Thoughtfully Ruthless

Foreword

In 30 years of executive and entrepreneurial coaching around the globe, I've observed that people tend to begin their day in one of two ways: It's either yet another glorious opportunity for success, exploration, and personal growth; or, it's a long, slow crawl through enemy territory.

Mind-sets inform behavior, whether consciously or subliminally. My dogs' mind-sets are always positive. If there's an open gate, run through it. Many people's mind-sets default to the negative. Let's do an analysis of the rewards and risks of proceeding through a gate unexpectedly found open. Is it a trap? Could there be danger lurking? What resources should we gather?

Of course, by the time these questions are meticulously answered, someone else has launched Uber, invented the iPhone, and won the Super Bowl. “He who hesitates” these days is no longer “lost,” but rather a nonperson. In a turbulent world, we need speed and boldness and a carpe diem attitude. The metaphoric gate doesn't remain open for long.

Can you imagine John Donne (and Ernest Hemingway after him) taking the time and analytic intensity to write, “Identifying the populace for whom and not for whom the cacophony in the campanile sounds” instead of “For whom the bell tolls”? Yet in the age of big data and persistent turbulent times, I see too many people slowing their pace rather than increasing it.

Val Wright has opened the gates at firms such as Xbox, Starbucks, and Microsoft and then urged talented people through them. ...