Engineering Leadership. What an exciting new center, dedicated to helping engineering students identify and solve the world’s most pressing problems. How I wish something like this had existed back when I was a Rice engineering student! The eventContinue reading “The Right Path”

MLK Day

Last week was an exceedingly productive one! Smart Office Energy Solutions hit a major milestone as we received our first checks/wire transfers from investors. Sure it is nice to have some money in the account but even more rewarding is what this signifies. At this incredibly early stage, investors really aren’t investing in a businessContinue reading “MLK Day”

The End of an Era

This evening I took a one-way train from Lausanne to Geneve-Aeroport, boarded a plane with two heavy bags, and left Switzerland indefinitely. Last night some of my Poken friends and IMD classmates came out to celebrate my last night on the town. We had cocktails at Kai Zen, followed by La Berlinoise at Bavaria. ItContinue reading “The End of an Era”

A New Way

There’s a feeling I get When I look to the West And my spirit is crying for leaving –“Stairway to Heaven,” Led Zeppelin   After months of very hard, conflicted consideration I submitted my resignation to Poken on July 13th. In this blog entry I will lay out the reasons behind my decision and presentContinue reading “A New Way”

We Choose To Go To The Moon!

Last night my extended family and I attended the annual John Glenn lecture at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Air & Space Museum. This year was a special occasion as the lecture was jointly given by the original Apollo 11 crew and was a real treat. Each of the astronauts is almost 80 now but theyContinue reading “We Choose To Go To The Moon!”