Disappearing Into The Fire Workshop

Comments (Archived):

1. I don not know Jerry, but when I was running the Kleiner company Elance, they shipped over Bill Campbell my first week. At first I was a little taken a back, but soon I saw their wisdom and greatly enjoyed my weekly visits.Bill’s coaching changed in fundamental ways the way I now run companies and quite frankly advise and share with my entrepreneural cohorts. BTW – Bill just gets it and is amazing.Leaning on board members is a touchy subject as some see even base questions as company weekness or as a potential weekness in your leadership. Now, I know that is not the case with all and especially the good ones, but it is a real consideration.Having a mentor, coach or just someone to run new ideas through, someone the paranoid as we all are CEO’s can trust, is of great value.If I could be in NY for this workshop, I would drop everything to make it happen. Coming recommended by Fred should be enough said. Furthermore, I’d work like hell to engage him after.

   1. i’ve seen Bill in action. he is incredible. Jerry is different from Bill in many ways but he is also incredible. having a coach is hugely important for many entrepreneurs/CEOs

      1. Sadly, so many ‘traditional’ CEOs simply won’t listen – I haven’t seen such issues with entrepreneurs > CEOs – with that career path, by their very nature they are typically hungry for knowledge and curious/open to ideas – with legacy CEOs all too often the ego overwhelms all objectivity as they have typically come from some legacy ‘suits’ environment (this is when it is often an issue) where ego and politics seems to be all that matters….It’s alarming how many such people (still) see the CEO role as primarily a power-trip rather than a huge responsibility – to others, first and foremost. Empathy, humility and being inspirational are key.Hence my long ago setting up as ‘egoboss’ and http://www.egoboss.com – the irony is missed on many, however! 😉

   2. Thanks so much for the thoughts Eric. More important, you are spot on about the value of having a coach, a mentor, a mirror to show you your own insanity. I wish I had one across my entire career.

      1. I’m trying to get my press people put back in the closet so I can make it to your presentation. Would really like to meet and hook up. Public launch in the works and all heck breaking loose. Bring back memories?

         1. Ahhh…memories. Seems like good times. All hell breaking loose and the damn investors breathing down your neck.

2. Jerry has the best blog on the web (no offense). I just wish he would post more often.

   1. Me too. Thanks Kirk.

3. Wow. Jerry’s blog is awesome. Fred – where’s your poetry? :)“I live in the place where money meets meaning; where soul meets spirit, where the left side of the brain finally communicates with the right, where business meets the spiritual, where meaning finds sustainability.”

   1. I’ll be doing the “How to write poetically in your blog” workshop in a few months. We can all chip in to send Fred. Ya know the cost of these things is high.

      1. Maybe he can start with Twitter Haikus.

         1. Yes…veeerry good.

   2. Fred needs something original, Jerry has poetry, Ben Horowitz has rap (bet Fred wishes he’d thought of that).Maybe Fred should have Twaiku.

      1. LOL. I actually have a client who asks of me, “Please. No more poetry.”

      2. I’ve got all of you

         1. no doubt, fredland is the trump card

         2. ‘<

         3. Someone hand me a tissue. Really.(If you think about it — or listen for it — Fred is actually quite poetic at times.)

         4. The Mike Skinner of VCs, Fred? 😉

   3. I can’t compete with Jerry. I just let him teach and inspire me

      1. Like you taught me how to be a VC and inspired me to be a great investor and director.

4. The word fire is catchy.

5. This cease to exist can have another meaning. You still exist, but you are so consumed by work that you have no life outside of work….. Larry Ellison: “My first wife left me because I did not work hard enough, my second wife left me because I worked too hard.” http://bit.ly/ga3WVi

6. I had zero worries at this point in time. http://goo.gl/fb/8IDww Nothing, naught, zilt, zada.

7. I’ve worked with Jerry for a while now- and I sort of think of it as cheating (that’s how good he is). I highly recommend attending the seminar if you can’t drink straight from the fire hose- at least you’ll be soaked in knowledge.

   1. Thanks for the vote of confidence Seth

8. Personal thought – it is very hard to separate you from your creations. As a result, sometimes I tell people they should make what excites them first on an intellectual level, then on an emotional level. The reverse can sometimes lead to heartache.

   1. Such wisdom, Shana.

   2. Passion is fun, though.

      1. not passion for the sake of passion alone – too many firey things can burn you if you don’t weld it

9. I would also mention Ann Mehl, who’s co-running the workshop. Jerry referred me and though I’ve only just started working with her, she’s great. It would be great for attendees to post their feedback somewhere. Fred, maybe you can do a follow-up post?

   1. Thanks for noting Ann. She IS terrific. And she’s the number one person I refer people to. Glad it’s working out with Ann.

   2. I’ve not had an opportunity to see her in action

10. Brilliant piece

11. I don’t know Jerry personally and he has already grealy helped me online, just by answering a simple question on his blog.When you have that kindness and generosity, I observe the impossibility of sharing more becomes painful for gifted people like him.Hope this helps Jerry to find a way in which he can help many more, we all will be better off for it.

12. I tell people they should make what excites them first on an intellectual level, then on an emotional level. The reverse can sometimes lead to heartache.Contemporary Furniture

13. $200 dollar is quite a bit bit of cash – Breaking it down – 6 hrs is $33 dollars an hour for his wisdom seems a good deal to be frank, If I lived in within150 miles of this I would be there. http://www.linkedin.com/pub…

14. Sometimes there is no need to disappear into fire especially one that is created by others. Recently a story moved me about a company’s founder (I won’t mention names) that went into the lion’s den of Wall Street and defied the short term logic embedded there with long term business thinking.

15. Steve’s piece is terrific. The thing that’s amazingly gratifying is to see the notion of folks in the startup life need support is catching fire.

16. Nope. Still tickets available as of 12.37pm.

17. I think Dave’s looking to collect 😉

18. I don’t get to collect, since I didn’t take the other side of Charlie’s bet. And since apparently no one else did, Charlie’s off the hook.