Get on or get out of the way

"If everyone is moving forward together, then success takes care of itself." -Henry Ford

What does it take to make a team?

I don't think that you can put a team together and expect teamwork to occur organically. Teammates find their roles. Leaders, glue guys and role players emerge as the team works over time.

I believe that you have to just worry about the details. Execute the plays and the outcome will take care of itself. This is not always the easiest way to live--it creates a lot of uncertainty about the future and adds stress to the group. But how can you have piece of mind when you are building something that doesn't exist?

I have a terrible time being anything other than optimistic. One of my partners calls it a 'salesman's confidence' but I would prefer to view it as dedication to the play. I believe that I am going to succeed on a project or task. You can't succeed with a team full of people with that sort of ambitious recklessness. You need people to be measured and conservative. You need rational thought. But you also need an element of committed driven optimism; you cannot succeed without it. 

Steve Jobs got stopped with Ninja Stars in a Japanese airport today (9/14/2010). He seems to me to be someone who is ambitiously reckless. Ninja stars. Damn, that is cool for a guy in his late 50's. But think about all the incarnations his career has had from savant-like founder, to ousted rebel, to repeat visionary, and finally to a homecoming and final act that has allowed him to take all those lessons he learned and apply them to his first large success and bring it full circle. I don't know him nor have I read any biographies about him; but it seems like he has been a guy who just 'believed' in himself. That made him into a leader. That made him the leader of teams. He was not anointed.

Unus Vita

Today is Friday, 9/10/2010. Almost nine years ago I was reminded just how delicate my world is and how connected I am to ALL people with whom I share this planet. 

My experience in New York as a survivor was both similar and unique to anyone else in that city on that morning. It impacted me on spiritual, emotional, physical and metaphysical levels and gave birth to the adult that I am now. The single biggest result is that I don't wait anymore; I am impetuous. I don't accept that inexperience and ignorance are reasons to avoid doing something that I want to do (for whatever reason/motivation). I embarrass myself more. I get it wrong more. I fail way more. But I am happier on a whole. I feel the wins more. I live my life a lot more than I did before.

 

I have been thinking about that a lot lately, in light of our firm working our largest deal to date. There are voluminous reasons why this shouldn't be in my hands, but I refuse to acknowledge them. I have this step. I am blessed to be here and I am grateful for this experience. This sounds a little deep for a Friday; sorry, but sometimes you have to recognize and appreciate the fates. We control many facets of our life but in the end we are but a part of a very large and very fragile whole.

The best way I can memorialize all those who were untimely taken from their one life is the get the most out of mine. I will continue living up to that standard and enjoying this amazing ride.

"In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: it goes on." -Robert Frost 

Giddy Up

I am going to write some stuff down. I cannot completely guarantee that any of it will be of interest to you. You (like me) have infinite options for your attention span. You have thoughts, opinions, gripes and anecdotes just like me; if you write yours down and they are interesting I'll read yours.

 

''Life isn't about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.'' - George Bernard Shaw

I am fond of quotes. I will use them frequently to summarize thoughts for what I am going to write. If you do not like the quote, you will most assuredly not enjoy the post.

I am a 33 year old executive trying to build an Investment Banking franchise in a very small niche at a very challenging time and with very little experience. All of which has positioned me for one of two things; great success or great failure. This will be my third time in this sort of scenario. The first one was great. I learned about what I could do and couldn't--but more than anything I learned that building something was more important than just being a cog in a larger machine. The second one almost made me want to jump off a bridge. Both had moments I wish I had memorialized if not for my own recollection, than for my (or others) entertainment.

My disclaimer: please don't take anything I say here as Gospel. This is a running log of things that I wanted to have in a semi-open forum. I am not going to over think it. Take it for what it is and let me know how bad it is using humor and wit.