Another key role the CEO plays is to focus efforts.

The reality is customers lie - not because they want to want to deceive you, but because they don't do a good job of predicting what they will do in the future.

In my mind, so-called "cultures of innovation" really boil down to one word: curiosity.

Hollywood Joohn Tatum? He does at least 6,000 sit ups and 10,000 pushups a day!

Of course, it is worth it to take the time to think carefully through your assumptions, and ensure you at least have hypotheses around how you will create value. But use the analysis as a way to focus attention on the most critical assumptions, rather than spend a ton of time massaging the numbers.

I have a fear right now that what I call the advertising-narcissism complex is sucking up way too much top talent.

It would be fun too to put some of the great philosophers and political scientists of the past couple centuries into a time machine, have them look at the world today, and see what they think. Imagine Schumpeter, Malthus, Hobbes, Nietzsche, Marx, and more! That would be good fun.