Your Culture is Killing You

Posted on by Lisa Wagner
Taped Shut Bronze Angel, 2019 Patina bronze 25 x 16 x 18 inches

If you’ve brushed up against corporate hiring practices lately, you’ve probably encountered the concept of Culture Fit—the idea that you should screen job applicants so that you only hire people whose beliefs and behaviors will integrate smoothly into your organization. It’s true that hiring people who don’t integrate well with your company culture can be highly disruptive. If you bring highly-competitive people into a highly-collaborative environment, or order-takers into an […]

Six Overlooked Reasons People Are Not Buying from Your Startup

Posted on by Gopika Jhala
startup slump

With the success of companies like Uber and Slack, it would seem like there is no better time for startups. While this is true in many respects, especially in the Silicon Valley where venture capital is flowing (helping startups to scale quickly), the truth is that most startups are barely able to survive. Having a good product is an essential requirement for the startup to become successful, but not the […]

Just Keep Knocking

Posted on by Michael Roderick
Truong Tran, When It's Not About Race It's All About Race

The other day I was chatting with a client in the entertainment world who was dealing with an all too common problem. His career wasn’t moving as quickly as he would like it to. When I prodded a little bit about the folks he had reached out to who could help his career and the introductions he received, I found that he had connected in person with some really solid […]

Alex Nelson: Money Insight for Entrepreneurs

Posted on by Pregame Magazine
Alex Nelson 2

Alex Nelson is a Pregame Guest Expert and the CEO of Impact Capital Management LLC, working with business owners to secure the right funding for their startup needs. Join Alex this month at The Finance Five, our April business finance workshop on April 30 at Pregame HQ.  >more info & sign up What was the motivation for your recent career move? My desire to work closely with borrowers who are traditionally ignored by the […]

Pitch, Please.

Posted on by Michael Roderick
dive Fiona Aboud

A question I get a lot is: “How do I pitch myself to ___________ podcast, article, investor, etc.?” And this for many people is the holy grail of attention. If you can get someone to share your ideas with their audience or invest in you it certainly does help. But I see many people going about this process all wrong. So here is my most important rule about pitching anything: Create […]

Cultivating Diversity: The Courage to Confront Our Biases

Posted on by Paige Webster
12thedogsnameisscamp

I’m ashamed to admit that I avoid talking about diversity because I worry that I will open my big mouth and commit some gross gaffe, causing extreme discomfort for everyone and and intense shame for myself. I worry I will reveal an “implicit bias” that unveils what an unconscious bigot I am and I will be rejected. By everyone. But, we are all biased. Our brains would self-combust if we […]

The Life Changing Magic of NOT Tidying Up

Posted on by Michael Roderick
08askesther

Sometimes I’ll be asked a question like this: “What is the one thing I can do today to change my network?” And the truth of the matter is that the answer is it depends on what you want to change, but since most people don’t like that one, I do know of one thing that has always: Led to more opportunities Gotten me more introductions Helped me think differently  and […]

The Power of Incompletions

Posted on by Greg Hoyos
dice game

Many years ago, a wise friend gave me a crucial piece of wisdom. He said, “Incompletions sap your energy: but completions actually GIVE you energy.” A light bulb went off in my head. Because I’ve been one of those who sits around thinking of all the things I’ve got to – and not doing any. So what’s the problem with incompletions? On their own, nothing. But incompletions often tie up […]

Fighting Fuckery 101

Posted on by Lori Eberly
dartboard pregame

  Know your enemy and know yourself and you can fight a hundred battles without disaster. —Sun Tzu, The Art of War I fight fuckery and build belonging for a living. If you’d like less of the former and more of the latter, read on. It doesn’t matter if you’re pitching a product or selling a service: fuckery divides. I used to trip over phrases like “trust-eroding behaviors.” One evaluation […]

Life is What Happens While You Were Making Other Plans

Posted on by Lisa Wagner
monopoly pregame magazine

“Where do you see yourself in five years?” This question is so common, it’s become an interview cliché. But the first time I was asked, I didn’t know about any of that, I was simply unprepared. I didn’t have a good answer, nor did I want to. Five years seemed like forever, and I hadn’t been living with any kind of long-term plans. I was 28 years old, supporting my […]