Open in app

Sign In

Write

Sign In

Ian Mathews
Ian Mathews

157 Followers

Home

About

Published in

The Startup

·Oct 8, 2020

Should You Trust Your Gut?

“Alpinists who’ve survived a lifetime of close scraps counsel young proteges that staying alive hinges on listening carefully to one’s inner voice. …

Mindset

3 min read

Should You Trust Your Gut?
Should You Trust Your Gut?
Mindset

3 min read


Published in

The Startup

·Sep 25, 2020

Management Time: Who Has the Hot Potato?

Why is it that most managers seem to work around the clock? The majority of an overworked manager’s “work” is often self-imposed tampering on tasks better handled by those they lead. I learned this the hard way as a first-time sales manager when one of my direct reports invited me…

Leadership

11 min read

Management Time: Who Has the Hot Potato?
Management Time: Who Has the Hot Potato?
Leadership

11 min read


Published in

The Startup

·May 22, 2020

Founding A Company After Years In The Military: An Interview With CEO David Neal

If you interview an executive of a large company and a military leader, many aspects of the conversation will sound remarkably similar. Both are responsible for adapting to change, leading people, thinking strategically and delivering results. But several times during the conversation, you are reminded of just how different the…

Startup

15 min read

Founding A Company After Years In The Military: An Interview With CEO David Neal
Founding A Company After Years In The Military: An Interview With CEO David Neal
Startup

15 min read


Published in

The Startup

·Apr 28, 2020

The Four Stages Of Psychological Safety

Most of us have a horror story about a team whose members were stifled, silenced and behaving strictly on compliance. These narratives feature domineering coaches ruling by fear, or managers caught up in the self-importance of their job title. Without effort, we conjure up our feelings while navigating those choppy…

Psychology

5 min read

The Four Stages Of Pyschological Safety
The Four Stages Of Pyschological Safety
Psychology

5 min read


Published in

The Startup

·Apr 20, 2020

Why Catchers Make Great Managers

Ever wondered what a catcher says to his pitcher during a timeout in a tight baseball game? Few positions in sports feel pressure like a pitcher in baseball. The most talented baseball team in the world can’t win if their pitcher can’t throw strikes. Imagine standing on the mound with…

Sports

8 min read

Why Catchers Make Great Managers
Why Catchers Make Great Managers
Sports

8 min read


Published in

The Startup

·Apr 14, 2020

Fast Money Is Fool’s Gold

I grew up in a small town in Michigan. Not quite Detroit, but close enough to feel all of Detroit’s problems. Kids who dreamed big in my town thought of running an auto plant one day. If things really worked out, maybe work your way up to a corporate job…

Money

6 min read

Fast Money Is Fool’s Gold
Fast Money Is Fool’s Gold
Money

6 min read


Published in

The Startup

·Apr 11, 2020

How Leaders Can Make A Crisis Worse

“Don’t you think it would be easier to ask the people doing the work?” This question came from a union worker at an Indiana steel mill. He was thoroughly unimpressed with my plan to optimize his plant. I worked for GE in 2000. Six Sigma was our secret weapon. Though…

Leadership

11 min read

How Leaders Make A Crisis Worse
How Leaders Make A Crisis Worse
Leadership

11 min read


Published in

The Startup

·Mar 30, 2020

How To Take The Cruelness Out Of A Layoff

“Listen, we understand that you are not thrilled with your sales quotas.” Not thrilled. You’re asking me to grow sales by 60% during a recession. My first thought was prison showers and bars of soap, but it was also accurate to say I was not thrilled. As with all things…

Work

7 min read

How To Take The Cruelness Out Of A Layoff
How To Take The Cruelness Out Of A Layoff
Work

7 min read


Published in

The Startup

·Mar 23, 2020

Want To Start A Business? Get Ready To Crawl

Andy Dufresne crawled to freedom through five hundred yards of shit-smelling foulness I can’t even imagine, or maybe I just don’t want to. Five hundred yards, that’s the length of five football fields. ~ Ellis Boyd “Red” Redding The Shawshank Redemption is on my Mount Rushmore of movies. Run a…

Startup

7 min read

Want To Start A Business? Get Ready To Crawl
Want To Start A Business? Get Ready To Crawl
Startup

7 min read


Published in

The Startup

·Mar 21, 2020

When You Shouldn’t Go Against The Grain As A Leader

You’ll have to forgive people from the Midwest for thinking less of you on “snow days.” I was raised in Michigan in the 80s. A “snow day” meant that the snow was covering at least half of the windows on the main floor when you woke up. And this only…

Leadership

6 min read

When You Shouldn’t Go Against The Grain As A Leader
When You Shouldn’t Go Against The Grain As A Leader
Leadership

6 min read

Ian Mathews

Ian Mathews

157 Followers

Owner of 5on4 Group | Senior executive for two Fortune 500 companies | Regular contributor for Forbes.com | Author of the 5on4 blog (5on4.group/more)

Following
  • Sean Kernan

    Sean Kernan

  • Gary Ryan Blair I Growth Hacking Aficionado

    Gary Ryan Blair I Growth Hacking Aficionado

  • Barry Davret

    Barry Davret

  • Scott Galloway

    Scott Galloway

  • Fast Company

    Fast Company

See all (19)

Help

Status

Writers

Blog

Careers

Privacy

Terms

About

Text to speech

Teams