Randomly describing… me.
I’m lucky to be occasionally wrong, but rarely in doubt.
I am an entrepreneur. I started my first business when I was 15 and have created and lead companies every day since.
I don’t like to do things the way they’ve always been done. Usually, the path less taken is more interesting to me. I like to build on creative ideas, as long as they’re bold, valuable and helpful — or at least I’m convinced they can be. I’m zealous… about just about everything.
When I was a kid I had some pretty terrific mentors that taught me the best leadership was about cheerful service to others, and trusted me with opportunities to help other people.
Slow is nearly intolerable to me. Lingering, in any sense, drives me nuts. I generally have two gears: full speed ahead or comatose in front of the TV (especially if there are three consecutive football games to watch, plus the SportsCenter highlights again that night).
I feel most at ease when I’m standing up in front of group, drawing energy from a crowd. I can be a pretty effective speaker… but sometimes I probably should just shut up and listen better.
I’m most fascinated with people who create what I cannot, which means I appreciate live performances, theater, dance or music. And, of course, watching sports of all kinds.
Technology interests me because usually it’s the best way to do more, with less. I’m most excited when I can wield it like a brush on blank canvas. I can’t make music or sculpt good art, but I’m very good standing at the whiteboard, articulating a solution and leading people to build it.
I’m a news and current events junkie. Politics and public service have always been important parts of my life. I’m rarely without an opinion, but genuinely fascinated by how others see the world differently.
I love my family who lift me up, and appreciate some good friends who keep me grounded.
I’d rather backpack, crawl through a cave or hang out at a cabin in the mountains than do just about anything else. But I also love Chicago (in the summer), where I live, work and have fun, usually without leaving a 10 block area.
I play reasonably competitive recreational football and softball each week (and on occasion rugby) as a way to relax. I started boxing recently, but getting hit in the face is getting old, so that probably won’t last much longer. I’ve built a pretty cool coral reef in my home… and expect to come home any day to a crashed aquarium and expensive water chemistry mistake.
