Founder Lost and Self Found

Productive, But No Longer Paranoid

Have you ever discovered that something you thought was a key to your success was actually wrong? Something that worked out in the end, but it took years to see how it created so much suffering along the way? An idea that you taught to many others, and maybe caused them pain and suffering? Well, I awoke to something like this in my own life last week. I realized a core “shortcut to success” I had promoted in this very Substack [https://theworkaround.substack.com/p/have-you-been-productively-paranoid] had created years of pain for myself and others. It worked…but at great cost. Now I see the truth, and a better way to work.   Relevant links: “Have You Been Productively Paranoid Lately?” https://theworkaround.substack.com/p/have-you-been-productively-paranoid [https://theworkaround.substack.com/p/have-you-been-productively-paranoid] “My competitive advantage is I’m having fun.” https://jayalto.substack.com/p/my-competitive-advantage-is-im-having [https://jayalto.substack.com/p/my-competitive-advantage-is-im-having] Anchored: How to Befriend Your Nervous System Using Polyvagal Theory: https://a.co/d/0dSrdAQm [https://a.co/d/0dSrdAQm] Schedule Office Hours with Bob: https://calendly.com/bob-gilbreath/bob-gilbreath-office-hours [https://calendly.com/bob-gilbreath/bob-gilbreath-office-hours] Fleet: https://fleetholdingco.com/ [https://fleetholdingco.com/] This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theworkaround.substack.com [https://theworkaround.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

The Best Brand Ethos You've Never Heard Of

This is a short story about a word that touches millions of lives each day… Take a left instead of a right at the restrooms behind the sports bar at a certain vacation resort, and you will come across one of the most meaningful corporate messages I’ve ever seen: “We are all Heartists” Here’s why I love this—and why we all should create our own version for the companies we lead.   Relevant links: Schedule Office Hours with Bob: https://calendly.com/bob-gilbreath/bob-gilbreath-office-hours [https://calendly.com/bob-gilbreath/bob-gilbreath-office-hours] Fleet: https://fleetholdingco.com/ [https://fleetholdingco.com/] This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theworkaround.substack.com [https://theworkaround.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

Founder Lost and Self Found

Sometimes, the best way to find yourself is to get a little lost. We can choose to let go of what’s comfortable, leave the map of expectations behind, and walk into the darkness—trusting that we can handle this. I’ve recently returned from such a trip. Traveling alone across six cities in two weeks, I found parts of me that had been hiding for 50 years. Among many revelations, I gained insights into what really, really drove me to become an entrepreneur, and why selling my startup hit me so hard. It took joining the company of strangers in a strange land, ego naked and afraid, to uncover and encounter fears that were holding me back. This post is going beyond my usual business stories. I’m taking a leap of faith that, by sharing who I am and how I’ve changed, I might inspire a few of you to uncover something new about yourself, too.   Relevant links: Meghan French Dunbar on Joy Trips: https://meghanfrenchdunbar.substack.com/p/i-just-want-to-remember-what-it-feels [https://meghanfrenchdunbar.substack.com/p/i-just-want-to-remember-what-it-feels] Douglas Rushkoff’s Retreat: https://rushkoff.substack.com/p/just-die [https://rushkoff.substack.com/p/just-die] Heather Havrilesky on Attuning to Social Cues: https://www.ask-polly.com/p/attuning-to-social-cues-can-be-empowering [https://www.ask-polly.com/p/attuning-to-social-cues-can-be-empowering] Schedule Office Hours with Bob: https://calendly.com/bob-gilbreath/bob-gilbreath-office-hours [https://calendly.com/bob-gilbreath/bob-gilbreath-office-hours] Fleet: https://fleetholdingco.com/ [https://fleetholdingco.com/] This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theworkaround.substack.com [https://theworkaround.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

A Higher Meaning of Company Vision

I think one of the challenges of building company culture is that it feels so “big”. It’s not the stuff we’re taught in business school, and not what we practice enough for the muscle memory it takes to feel confident. Consultants must be brought in, and while they can be helpful, culture building mostly happens when they’ve left the building. But it doesn’t have to be as hard as we make it out to be. Sometimes, just one silly idea, practiced with an open heart, can break the ice that freezes the flow between employees. And it’s the employees who create the culture, mostly when the CEO is not around [https://hbr.org/2012/05/culture-takes-over-when-the-ce]. This is the story of one little practice that worked for me, and later revealed something fundamental about human connection in my life. Relevant links: Tim Freke on Substack: https://www.youtube.com/user/timfreke [https://www.youtube.com/user/timfreke] Schedule Office Hours with Bob: https://calendly.com/bob-gilbreath/bob-gilbreath-office-hours [https://calendly.com/bob-gilbreath/bob-gilbreath-office-hours] Fleet: https://fleetholdingco.com/ [https://fleetholdingco.com/] This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theworkaround.substack.com [https://theworkaround.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

Sell Your Shares, See Your Clients, Stop Buying Stuff?

It’s another Bob’s Bites, where every couple of weeks, I share a handful of short stories and lessons…Today: 1. Sell Your Shares—separating your money from your mind 2. “Clients went feral after COVID”—is this why client success has gotten harder? 3. What Happens When People Don’t Want More Stuff?—a preview of life to come?   Relevant links: Netflix Co-founder on why to sell your shares: https://marcrandolph.substack.com/p/betting-everything-on-your-company [https://marcrandolph.substack.com/p/betting-everything-on-your-company] Why Japanese People Don't "Want" Things Anymore”: https://substack.com/@jameslucasit/note/c-202186114 [https://substack.com/@jameslucasit/note/c-202186114] Schedule Office Hours with Bob: https://calendly.com/bob-gilbreath/bob-gilbreath-office-hours [https://calendly.com/bob-gilbreath/bob-gilbreath-office-hours] Fleet: https://fleetholdingco.com/ [https://fleetholdingco.com/] This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theworkaround.substack.com [https://theworkaround.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]