WEBVTT

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Both sides are about solving for the future.

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In early-stage companies, the idea person or founder generally thinks that if they just get capital,

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they will win. But they omit the fact that they need to roll up their sleeves.

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They need a plan. They need to be on time, on specification, and on budget.

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That is not always in their mindset, because very few are serial entrepreneurs.

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At the opposite end, you get seasoned executives who are struggling heavily.

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They may be in double-digit decline, with private equity, venture capital, or a board pressing them.

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They know they need a strategic plan, an operating plan, and a financial plan.

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They just do not know how to get there. They are similar, although they are at different lifecycle stages.

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Most of the time, you need a spark that says: this is what we are going to do.

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Stop competing over who has the best idea. Choose one direction and execute flawlessly.

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What I see now is ego.

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People sit in an office. Let us say there are five of us,

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and we all have a C in front of our titles. We are trying to win while the other person loses.

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As a team, think of a battleship and a battle group out on the ocean.

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If one ship tries to pull away from the group, that becomes a problem.

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The funny thing is, when you go in and talk to people,

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I like to listen a lot more nowadays.

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I used to talk all the time. Now I listen most of the time.

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I ask: “What is going on? If you were the boss today, what would you do?”

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It is a communication challenge. It is an alignment challenge. Then it becomes a morale challenge.

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The one thing I learned was to be curious.

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When you are curious, be ready to roll up your sleeves and do the work.

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Do not just complain. If you complain, come with a solution.

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That is what the Disney executives taught me early on.

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Do not give me complaints. If you are going to complain, what is the solution?