January - 2018

Getting the Basics Right

The smell of garlic and onions sautéing in olive oil often brings back memories of being in Grandma Leo’s kitchen. She was actually my uncle’s mother who lived in the same town as we did. My dad and I would often stop over and help out around the house, as my uncle and aunt lived an hour away. There was always something cooking in Grandma Leo’s kitchen and it always smelled so good. Her way of thanking us was to feed us. As a growing boy, I rarely turned down food, at least n

Finding My Own Path... the Slow Way

As graduation drew closer in college, we had a lot companies come to campus to recruit and do interviews. (That is one of the big advantages of being at a well-known business school.) From Proctor & Gamble to McKinsey Consulting, lots of big, well-known companies were there. And I applied to any relevant positions just like most of my classmates. Every day, I checked the interview boards. Getting one of those jobs was the goal of nearly everyone who went to Wharton. My heart

Painfully Disconnected

Shortly after moving to San Diego and starting my web design business in 2002, I went to meet with my first prospect. It was a referral from a customer from the business I had worked with in my past job. She had liked working with me enough that she was willing to refer me to a friend even though I was new to web design. I had bought a web design franchise, so I had lots of marketing materials to share for that initial meeting. The franchise training had convinced us of how v

Real Authenticity - A 21 Day Challenge

Starting tomorrow, I am doing a 21-day writing challenge and I am going to focus on authenticity. With social media, people are sharing more about their lives than ever. While it is a great way to share family photos and causes you care about, there is so much posturing and virtual shouting at each other. What would mean for us to have more authentic conversations with each other? And this is not just about social media. In business school, we were taught to use “corporate sp

What’s Your Motivation?

This January, I am doing an online 30-day personal development program. One of the first things we addressed was health and fitness. The instructor pointed out that health and fitness is conceptually easy: exercise more and eat healthier. The challenge is in our motivation. With the proper motivation, you can overcome all of the small roadblocks that come into our lives. You have to want to be fit more than you want that piece of chocolate cake. So, the program focused primar

It’s Messy

This past Sunday was my older son’s 15th birthday. The card he got from his one aunt and uncle said something to the effect that he is smart, thoughtful, and funny. And he certainly is. He typically makes us very proud when he is in public. At home, he can also be difficult, selfish and rude. His aunt and uncle only see him a couple of times a year and he is typically on his good behavior. As his parents, we get to see him at his best and worst. In the best of circumstances,

The Right Pond

Planning or Testing?