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Matt Sparks
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Category: Lessons Learned

Order Muppets, Chaos Muppets, and Entrepreneurial Optimization

November 16, 2018 mattsparks

Everything is always always optimizing for something. That is, getting as close to the maximum or minimum for at least…

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Posted in: Lessons Learned

Is Your City Lifting You to Power?

November 15, 2018 mattsparks

Prominence, influence, and celebrity are products of place. Frank Sinatra knew this, which is why he sang of New York,…

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Genius Is Specialized

November 14, 2018 mattsparks

Geniuses aren’t genius on every topic. Many people forget this and think that because they have an audience and some…

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Conspiracy Is Neutral, How We Do It Is Not

November 13, 2018 mattsparks

In Ryan Holiday’s latest book, Conspiracy, he says that conspiracy is neutral, but how we do it is not. Conspiracy…

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Relationships Are Our Story

November 12, 2018 mattsparks

In Esther Perel’s new book, The State of Affairs, she says that the quality of our relationships determines the quality…

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Tenacity Is Inneffective Failure

November 11, 2018 mattsparks

Tenacity is ineffective failure. That is, if we keep pushing and working hard on our projects until we’re successful, paradoxically…

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Understanding Is a Spectrum

November 10, 2018 mattsparks

Understanding is not binary, yes or no, understood or not understood. Understanding exists on a spectrum with many shades of…

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Put Session Info on Your Business Cards

November 9, 2018 mattsparks

When presenting at a conference like SXSW, make business cards with your session info on them, including the session title…

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Love Is Not a Zero-Sum Game

November 8, 2018 mattsparks

Natalie Portman recently gave an inspiring speech in which she said: Many men are behaving like we live in a…

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Jobs Are Always Side Hustles

November 7, 2018 mattsparks

Never be duped into thinking that working for another person is a good, reliable, long-term option. We’ll never be that…

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Always Have a Project with Your Partner

November 6, 2018 mattsparks

In order to maintain a strong relationship over the long-term, always work on a project together. Raising a child is…

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Everyone a CEO Hires Wants to Be CEO

November 5, 2018 mattsparks

Every person a CEO hires wants their job. They all think they could do a better job and deserve to…

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Influence Is More Important than Authority

November 4, 2018 mattsparks

Influence is more important than authority. Sure, we can tell subordinates what to do, but can we influence, educate, and…

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What Can We Fix for $1000?

November 3, 2018 mattsparks

It’s good to periodically ask our employees what we can fix for $1000 or $10,000. They’ll nearly always have ideas…

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Hiring is a Long-Term Commitment

November 2, 2018 mattsparks

Hiring is a long-term commitment. Don’t hire without a long-term commitment, even if we have a strong short-term need. Further,…

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People Leave Managers

November 1, 2018 mattsparks

People don’t leave companies. They leave managers. If we want to understand why people are leaving our company, we need…

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We’re the Villain

October 31, 2018 mattsparks

When we wonder why no one is on board with our idea or plan, it’s because we’re the villain. We’re…

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Mentors Don’t Look Like Mentors

October 30, 2018 mattsparks

We often have a low opinion of our mentors when we first meet them. We might not recognize them as…

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People Aren’t Resistant to Ideas

October 29, 2018 mattsparks

People aren’t resistant to ideas, they want to be heard. If we’re trying to convince or persuade someone, we can…

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Minimize the Trauma Effect

October 28, 2018 mattsparks

All change of any kind results in a trauma effect. The effect could be as mild as someone saying to…

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