I recently hosted an event to share what I've learned through my experience working from home for the past 15 years with some of our MergeLane portfolio companies and some of the members of our fund 81 VC forum. I shared that if I'm honest with myself, I value productivity and efficiency above all else. It's no surprise that I focused the agenda on my tips for becoming more productive and efficient while working from home.
During the call, two of our MergeLane portfolio company CEOs shared that they actually have the opposite problem. Without that physical barrier between work and home, they have a really hard time shutting off. When I listened to the recording of the event, I realized that I failed to really hear what they were saying because I was so focused on my pre-determined agenda. This is a pattern I now recognize thanks to studying Conscious Leadership which my colleagues Sue Heilbronner and Leah Pearlman turned me onto (you can learn more about that at Leadership.Camp).
I'm posting this follow-up podcast episode: Turning It Off | Managing Anxiety and Workaholism While Working from Home to apologize to Bo and Allie, and to share some answers to the questions I glossed over.
I allowed myself to include all of my “ridiculous” wants and aspirations on my list of 2023 goals, one of which was “finding a coach and co-collaborator who would agree to hold meetings from the chairlift.” Believe it or not, I was actually able to manifest that.
Read more ➞It is amazing what you can achieve if you get out of your own way.
Read more ➞I have learned the important lesson that being mediocre at anything is not a “safe” path to success. I now realize that the “safe” path for others may not be the best route for me.
Read more ➞In investing, and in life in general, an ability to foresee potential pitfalls has served me well. However, being able to see what can go wrong can prevent me from seizing an opportunity. I sometimes forget that most of my successes have been the result of seemingly impossible feats.
Read more ➞