One of the great benefits of being in charge is that you’re in charge. There’s no one standing over you telling you what to do. One of the biggest problems with being in charge is that you’re in charge. There’s no one standing over you to ask what to … [Read more...] about Don’t climb your mountains alone
Words matter
It’s 2000, during the decadent late days of the dot.com boom, just weeks before the inevitable crash. It’s a Friday afternoon and no one’s doing much work in the office. I’m sitting there with our 33 year old CEO, who’s feeling pretty good … [Read more...] about Words matter
Chief Storyteller
It’s amazing to see even more ways that leaders can use the power of story in Scott Belsky’s brilliant and accessible The Messy Middle. This book is full of reasons why leaders must tell stories to their teams. Here’s Scott on using story to … [Read more...] about Chief Storyteller
Communicate to create
I love Anand Sanwal’s CB Insights newsletter for a thousand reasons, not the least of which is that it makes me snort with laughter more than anything else these days. In a recent newsletter he reflected on challenges as his team, which was 25 in … [Read more...] about Communicate to create
What you believe impacts how you communicate
Here in San Francisco and Silicon Valley, there are two kinds of people: those who think HBO’s Silicon Valley is the most hilarious thing on television ever, and those who can’t stand it because it’s too painfully true to life. I’m in the most … [Read more...] about What you believe impacts how you communicate
How you feel physically impacts how you communicate
Desperately jet lagged after an 18 hour flight to Asia? Your local PR person wants you to go straight to the TV studio? Nope. You need a nap, a shower and some food before you do any media interviews. About to go on stage for your big keynote? … [Read more...] about How you feel physically impacts how you communicate
How you feel emotionally impacts how you communicate
Twenty-five years ago I was a happy PR girl engaged to a spectacular man. He was killed in a helicopter crash four months before our wedding. For months afterwards I was the worst communicator in the world. I was so broken and preoccupied I could … [Read more...] about How you feel emotionally impacts how you communicate
How you see yourself impacts how you communicate
You’re an authentic, open, relatable person. You love to listen. Being a good person is important to you. You’ve seen so many a**holes in Silicon Valley. The last thing you ever want to do is look in the mirror and feel like one of them. These … [Read more...] about How you see yourself impacts how you communicate
Here’s a great PR tip: avoid committing fraud
Hey great communicators! Don’t lie. Don’t defraud your investors, your customers, the press, federal regulators. Don’t lie so egregiously over so many years that the SEC comes after you. I’ve been in Silicon Valley for more than twenty years. Have … [Read more...] about Here’s a great PR tip: avoid committing fraud
Love asking for help
One of the great benefits of being in charge is that you’re in charge. There’s no one standing over you telling you what to do. One of the biggest problems with being in charge is that you’re in charge. There’s no one standing over you who you can … [Read more...] about Love asking for help
