A name. I start January with the desire to name this humble blog. Which begs the question, “what is this blog about? What will I write about? Would I go deeper on the theme of “win markets”, which is what I am most known for? Will I continue to wander about as I have for [...]
Archive | The Personal Story
More about Nilofer’s back story and path she’s walking as she’s walking it.
Rogues, Misfits Or Heroines?
Moments define, or rather they let us redefine who we are. We are all familiar with the story of Rosa Parks and how it contributed to the civil rights movement. She refused to obey the bus driver’s order to give up her seat to make room for a white passenger. At the time, Parks was secretary [...]
Perfectness
When I first worked at Apple, most of the people leading change were perfect. Perfect as in: went to a great prep school, ended up at an ivy league, had gone onto Harvard, got recruited by this hot fruit company in Silicon Valley, the place where the 1984 ad was written by Bill Cleary and [...]
Never Gender, Rank, Title
My son is reading Harry Potter and is literally devouring it. Soon, I’m thinking, he’ll reach Book 4, which poses a little problem. Not to be a spoiler or anything in case you haven’t read it, bad things happen to good people in Book 4. So as a parent, I’m thinking about what to do [...]
“Bullet-Proof” Conversations
Dear friend: I realize i was quite anxious to see you last week and that surprised me a some level but as I reflected on it, I realize that I’ve wanted to show up with our conversations about what is next, with bullet-proof clarity. From many comments you’ve made to me over time, I’ve come [...]
Fem-nomics? Or Leadership?
I don’t know many women entrepreneurs who haven’t already read Penelope Trunk’s post on women entrepreneurs and how they can’t be successful because… they want to have children. The sexist title alone that TechCrunch put on the original article made it a sure read to all of us women entrepreneurs. On top of it, it plays [...]
Duality
Life is quite often about dualities. And the role of leaders is especially so. Do I pay attention to executing today’s strategy or envisioning the future? In the consulting world, do I focus my priorities on selling or delivering? With expenses, do I prioritize product investment over sales/marketing investment? And when it comes to leadership, [...]
What Now?
When change comes a knocking, what do you do? I got a disturbing letter on Friday that shifted my world. Things would never be the same as a key member of my community moves on to a new role; the organization involved could suffer, it might grow, but for sure it will be …changed. Change [...]
“Lifing” the Summer Away
I killed my company to find my life. Yes, I led a multi-million dollar consulting company that I loved. I loved the CEOs and leaders I worked with. I loved the amazing companies and their technologies. I liked to imagine the next marketing making move and to put that into motion. I loved publishing the [...]
The Critic Must Die
When product lines fail, product managers feel responsible. When children steal, parents often feel like they haven’t taught ethics and self-control well. When a business team doesn’t want to work together, isn’t the leader to blame? The line from GI Jane: “Remember, there are no bad teams, only bad leaders” reinforces this point. And as [...]