I have not blogged in some time. Like most, I have been
extremely busy. However, it is a beautiful day in Boston so I feel compelled to
pour out some emotion on to paper.
The last two years have been probably the greatest of my
life. My girls are growing, and my best friend (my wife) and I have had many wonderful
days raising our family with the fun & stress that comes with parenting.
On the business side, I have been able to apply a lot of
what I learned from past mistakes. I don’t even see myself as quite the same
person as I was two years ago. I have always loved what I do, but now I love it even
more because I can accept things from a broader perspective. This allows
examination of things with more than sight. In fact, sight alone is very
deceptive. I like to try to see things without looking – which is
perception. I am not saying that I am great at it, but I understand it well (at
least much better than I did).
I did a blog on ego awhile back. This topic sits with me as
a top issue beyond my regular sight. I want to restate how many bad decisions
are made in startups because it is made about a person and not about a company. I saw this a lot in previous startups.
Here is a good perspective on ego that sums it up:
In Roman times, when a conquering hero/ general would return
to the city, he would enter the gates on a chariot made of gold, wearing a gold
robe. Many Romans would line the streets and cheer the hero as he passed.
On the chariot behind the hero was a servant holding a
golden crown just above the conqueror's head (as if just out of reach)
whispering in his ear, “All glory is fleeting, all glory is fleeting”.
In other words, the glory was about Rome, and not the individual.
