Fresh Start

Fresh Start

I hate New Year’s Eve but I love the start of a new year. There’s something powerful about endings and beginnings. You can cast away the past and look ahead. I don’t make resolutions. They never last. I try to prioritize. But also to give myself a break when I make mistakes.

2013 was a year of transition. I moved (and got rid of ½ my stuff). I got new toys to make my life simpler. I regrouped. I started a speaking career on the side. And I got closer to my goal of building StashWall into a world-class company.

I try to spend new year’s at the beach. I drive up to my favorite spot in Malibu and walk barefoot on the sand with the water lapping at my feet. This year, while watching the waves, several schools of dolphins and a whale swam by. There’s something about the ocean that always balances me. It helps set the reset button.

I can’t wait to take on this new year. I’ll try to share more of my journey along the way (but that’s not a resolution…)

Great Expectations

Great Expectations

I set the bar pretty high. For others but mostly for myself. When I promise to do something, I do it. When I say I’ll show up, there I am. If I’m your friend (a real friend vs. LA friend) then I will be there for you. No matter what. Even in horrible LA traffic.

I’m not good at asking for help. I’m not talking the kind Siri can help with. I mean showing vulnerability and asking someone else for support, when you’re sick or just sad, or can’t do it all by yourself.

But raising money for a startup is all about the power of networks. So I’ve been asking. And what’s really interesting is how it’s people who are 2 or 3 degrees of separation who have actually come through, not so much my closest friends.

Is that because they don’t think it’s important? Or because they don’t realize the urgency? Or because they don’t believe in my vision? Hard to tell and impossible to discuss.

So I choose to focus on the believers. The folks I’ve met who not only get it and get me but are willing to reach out to their networks and open doors. I’ve learned to accept help no matter where it comes from. And to be less judgmental. After all, I’m the one setting the bar.

Female CEOs

Female CEOs

On the one hand, I was thrilled to read that GM named a new CEO who is female. The other part of me looks forward to the day when that becomes the norm. When “female” or “girl” or “woman” aren’t the biggest part of the story.

Here are just a few of the headlines:

A woman can dream can’t she?

Eye on the Prize

Eye on the Prize

I’ve been very focused on staying focused. Work. Work. Work. Keep your eye on the prize. Raise money to get to the next milestone.

I’ve limited my lunches and dinners to include only work related meetings (boring I know) but necessary for now.

An old friend who I rarely hear from started contacting me on LinkedIn. She launched a new company and wanted to get together and catch up. I put her off. After all we hadn’t talked for 3 years. And I was “busy.”

But she persisted and I relented. I agreed to meet her for lunch near my office.
It was great to see her and made me realize that being too focused isn’t always best. I loved the idea behind her new company. And when I told her about StashWall, her eyes lit up. She loved everything about it. So much so that she offered to invest.

Why yes, I’ll have a slice of humble pie with that.

Future of Healthcare

Future of Healthcare

I just participated in a panel to discuss healthcare in 2020. It was pretty lively. There were some very smart people on it including Jonathan Gruber, Professor of Economics at MIT and Coleman Peterson, former Chief HR Officer at Wal-Mart.

Here are just a few of my thoughts:

And here’s a link to full panel. We all had a lot to say: http://www.sunlifesummit.com/agenda/#jump-link-03 (you need to register to view it but I think you’ll enjoy watching us in action.)

Slow and Steady

Slow and Steady

I’ve been living inside my own head a lot this year. Thinking and plotting. Trying to figure out how to turn an idea into a company. Sure, I built a product and have the people in place to go forward but I want to do it right. Now, I’m aware that speed is important in startups as is being first. But I also know from experience that you want to get it right. It’s true that you only get one chance to make a great impression. This whole build it, see what happens and if it doesn’t work, pivot (my least favorite word), may work if you’re a young, first time entrepreneur but it doesn’t work for me.

When I build something, I want it to work. To grow. To succeed. And to do that, especially if it’s something new. An idea that goes against conventional thinking, well, you need to take time to figure out the how.

