When smart people fight

In 1978, Intel faced a crisis that would define its future. The company’s memory chip business, once dominant, was being crushed by Japanese competitors. In most companies, this would trigger political maneuvering and blame-shifting. Not at Intel. Andy Grove had...

Double down

We double down because we believe. The facts support our choice. We’re committed and aligned. This works. But we also double down to avoid being wrong. To escape embarrassment. To dodge failure. Emotion makes terrible decisions. Worse when evidence screams...

Angels and demons

We stand at crossroads countless times each day. In boardrooms. During difficult conversations. When no one is watching, each moment presents a fundamental choice: which voice will we amplify—our angel or our demon? The angel whispers of integrity, patience, and...

Eliminate the noise

‘Eliminate the Noise’—a Steve Jobs expression. ‘Focus on the signal.’ The great people do this repeatedly. They are focused. Yet most of us embrace complexity and quantity as a badge of honor. Being distracted is applauded by many. I work with...

Focus on what you know

We live in a business culture that celebrates the unknown—the next breakthrough, the disruptive technology, the untapped market. Yet while we fixate on what we don’t know, we often overlook the profound power of what we already know. Every successful scaling...