Brad: I'm always amazed at the number of conversations i have with people at all levels where there isn't much being asked. It's being told or being asserted next, really listen. Ask questions and really listening is an attribute that is hard, but its incredibly powerful. We all have endless biases, no matter who we are and how clearly we shrink. People defend their biases. Nurses question their biases. And especially for first time on oponers, i would say, as an investor, i'm much more interested in the questions they ask me than i am in the answers they give me to the questions i ask.
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Full show notes at www.LearningLeader.com
#378: Brad Feld
Notes:
- Excellence:
- Honesty - Clear view of what's going on with self and others
- Transparency/Authenticity is overused
- Confirmed process of learning - Hypothesis, clarity of though around experimentation
- Advice to a new manager:
- Ask a lot of questions
- REALLY LISTEN - Engage in conversations... Don't just try to get the right answer
- We have endless biases
- "People defend their biases instead of questioning their biases." --> Have a curious mind.
- Curiosity:
- His parents gave him positive feedback for being inquisitive... An exploration of new ideas. Brad loves to read and takes a digital sabbath every Saturday.
- Approach new ideas with a Buddhist philosophy --> Let go of assumptions. Approach each topic with a beginner's mind.
- A founder who is an explorer -- "Don't get stuck as an investor by constantly asking questions. You need to want to deeply understand someone. It goes both ways. Literal answers aren't enough."
- The role of the founder is “to collect people.” → Mentor side, peer side, employee side, customer side.
- Engage with people. Create a 'bi-directional' connection. This has shifted over time for Brad. Think #GiveFirst
- Life partner - Amy... They are equals. It's important to acknowledge that. They almost split up after 10 years because Brad's words were not matching his actions.
- "YOUR WORDS MUST MATCH YOUR ACTIONS.'
- Prioritize what's important and then follow through. If it's important to you to spend time with your spouse, then do it.
- Brad and Amy had to learn how to fight...
- When their 13 year old dog died, it was devastating. Amy and Brad deal with tragedy differently. It's important to understand that it's OK for your spouse to deal with grief differently than you do.
- Key Parts to building community:
- The people in charge must be leaders
- Must have a long term commitment --> 20 years+
- Inclusive of anyone who wants to engage
- Have events that engage people
- Complex systems to how communities evolve --Complicated systems has more steps.
- Goal setting - They tend to be too rigid. The time component can be a problem.
- Brad prefers raid iteration. Better to have a hypothesis. If the hypothesis fails, learn it.
- Eric Ries - Lean Startup
- Rapid experimentation - Rapid learning is better
- Vast majority of goals you set are not right in the future
- Writing - "When I write, I learn." Force yourself to write it down. Put it in public. Have an open mind to feedback.
- "People get stuck in dogma when they don't write things down. They don't know why they believe in it."
- You can't do this quickly. People don't feel like they have time to think. That's a problem.
- The role of selling: Selling is crucial. You are selling all the time. Sales is a noble profession. Acknowledge it. Develop the skills to do it well. Everyone works in sales.
