Win With Flynn

The 2017 HBR interview with Jerry Seinfeld has resurfaced as entrepreneurs and MBAs seek insights from his unique management style. Seinfeld's micromanagement approach to "Seinfeld" underscores the importance of focusing on what truly matters. He doesn't believe in outsourcing core competencies, exemplifying the mantra: "the main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing."

Blank slates, fresh starts, and new beginnings can be big scary wonderful things. Move to a new town, change schools, or take a new job. A big decision that shakes things up. A big decision that can lead the way for the small ones that follow. In the new town it’s a lot easier to change your habits. Nobody pulling you into your old ways. When you’re at the new school, it’s a lot easier …

When we tell stories about disruption, it's often faster than reality. It makes for a better story, but it doesn't make it true.  The year is 2029, and Kyle Reese is sent back in time to save Sarah Connor from the Terminator. I know what you're thinking, 2029 is right around the corner and the AI is damn good.   I agree, but Skynet became self-aware at 2:14 a.m., EDT, on August 29, 1997.  In my …

"The mortars? Oh, they “just” go up 50 feet or so." "The TNT Sack Pack “just” has an assortment of stuff the kids like." Just. The stand finally calmed down for a minute and my boss strolled over to my end and said, "Don't just the product, just the price." "What?"  He repeated, "Don't just the product, just the price. The customers keep asking you about the products and you keep downplaying them, saying they …

“The knowledge that I’ve got enough.”  That's the punch line in one of the most quoted and covered stories of all time. But why does it work? And why do so many authors use the story to help them build their narrative? It's short, memorable, novel, and important. It has a great lesson that doubles as its surprise ending. It's a ten out of ten. It's also universal.

Bill Simmons coined irrational confidence to describe players who believe they’re stars—and sometimes play like it. But it’s not just for athletes. It’s the force that drives us toward impossible catches, unlikely dreams, and bold moves in life. This piece explores where irrational confidence comes from—and why passing it on might be the greatest play we can make.

Bobcat Goldthwait made it big in comedy but felt trapped by his own success. His early triumphs led to a narrow view of his options and a pressure to keep performing in a way that felt fake. Sometimes what seems like success can hold you back from what you really want. It's essential to define success on your own terms.

In 2009 I watched Paul Mooney cook everyone from Oprah to Obama. The experience raised questions about "keeping it real," authenticity, and finding your voice. Authenticity is a necessary ingredient in consistency, which is essential for long-term success.

A group of friends pursue adventures that test their physical and mental strength. Little did they know, they were participating in the Japanese concept of misogi.

That fall on the ground, kicking and moaning, get me the hell out of this JCPenney before I tear the whole place down on top of myself pain of boredom.   No doubt that it’s real.  Boredom is misunderstood though, perceived as a negative. Really, it's a signal that you are headed the right way, if you push through, something profound can happen.  If you're bored, you're boring.  What that saying misses is how necessary boredom is to a …

Do they work? The New Year's resolutions? The trend of following pre-packaged checklists for personal growth?

“Tradition is not the worship of ashes, but the preservation of fire.” We borrow from the past, ever so carefully, and make these things traditions. Sometimes superstitions. The sights and sounds bring us back. It's time traveling but we do make edits.   

Exploring what happens when people ask, "what do you do" but really mean "what do you do for money?" A take on unconventional retirement.

"If it doesn't make you money, or it doesn't make you happy, it doesn't make the list."