Silicon Valley is the greatest laboratory for leadership on the planet. In my decade there — at Electronic Arts, Google, and a series of startups — I saw the full spectrum of what happens when brilliant people come together under pressure.
But I also saw what happens when growth becomes the only goal. When OKRs replace values. When "move fast and break things" becomes an excuse for breaking people.
The Purpose Gap
The companies I loved working at — Google in its early years, startups with missionary founders — had something in common: a clear purpose that went beyond profit. Not a mission statement on a wall, but a lived conviction that permeated every decision.
The companies where I struggled? They had strategy without soul. Metrics without meaning. And inevitably, the best people left.
What I Bring to Coaching
When I work with founders and CEOs today, the first question isn't "what are your goals?" It's "what do you stand for?" Because once you answer that — really answer it — everything else becomes clearer. The hiring decisions. The product bets. The hard conversations.
Purpose isn't soft. It's the hardest, most practical thing a leader can define.
Speaker, executive coach and author of Step Back and LEAP.
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