How will you break through the noise? How will you not only get attention but also create habits? How will you make money? How will you attract smart folks to your team? And how will you do all of that without giving up control because you’re constantly giving away pieces of your company to investors?

And so, I started looking at doing things differently. The idea is exactly the same. It just takes a different journey. Instead of going straight to consumers (expensive given escalating user acquisition costs), I’m creating corporate and strategic partnerships. A win-win.

Sometimes, slowing down can get you there. Just not at the same speed. But then again, this is a marathon. And what matters is getting to the finish line.

Curation Nation

Young Anat

I’ve always had my head in a book (that’s me in the photo). And then as an adult, I swallowed books whole (I’d read 1 a day on vacation) and devour newspapers (I had 4 a day delivered: WSJ, NYT, LA Times and USA Today). I was an information junkie. And then of course I gave up on reading the physical books and newspapers and now I consume everything online. I’m a human sponge. And being the sharing person that I am, I no longer send clippings or books in the mail but I post interesting articles to my social networks.

At a speech in Palm Beach last week, I was asked how I kept up on the information deluge. And I explained that it’s not about too much information, it’s about how you filter it.

What works for me are email newsletters on topics I’m interested in. I can read the headlines and click to the articles when I have time. And someone else has trolled the web for me.

Here are my current favorites. Please share yours in the comments.

  • Technology/Science: Kurzweil Accelerating Intelligence newsletter major science and technology breakthroughs (daily or weekly) via e-mail.
  • Technology/Ideas/Culture: Next Draft is curated by news junkie Dave Fell and gives you his top 10 stories of the day.
  • Media/Tech/Pop Culture: Awesome MediaREDEF feed covering media, entertainment and technology. Curated by Jason Hirschhorn.
  • Technology: Launch Ticker is a daily compilation of tech news with commentary from Jason Calacanis.

You Can’t Handle the Truth

Anat Baron

I’ve recently embarked on a new adventure – as a professional speaker. If you know me, you know that I love to talk and I have an opinion about everything. And my eclectic career path has taught me many lessons. Mostly in the “what not to do” realm.

I made my first two speeches in the space of a week. The first here in Los Angeles to a large corporation, and the other to an international association in Qatar (please don’t ask me to pronounce it).

When hired they both told me that they want me to shake things up, you know, be controversial, get the audience to think. Well, you don’t have to tell me twice. I crafted two specific presentations, asked the tough questions and tried to be provocative.

But in the end, it turns out that audiences at conferences want to be entertained and not challenged. They want sugar, not spice. Unless spice comes with the exact recipe. Which of course is impossible to deliver. I’m a speaker, not a consultant. I’m there to share my experiences, provide ideas for change, but I can’t tell you how to go back to your office and fix what’s wrong.

Let’s just say that my next speech will have more sugar than spice. Still engaging and relevant (I hope) but less controversial. Truth it seems is a great concept but not so much IRL (in real life).

Karma

Advice
At a recent event I met a young guy who asked if I’d be willing to give him advice about his new venture. I get asked that a lot (especially online by anyone who has seen my film and has a beer related idea) and I just don’t have time to spend with everyone. This time I said yes. In his follow-up email he sent a link to a YouTube video that he made which generated over 2 million views. I figured worst case, I’d learn something about how he did it.

We met for coffee near my house. And after sharing his YouTube tips, he got to his idea. And I told him what I thought. I was brutally honest. Mostly because he’s nice and bright and I hate to see people waste their time. Especially since I happened to be an expert in the space. And he kept telling me that I was wrong and trying to convince me that this idea (which I’d seen before) was not only necessary but will revolutionize the industry. He kept reframing his pitch and I kept countering. Dude, quit while you’re ahead.

Finally (after an hour of this back and forth) I told him that he was wasting my time. That he should never meet with someone like me (an expert) until he’s done his homework (Google?) because I probably won’t meet with him again and he just wasted an opportunity.

And BTW, so I don’t come off as a total ruthless bitch, I have always followed my own advice. I never meet with anyone until the timing is right. And I make sure to have my ducks in a row. So I can come back to the well again.

