Crazy is a Compliment: Lessons from Linda Rottenberg

In Crazy is a Compliment: the power of zigging when everyone else zags, Linda Rottenberg imparts the lessons she’s learned from her experiences at Endeavor. Linda co-founded Endeavor, a non-profit that encourages entrepreneurship in emerging markets, in the late 1990s.

I would like to share a few of her helpful pointers for overcoming challenges.

1. Resist the temptation to hold yourself back and give yourself permission to undertake the challenge.
2. Don’t look to others to validate your decisions.
3. “The longest distance in any race is the six inches between your ears” – inspired by golfer Bob Jones.
4. Stop planning and start doing.
5. Dream big and execute small.
6. Break up the goal into smaller elements (“eat the elephant in small bites”).
7. Be mindful of social contagion effects.
8. Phone a Frenemy (learn from your peer-rival).