The first step to getting good is admitting that you aren't (yet).

How do I dance with the fear? Fear is not the enemy. Paralysis is the enemy.

More and more people now have jobs that require them to confront the risk of appearing stupid on a regular basis.

The devil doesn't need an advocate. The brave need supporters, not critics

If you hear my idea but don't believe it, that's not your fault; it's mine. If you see my new product but don't buy it, that's my failure, not yours. If you attend my presentation and you're bored, that's my fault too.

I find that it's almost essential to fall in love with an idea to invest the time it takes to make it good and worth sharing. And then, the hard part: deleting that idea when it's just not what it could be. Too often, organizations are good at the first part, but struggle with the second. And so we defend expired business models, support the status quo and have a knee-jerk inclination to preserve what we've got.

The way I understand gifts is that the giver must make a sacrifice, create an uneven exchange, bring himself closer to the recipient, create change and do it all with the right spirit.