Sean Johnson 🔥
@intentionally
CEO of @hiremadison. Kellogg professor. Company builder. Investor w/ multiple exits. Occasional coach. Amateur chef. Founding Partner at Manifold.
How to grow ANY boutique professional services firm: This is the framework we use at Madison to help our clients grow. It's gone through several iterations, and I'm sure will continue to evolve over time: ✅ Get VERY clear on your Point of View. Who you serve, what you believe…
Not a popular opinion. But years ago someone told me whenever you see someone have a public (and humiliating) fall from grace, look inward. Remind yourself you’re deeply flawed and broken too. Perhaps in different ways. But flawed just the same.
Direct correlations with my happiness: - Being active - Being outside - Seeing friends - Hanging w my kids - Date nights - Reading - Sleep - Cooking Inverse correlations: - Being online - Thinking about the future - Politics - Drinking
“Give a man everything he desires and yet at this very moment he will feel that everything is not everything.” ~ Kant
Reconciling ambition and peace is so hard. Things are growing (revenue has tripled since January, have a small team I love). And relative to my prior life I have very low anxiety or stress. It’s honestly delightful. And yet… am I playing too safe? Must ambition feel hard?
Wealth certainly doesn't make you a virtuous person. But neither does the lack of wealth. There are exceptions. But generally, it seems to simply amplify what you already are.
Folks who talk about how AI isn’t coming for blue collar work haven’t been paying attention. It will take longer to build the number of them required. But the robots are for sure coming over the next decade or two.
I’m not sure people realize that a material part of what you pay consultants for is underwriting risk and/or having someone to fire. If you’re internal, and you execute a strategy because ChatGPT said to, and it fails, it’s probably still on you.
My good friend named the thing that has eaten at me for several years: “We have lost our capacity for nuance.” We insist issues are black or white. Artificially flatten complex topics. Turn complicated people into caricatures. And wonder why discourse is impossible.
I know it’s just their policy. Still, it’s always flattering to get carded.
Lived in NYC for 2 years - 23-25. I had 4 roommates. My wife shared a 1bd converted with lofted beds. We'd go out 4 nights in a row until our money ran out. then Ramen and Netflix until the next pay day. We saved zero dollars. It was completely unsustainable. It was glorious.
Prediction: the next cocktail to suddenly become popular again will be the classic daiquiri.
A friend reached out last week asking me about how to start a venture studio. I did a very poor approximation of one several years back in my previous life. My reflections: Nearly all the issues I encountered (and it seems like others encounter) boil down to incentive design:…
A friend doesn’t listen to podcasts at 1.5x. Used to. Consumed more. But did less. At first they thought it was because retention of material was lower. But realized it was a motivation thing. People at 1.5x sound smarter. Which makes them feel dumber. Which makes them feel…
Not enough people talk about how hard it is to start over. Especially when you’re older. You have assets. A reputation of some kind. A set of skills. An identity largely informed by your work. Making the climb, eating glass, going 0 to 1 again. Not impossible. But hard.
Constantly surprised at how many folks can: - Agree with someone about dozens of important things… - Disagree about a couple important things… - And as a result not be able to be friends.
Listening to someone you disagree with doesn’t mean you are agreeing with them. It shows them respect. People who don’t feel respected shut down. People who feel heard and respected are more likely to listen themselves. Might not work. But disrespect for sure won’t.