You Like Me, You Really Like Me

Lean In

Confession: I haven’t read Lean In Sheryl Sandberg’s new ode to feminism. But I don’t feel like I need to add another tome to my unread Kindle library. No other living person (except for the Pope) has received more press in recent weeks than the COO of Facebook. She has dominated the talk shows, including a flattering piece on 60 Minutes. Not to mention both mainstream publications and the blogosphere.

I decided to go hear her speak last night. She was on her whirlwind book tour and the Writers Guild Theatre in Beverly Hills was full of women (with a few token men) who seemed genuinely excited to be in her presence. She was interviewed by Michael Lynton, CEO of Sony and yes, a man. (The original interviewer was supposed to be Maria Shriver who ended up in Rome covering the aforementioned Pope for NBC). Sheryl gave a polished performance. She was relaxed, funny, witty, smart and at times “girlie”. And very rehearsed. I basically heard a repeat of her other interviews. But this time I was seated 3 rows away. The thing that came across being there in person (especially during Q&A with the audience) was that she really really wanted to be liked.

And I left the event feeling sad. Here was the COO of Facebook, one of the most successful women in American business who according to the media is singlehandedly rebooting the feminist movement. And there she was telling us to be vulnerable using herself as an example. Her last story was about a project that she and a colleague had tried to get buy in for at Facebook. She said that when the group finally decided to proceed she gushed to them over how grateful she was that they did. All the while her male colleague said that he knew they’d come around. She wanted them to approve, to like her idea.

I believe that leadership is often about making tough, unpopular choices. Let’s look at Marissa Mayer, CEO of Yahoo who has been blasted by the media because of her edict that employees could no longer telecommute. I get it. She needs to change the culture and one way to do it is to get people together, face to face. She’s been bashed for her wealth (she can afford child care) and for being anti motherhood. But let’s not forget that she’s the boss. Responsible to her shareholders and a board. Who will fire her just like they did the 5 CEOs before her. Marissa Mayer is NOT worried about being liked. Rather, she’s making the tough decisions to try and turn this behemoth (that’s been on a downward spiral) around. I don’t envy her.
No matter how great it sounds, you can’t run an organization completely by consensus. Even the President gets advice from his advisors but ultimately makes the tough call himself (hopefully herself someday). Leaders can’t worry about likeability (except during an election but then they’re merely candidates).

So while I applaud Sheryl Sandberg for her attempt to start the conversation, I’m not sure that she should be the role model. Especially for girls. What I saw last night was hero worship. Women of all ages who wanted to believe that they too can have it all, and still be liked, like Sheryl.

But, and it’s a big but, I believe that there’s another message that wasn’t delivered. And that is key if we want more women to ascend to the top rungs of power. It is more important to be respected than to be liked. There, I said it. If women want to be treated equally in the workplace, boardroom or congress then they should think about that. Respect for your skills, accomplishments, know how, success – they get you noticed. Being liked just feels good. And of course, I’m not suggesting that they’re mutually exclusive. But IMHO, respect should come first. Especially if you want to go all the way up.

On a personal note, after spending my childhood moving around the world and trying to fit in, I realized that as an adult this desire to be liked wasn’t going to get me very far. So I stopped trying. And yes, I’ve been called a bitch, sometimes to my face. But I’ve always operated under the assumption that my job was to be the boss and not the friend. And as the boss, I had to make the tough choices (and no, I don’t enjoy firing people) because that was my responsibility.

Sheryl Sandberg has the luxury of going on an all out media blitz. She has a platform (Facebook anyone?) I just wish that her message was stronger. She’s also #2 to a male CEO. She’s there to execute his vision. She even admitted that she still worries about being fired. What kind of message does that send?

If women are to take over leadership positions then they need to be a little more like Hillary Clinton and actually lead. Remember when Hillary baked cookies when she was first lady? That didn’t last long. She wasn’t being authentic. And look at her popularity now – it’s at an all time high. I don’t think she worries about being liked but she has certainly earned our respect.

This is a complicated issue and the numbers are depressing. And maybe I’m being too harsh on Sheryl Sandberg but I would like to see a more equal playing field someday. And to get there we need more role models for young women. So they can find their own way.