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Communications & Leadership - Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

January 15, 2012
(Just above this post is a PDF of the Letter from the Birmingham Jail by Dr. Martin Luther King.)

While attending Harvard Business School, I saw many examples of courageous leadership.   Entrepreneurs need courage.  Politicians need courage.  What is interesting to me is that leadership is fundamentally defined by having the courage to express your views - despite opposition, despite fear, despite overwhelming odds.   It is courage that defines leadership. 

One of the best illustrations of expressing courage is Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Letter from a Birmingham Jail.   It is very difficult to appreciate the context for his arrest, the violence and unrest that surrounded him - yet his letter captures so many complex emotions, speaks about enduring values and illustrates the courage that is needed by anyone who assumes the mantel of real leadership.  

Do yourself a favor and take the time to read Letter from Birmingham Jail - which he wrote in 1963.   Take from it what you will, but I think it should inspire each of us to find courage to give voice to the values we know to be true.
 

Posted by John Fees. Posted In : Leadership 

 

Life, Careers and Entrepreneurship

November 5, 2011
Recently I was asked to give a presentation to a class at Arizona State University.   As a result, it gave me an opportunity to think about the fundamentals to building a life, career and entrepreneurship.   There is nothing ground breaking here, but my aim was to share a framework for thinking about modern life and careers and to illustrate this framework from my own experiences. 

There are many topics that surround this framework - the importance of family, of mentors, of networks.  I will ...
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Posted by Admin Admin. Posted In : Careers 

 

True Grit

November 1, 2011
There are several excellent articles and videos on the importance of Grit to high achieving people.   This relates as much to new ventures, entrepreneurship as it does parents.

The bottom line is that Grit helps us understand why talent alone does not always achieve the most.   Talent is of course diverse, but the ability to persevere, to be industrious, to be diligent and to do so day after day, year after year - is what helps to define Grit.

This video is worth watching as is the story from...
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Posted by Admin Admin. Posted In : Careers 

 

Steve Wynn's Interview and Anger Are Appropriate Even More Today than in 2010

July 31, 2011
The entire budget fiasco and inability for the US Government to deal with the budget debt and required compromises is another illustration of what an empire in decline may look like.

At the end of this video - Steve Wynn's quote from Alexis de Tocqueville  is perfect.   Another quote from de Tocqueville that fits today's climates - is "A democratic government is the only one in which those who vote for a tax can escape the obligation to pay it."

Watch this video and ask yourself where are the s...
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Posted by Admin Admin. Posted In : Trends & Society 

 

Great Discussion by Mark Suster on Valuation Considerations

June 6, 2011
Sometimes what I try to do with these blog posts are to help compile some of the best thinking that has already been published.    I am a big believer that most new ventures are not a fit for traditional venture capital.  Most new ventures are either not venture ready or not actually a high-potential venture where venture funding makes sense.   That doesn't mean that the venture should not raise capital, only that venture funds may not be the best fit or best use of a Founders time.

This is a ...
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Posted by Admin Admin. Posted In : Venture Capital 

 
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About Me


John Fees John Fees is an entrepreneur, strategic marketing executive and business leader in the fields of affinity, collegiate and partnership marketing. During the course of his career, John has founded and led successful companies specializing in youth marketing and media, affinity and partnership marketing and financial services.