1. What have you found most challenging as a leader?

Group Think!! Organizations often assume the opinion of the leaders without thinking for themselves. An organization with thousands of independent thinkers is more powerful than an organization with only a few thinkers. The leaders are often wrong.

2. How did you become a leader? Can you please briefly tell the story?

Be a critical thinker. Read between the lines.
Notice that nothing makes sense in markets and economics today. So I made Money Game to show the average person why that matters.
1) As debt increases, interest rates decline?
2) Governments can print money without causing inflation?
3) Massive budget deficits do not “crowd-out” private spending?
4) Management teams that efficiently allocate capital under perform profitless “disrupters”?
5) Revenue growth matters more than profitability?
6) Capitalism benefits the top 1% over the other 99%.
7) China can finance the building of 100 "ghost cities" the size of San Francisco.
8) The unprecedented demand for commodities from China sends commodity prices to 100 year lows vs. financial assets?
9) US equities trounce international equities, led by strength from the consumer?
10) Negative yielding bonds are a “Safe Haven,” precious metals have little value?
11) Markets are efficient, and there is no place for active investment management?

3. How do you structure your work days from waking up to going to sleep?

I work indepently. I take on work that inspires me. I help entrepreneurs raise capital to build their businesses.

4. What's a recent leadership lesson you've learned for the first time or been reminded of?

Great leaders need to listen. Many minds are better than one. It's important to empower those around you. Ego is disruptive to an organization.

5. What's one book that has had a profound impact on your leadership so far? Can you please briefly tell the story of how that book impacted your leadership?

I taught a course to undergrads in Organizational Behavior during my MBA at University of Illinois. It was years ago so I do not have any 1 book. But the concepts stuck.

6. If you could only give one piece of advice to a young leader, what would you say to them?

Have confidence. Sometimes the world around you is broken. Trust yourself and your skill set. 2+2 still = 4, No matters what the world around you is saying.

7. What is one meaningful story that comes to mind from your time as a leader, so far?

The professor in Money Game will be telling you that 2+2=4, but in our logline we referred to him as an "unorthodox" professor, Why?
Because in a broken world, a professor telling you 2+2=4 is "unorthodox".
Think about Columbus when he said the world was flat. During his time, was he considered "orthodox"?? Of course not, But he was right!!