the outcome of your work is determined by timing just as much as other variables. Timing is worthy of our respect and attention.

At any point in time, companies have a unique set of needs and opportunities (and insecurities).

Like meeting a loved one, a great match is as much about timing as it is about capabilities and shared values.

To lead an industry, companies require different leaders (or different leadership styles) at different times.

one of the most important lessons I have learned over the years is waiting for process to unfold. Achieving a vision without breaking the system requires periods of generating buy-in, exhaustive testing, and allowing time to pass for ideas to sink in and folks to get on board.

Pacing is important, and most new ideas should be killed for the sake of focus.

Only the best leaders can maintain healthy incrementalism while imposing the occasional transformational jolt when needed.

The inevitable outcome of any business governed by incrementalism is a limited market size because the local maximum (the closest hill) becomes the limit.

Given the criticality of timing, incrementalism kills too many great ideas by pushing them to fruition too late.

some new ideas are inflections and must be executed in full before they function. The best teams know when to do this and can reorganize to pull it off.

Investing is a discipline focused on the future that can only be determined by the present.

forecasts for the future (a good exercise for everyone) should be grounded with a deep and accurate understanding of present day problems and humanity at the moment.

My criteria for investing at the right time is whether the team is attempting to defy a likely outcome or make it happen in a better way. I invest in the latter.

The best teams I come across are parlaying forces already underway to their favor. They are grounded by the present and are capturing a tail wind.