Leadership
Michael Dell - Leadership Advice from a Tech Legend | TIME
Michael Dell started a tech company in his college dorm room. Thirty-plus years later, he’s a billionaire who continues to lead a technology business that helps clients solve complex problems, accelerate innovation, and improve health and quality of life. Here are highlights from Dell's interview with TIME.
On Values and Beliefs
One of the things I learned early on was that not everyone had the same values and beliefs. We had to be very explicit about what was OK and what wasn’t OK. As you expand a company, especially around the world—this is maybe not the most elegant way to put it, but—there are places in the world where if they didn’t catch you doing it, it’s OK. Well, that’s not OK in our company. So we had to be super explicit about that.
On Sustainability
Let me back up to the early ‘90s. We were producing enormous numbers of computers and it’s doubling every year. And at some point, you kind of figure out wow, this is a machine with a defined lifespan. At some point, it’s no longer useful. What the heck happens then? ... So we started thinking about how do we use the cleanest, greenest materials. We started thinking about recycling and life cycle. When I was going to sleep at night, putting the head on the pillow, I’m thinking, ‘Holy bleep, all these things have my name on them.’ When these machines turn up in a landfill, everyone knows where they came from. I don’t want to be known as the guy that created an environmental catastrophe, right? When all we were trying to do was make computers.
On People, Ideas, and Innovation
At the root of it, you have to erase risk and you have to raise experimentation and incubating new ideas and testing things. You have to be explicit about the desire to go after these new opportunities, with the knowledge that they’re not all going to work. Risk is not a bad thing. One of the things that happens in companies as they get bigger is they become risk averse. Nobody wants to take a risk. Well, turns out, if you want to innovate, you’re going to have risk. So we make heroes of the innovators. We celebrate the patent awardees. We have, I think, 32,000 patents now ... It’s always experiment, test, fail, try again, and then eventually, hopefully you get some success. You want to encourage that.
On Doing Fun, Interesting Work that Matters
I love what I do. It’s fun, it’s interesting, it’s exciting. What we do matters in the world, and if somebody took it away from me and said you can’t do that anymore, I’d be really sad.
Construction
12 ConTech Firms Attracting Robust Investment | Construction Dive
Investment activity in construction technology is accelerating, as more contractors search and deploy digital tools, methods, and solutions. Here are 12 early stage ConTech firms that aim to transform construction by optimizing bidding, design, financing, insurance, staffing, procurement, management, controls, and delivery of safe, innovative, profitable projects.
Books
Play Nice But Win - A CEO's Journey from Founder to Leader | Michael Dell #ad
A riveting account of the three battles waged for Dell Technologies: one to launch it, one to keep it, and one to transform it. Play Nice But Win reveals the vision, savvy, skills, grit, drive, and resilience great leaders and entrepreneurs need to build something that lasts! #ad
BCedX
Career - Time to Move On? | BCedX
How do you know when it’s time to move on to a new role or different company?
That’s one of the most important questions leaders I coach ask.
Here are ten signs it may be time!
Although recognizing it’s time to go is a big step toward new experiences, make sure odds are good that you are moving toward a better place!
The grass is rarely greener on the other side of the fence ; )