Leadership stories from 35,000 Feet -- Celebrating Entrepreneurs.

Leadership stories from 35,000 was started this year to celebrate the things I have learned while spending WAY too much time in the air. AA used to send me my "year in review" and I would learn that I spent literally days (even weeks) IN THE AIR some years. It was sobering to read, and of course you then add the reality of time away, wear and tear on your mind and body -- and you have to question -- "was it worth it?"

I say yes. Barely perhaps, but sure it was. I have talked about it -- my sacrifice was born out of my reluctance to re-locate (was asked MANY times) my family, and my work became "out there", so to pay the bills and pre-Covid -- this was my life. Upside? I met great people, experienced wonderful places to live -- even if it was out of a hotel -- and I had the opportunity to work for great companies.

Small and large, public and private, they all had their stories. And everyone one of them, at some point was the story of an Entrepeneur! I was lucky enough to meet some of them, but not all -- but from the ones I met I learned a few things that entrepreneurs teach us -- that we can apply and use regardless of our position in the business chain.

So, three lessons I learned from those visionaries -- and how we can apply those lessons to our lives:

• Take Risk, Manage Risk, Live with Risk. Easy, every one of them, when they started were taking a big risk. That comes with the territory. But what isn't always known is they maintain that risk and manage it and ultimately live with it. I was always amazed how after conquering the first milestone, they kept going. Often doubling down, re-mortgaging the business -- and accepting the risk. Amazing. We talk about building an entrepreneurial spirit, but we really need to embrace what that means!
• Surround yourself with great people. They all start as lone wolves. Maybe they have a partner, and a small team, but there is always an alpha. They build and build, and eventually they recognize that the only path to success for them is hiring great leaders as they scale. Not an easy thigs for a visionary to do, but a necessary thing for sure. All of us need to learn that if THEY can do it -- we NEED to do it!
• Innovation never stops. The best don't rest on the idea that started the company. If they do, it will be a short run. They are visionaries, they had AN idea, but they also know they need OTHER ideas. So they keep innovating, trying new things, don't let failure get in the way...and they create GREAT COMPANIES, instead of just one GREAT PRODUCT. That's the difference that separates the good from the great, they keep going! So, when you do your next quarter planning session, or 2026 goals, you are building on the same principles as those who started the whole thing!

So, that's really what creating an entrepreneurial spirit is all about, continuous risk taking, team building and innovation. It starts with a spark...and never stops.