Wisdom Unpeeled: Chief of SurveyMonkey shares in Sydney

Wisely Shared: Dave Goldberg CEO SurveyMonkey

With SurveyMonkey looking to set up base in Australia,  there is a trend whereby American tech companies are taking a fresh look at the Australian market.

Dave Goldberg (husband of Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg) talked about SurveyMonkey's expansion plans, entrepreneurialism and his 'why'.  This gave me a clear re-frame of my own 'why' for which I am grateful to have attended this talk.

Highlight Notes:

Have a great team
Choose who you work with carefully.   An average product with a great team will have a chance to turnaround. The best product,  with an average team will struggle to get off the ground.  This reminds me of quote by Jim Rohn which says that we are the average of the five people we spend the most time with.

Challenge people to think about things differently 

Don't waste time telling people what they already know. Think beyond common ways of thinking.

Know why you do what you do

Dave shared with us some of his 'why'

1. Work with people you like (I am hearing this a lot lately where people are making the choice not to work with 'jerks'  and also seeing the converse; the emotional damage of working with people they don't like / respect)
2. Learn something new each day
3. Be part of something that makes a big impact

This made me think about my own 'why' and it was a similar three (why re-invent something which resonates)

1. Work with people I like (it makes work more fun)
2. Learn (avoid my chronic fear of being bored)
3. Maximise possibility

 Wisely Shared: "To be a good leader, you need to have conviction in your mission, then people will follow you".

Location:  Hub Sydney

Be willing to start over

Danielle LaPorte shares her laughter and wisdom

On a Wednesday morning,  the clues to go see Danielle LaPorte were everywhere on social media.  There were whispers of excitement about her visit,  gatherings being moved to accommodate, messages of shock from those who did not know she was coming and had not managed to get a ticket.  I had no idea who Danielle was, but I knew by the ripples that this was going to be good.

The auditorium of the Art Gallery of NSW was buzzing, mostly with women, as the evening started with music which resonating through us.  Then we were taken on a guided meditation, which had me tingling on the inside like a bottle of the finest French champagne.  Finally Danielle was introduced and spoke.  She wasn’t preaching,  she was sharing her soulful experience of the world wrapped in a warm hearted laugh.  Her words were easy to listen to and absorb.

Highlight Notes

• Think of big personal change as what a caterpillar goes through to become a butterfly.  In the process, whilst in the cocoon,  the caterpillar completely loses itself and becomes soup,  it can’t even define its spine. Slowly it starts to re-form to become a butterfly.  Are you willing not to recognise who you are when you get through the change?  (ie: it is ok to feel lost along the way if you are going through a big change)

• In starting again, there is the terror of joy,  you can’t go back to the original you.

• Focus on how you want to feel,  and then align what you do with that. Ask yourself:  What will I do to feel this way?

• Spend time in your personal and business life with people you like and resonate with, people you would want to have at a dinner party.

Wisely Shared:  “Follow your intuition.... although know that it doesn’t always work [lets out big laugh].”

@daniellelaporte

Location: Art Gallery of NSW