Royally Screwing up (And Owning It)

Jane and I recently sat down and started to write down the guiding principles for radical. One of my core principles centers around the idea of “extreme ownership” (I have written about this concept a couple of times in the past) — it is core to who I am and how I…

Should-a / Could-a / Would-a

One of the most imprisoning believes one can hold is the “should-a / could-a / would-a” fallacy. Doing things because you “should” do them nearly always gets you off your chosen path. It regularly leads to engaging in prolonged mental debate about all the possible “coulds” and…

These Are the Best Times You Will Ever Have

This last week I had the insane pleasure and fortune to spend quality time with the US Navy’s TOPGUN program and pilots (yes, the real thing). As part of an at the TOPGUN training facility, we listened to Lieut. Comdr. Nicholas (Mongo) Mongillo talk…

Assume Nothing

The other day I spent a bunch of time in an email thread, going back and forth, to set up a meeting with a potential client to talk about an engagement. It took the two of us at least an hour each to finally agree on a date and time to meet — with the purpose of discussing the client’s needs and how…

I Don’t Know

Someone much, much smarter than I am, once responded to a question I had, with three simple words:

”I don’t know.”

First I was surprised as I expected her to have an answer to my question (otherwise I wouldn’t have asked). But then I realized that she…