What is Mike’s blog about? This blog is about things that interest me and, hopefully, a large group of readers as well. I feel most comfortable writing about business topics like growth, leadership, improvement, and innovation. But I’m also interested in many other topics that I’m sure will find there way in here as well. Things like podcasts that are influencing my life and my thinking, Angel Investing – staying engaged in new ideas, technologies and companies, personal health & fitness, private equity, books & other writing and, who knows what else.
I started playing football when I was in the 5th grade, and by the time I was in 8th grade, I felt like I was pretty good. Others took notice as well. Our coach went by the name Bucky. I never knew, or can’t remember, his real name. I thought he knew everything about football, like I…
Continue reading ➞ A Football Play Saved Me From The Cemetery
I like to think lots of things about myself, but being curious is something I think I really am. I like to explore the unknown, ask about and understand what appears to be known, learn what’s possible. 'They’ say we’re born curious (I can’t remember what I was like when I was born, so I’ll take…
I’m not a narcissist. I promise and pinky swear. But I have to admit that I don’t mind looking at myself in the mirror. I prefer that to seeing myself in pictures, by a long shot. When I look in the mirror, I see hair and height, straight teeth, youth. I can’t hope for handsome. …
Continue reading ➞ Why My Mirror Means More To Me Than My Photo
As you may remember, I’m not much of a networker (my recent post about being terrible at networking). I find it intimidating, uncomfortable and, mostly, uninteresting. It could also be that, because I’m not good at it, I just make excuses so I can feel better about myself for avoiding it (the truth is somewhere in…
Continue reading ➞ The Dine Around – A Connectworking Success
I’ve always found “Self” to be a perplexing word. It’s not that it’s particularly challenging to define. At its essence, self is simply a way to designate one person as an individual, apart from anyone else. That’s pretty clear, not much to argue about there. Instead, it’s the attachments that go along with self, the…
Continue reading ➞ Why Being Selfless Wasn’t Getting The Job Done
My friend, Jeff, recently renamed his company. It was time. He’s in the insurance business. His Dad started the company and named it sensibly, for that time. Decades later, though, as Jeff and his partner fought to establish themselves as different in a world of sameness, they concluded that their company’s sensible name was confining…
Damnit! I broke my rule. I used a Forbidden Phrase. I can’t believe I just did that. It wasn’t intentional. That’s not true. Yes, it was. Everything I do is intentional, isn’t it? How could it not be? There was no proverbial gun to my head. In fact, there wasn’t even any pressure. I was…
It’s a late morning in March 1996 and I’m kneeling in front of a casket, talking to Billy. I’m telling him that I wanted him to still be here and how much I appreciated the chance I had to meet and get to know him. How I wished that he was at home, sitting on…
Our 8-year-old daughter had had enough. We’d been on the Sylvan Lake Trail for nearly two hours. It’s “among the easiest trails in Custer State Park,” the literature says. The trailhead was just off the parking lot of the visitor’s center, where we just spent the last two hours waiting for the AAA guy to…
I don’t make friends at work. I’m just not good at it. Beer’s to blame. Kidding (sort of). The real reason is that I’m scared. I’m also private, too private. I get nervous when I feel someone getting too close. I don’t want them to see some part of me, although I can’t say what…
