We launched our new company, Glean last week. A number of friends and former colleagues asked me why I chose Glean. This is why. I’ve been lucky to help build some beloved global brands and products that positively impacted the lives of millions of people. Google put the world’s information…

My friend Anthony Lee is incredible, and he’s had quite the week. He makes me proud. Let me tell you why. Most investors dream of one massive exit in their careers. Anthony and his firm, Altos Ventures, have had two (Roblox and Coupang) — in the past two DAYS. After…

“Dad, I think I want to be John King when I grow up.” Yes, that’s an actual quote from my fifteen year-old-son, Jack. Big words from a kid that doesn’t want to do his English homework, I thought. But Jack was serious about his love for CNN’s indefatigable anchor and…

Part 3 of 3: Adjusting Your Sails to Navigate Today’s Choppy Waters — For the last installment in this series, I want to return to that moment on the sailboat, the first time I found myself caught by the ferocious wind, the roller coaster waves I didn’t know how to crest. In that moment, when you’re faced with a new and seemingly insurmountable…

Part 2 of 3: Adjusting Your Sails to Navigate Today’s Choppy Waters — A captain is only as effective as her or his crew. It’s a lesson I’ve learned time and again in my career, through making the mistake of trying to go it alone. In a crisis like this one, you need a solid crew more than ever, not just to run…

Part 1 of 3: Adjusting Your Sails to Navigate Today’s Choppy Waters — Growing up in a small Canadian town on the shores of Lake Huron meant sailing became part of my life from an early age. And though I am a decidedly mediocre sailor, I always enjoyed those hours out on the water, full of sunshine and sea spray. That is, until…

“If you build it, they will come.” It’s a maxim that works for baseball diamonds in cornfields, not so much for building a bridge across the chasm between product-market fit and scalable growth. In the canon of Silicon Valley mythology, no yarn is as durable as the garage myth: two…

“The pessimist complains about the wind. The optimist expects it to change. The leader adjusts the sails.” — I think John Maxwell, author of one of my favourite quotes, would agree that the winds are blowing pretty hard at the moment. As salespeople, we’re used to facing many challenges — from listening to prospects and customers to understand latent needs, to engaging prospects with compelling storytelling and overcoming…

“We shall never surrender.” So said Winston Churchill in 1940, facing likely defeat. Not “we’re winning.” Not “we’re about to win.” He told the truth and inspired confidence in the face of mortal danger. The British victory that followed was unexpected — but without his leadership, much less likely. The…