Skip Prichard is the best-selling author of The Book of Mistakes and president and chief executive of OCLC. The Harvard Business Review noted Prichard as “standout example” of CEO engagement on social media, writing that he “blogs on leadership and shares insights from his favorite authors — often with no direct benefit to him or his organization.”
Despite his busy schedule, Skip was kind enough to share with me his thoughts on his new book, entrepreneurship, and of course, mistakes.
How did you come up with the idea for your best-selling book, The Book of Mistakes?
After reading thousands of…
When it comes to getting things done, Steve Sims, Founder and CEO of theBLUEFISH.com and Author of BLUEFISHING — the art of making things happen is your man. He runs a luxury concierge company and a quick look at things he has arranged for his clients and you’ll understand why his company is in such high demand.
He’s arranged for a client to have dinner at a table set up front of the Statue of David by Michelangelo in Florence, Italy. He’s organized a dive in a submarine down to the wreck of the Titanic and gotten a client up…
My smartphone is my best friend, and my worst enemy. I love having access to information at my fingertips. I love being able to talk to people halfway across the world for free. But it comes at a price.
Never before have we been so inundated with information. We’re wired in 24/7, bombarded by emails and requests, being pulled in every direction. Pretty much every client I talk to says they are “busy,” “overwhelmed” or feels “distracted.”
Thankfully, there are tools available to us that allow us to take back some control over our lives. …
I have made my fair share of mistakes. I’ve let people down. I’ve broken promises (in my youth). I’ve lost more money than I care to admit. But the one thing I got right was raising my son.
This May he’ll turn 10. Ten glorious years of being his father. Like any parent will tell you, it doesn’t feel it’s been that long. Last year was a crowning moment. He beat me in a 25m freestyle race and it wasn’t even close. The guy can flat out swim. He is going for his black belt in Karate in two months…
As a productivity expert, I’m constantly looking for ways to improve literally everything I do from writing to speaking to consulting. I’m constantly refining my presentations and tweaking my own systems to ensure that I get the most out of my time.
I’m an avid reader and note taker. I used to zip through about three to four books a week, but these days I’ve toned things down to about two to three books a month. Quality over quantity. My focus is on five main topics: time management, marketing, personal development, leadership, and copywriting of all things.
Fresh out of college, I was eager to prove myself. I worked 60-hour weeks. I worked seven days a week. Been there, done that. I had just moved to Japan and started teaching at a local English school for kids, but I often got approached by people who wanted private lessons. Soon my mornings, evenings and weekends were pretty booked up.
Having a little extra cash sure did help and having Sunday afternoon to myself was enough. I figured I had it made. But as I got older, I realized that despite being able to save about $1500 a month…
I definitely must have done something right in my previous life.
Because I’m a very, very, very lucky man.
Unfortunately, I’ve also had some bad luck. The past few years have been tough. I’ve made mistakes in my businesses. I’ve lost money to a pyramid scheme. I’ve lost money with financial investors. More than I’d like to admit.
Despite all that, I still consider myself really lucky.
I’m a time management expert, and most of the time I share tactics and tips with entrepreneurs to help them get the most out of their time. …
