One of my favorite books is Sun Tzu’s Art of War. I have read it several times and is one of my top 5 favorite books. Although the teachings are very old (6th century BC), there is much that can be applied to the modern day hyper-competitive business environment. Here are some of the lessons I have learned…
Category Archives: Startups
Lessons from Sun Tzu’s Art of War for startup leadership
How to create a Non-Disclosure Agreement people can understand
Like many of you in the startup world, I have read and signed my share of non-disclosure agreements (NDAs). I have reviewed, edited, and sent hundreds of them in my career, but I am yet to come across one that really serves anyone but the lawyers who charged dearly to write it. So, why don’t we stop wasting our money on having attorneys fill in one of their NDA templates, and write one that is understandable to everyone. Yes, let your lawyer look it over, but don’t allow him/her to insert any words your grandma would not understand. Here is how I would write my NDAs
What I have learned about business leadership from competing in auto sports
As some of you may already know, I am an avid “car guy” and starting my third season of autocross competitions (an auto sport, for those not familiar I have included a video below of what it is like). I did well in the races when I lived in Chicago, but encountered much more skilled competition when I moved to Boston, and it’s taken me awhile to move up the competitive ladder here. As I was recently pondering my strategy and goals for the season, I realized that some of the rules of racing are also very useful analogies for the world of leading companies (especially startups). Here is a sampling of several things I learned in racing that directly apply to business:
Disaster recovery planning and business continuity for startups
As we watch the news and pandemonium the media is creating about the swine flu today, it should remind entrepreneurs that disaster planning is no joke. Of all the entrepreneurs I have asked about disaster preparedness in the last couple of years, 9 out of 10 said they were not worried and did not have a disaster recovery plan or business continuity plan… heck, they think nothing will ever happen to them! But disasters happen all the time, whether it be a tornado hitting Chicago, an earthquake in San Francisco, or the power going out on the East Coast – real and unexpected disasters happen all the time.
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