Why the “Integrator” Concept is a Myth
I’ve always struggled with the idea of the “Integrator”—a person who runs your business while you focus on being the “Visionary.” In 2015, Gino Wickman and Mark C. Winters published Rocket Fuel, promoting the concept of hiring an Integrator to free visionary entrepreneurs from the burden of managing their businesses. According to Wickman’s Entrepreneurial Operating […]
Beware the Trap of Pocket Rocks
Setting priorities is one of the hardest things for an entrepreneur… Wait—scratch that. Setting priorities is easy. Sticking to them is hard. Actually, both are hard. Let me explain why and what you can do about it. First, let’s talk about why setting quarterly priorities (Rocks or OKRs) is so challenging: Why Sticking to Priorities […]
Be Your Own Private Equity Firm
As a young investment banker, I grew up inspired by the legendary leverage buyout (LBO) stories of the 1980s. One of my favorites was Barbarians at the Gate, which chronicled the 1989 bidding war for RJR Nabisco. The deal ended when Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. (KKR) “won” with a staggering $31 billion bid —nearly […]