Networking is a very difficult thing for many. Taking time to join evening groups, grabbing the local lunch or dinner with someone they don’t really know, and making calls to simply keep in touch can be hell for those people. For a long time, it was really difficult for me as well. Eventually, I learned…
Creativity spawns from both insanity and quiet.
I thrive in two types of environments: quiet and insanity. I struggle in the calm middle ground. Both environments cause the same type of behavior in me. I slow down. I think. I act. When things are on cruise control and simply going along I struggle to get traction on the new. It’s hard to…
Trust and Commercial Real Estate
The single biggest roadblock to explosive growth of CRE as an industry is a general lack of trust. It’s amazing to me how often lack of trust is the driving factor in the way corporate real estate groups are setup or the way that CRE projects are implemented. There are two distinct sides to the…
The Blockchain and CRE.
Over the course of 2017, I’ve been doing a lot of research and learning around the Blockchain, Bitcoin, Ethereum and offshoot projects. There are some fascinating things going on in this world if you haven’t been paying attention to it. This post assumes that you have a basic understanding of what the blockchain is. If…
If you had told me 6 years ago, I wouldn’t have believed you.
Today marks the 6th year of posts here at BoxThoughts. 1,147 posts as of the time I’m drafting this. 191 per year. 3.67 per week. Many that I go back and reference myself. While, on the surface, this is a blog about the real estate, I’ve never made it a secret that it’s really for…
Continue riding the horse that brought you or move to something new?
Over my career, I’ve had the privilege of creating some really cool tools. I’ve built a headcount forecasting model that was accurate to within 2% over 4 years. I’ve built financial models that have made complicated numbers seem simple. I’ve designed business intelligence applications for more uses than I can remember. I’ve designed software, created…
Push your boundaries and discover how to continue your self-improvement efforts.
If you aren’t seeking to actively engage in self-improvement, stop reading now. In fact, I have no problem if you hit the unsubscribe button. Self-improvement and self-reflection are cornerstones of success. If you aren’t willing to walk down those roads then you probably aren’t getting much from this blog anyway. Over the past few months,…
Communication. It’s not hard. It’s everything.
Back to one of my favorite topics today, communication. It’s the center of everything. It’s actually even more important than that in real estate. There’s nothing worse than implementing some amazing new office only to learn the business had decided to double their headcount and they won’t fit. Communication. Sadly, one of the main reasons…
Your macro-level thinking changes when your role changes.
Over the past few months, I’ve watched as the posts here have become more philosophical and less tactical. I spend little time talking about technology, UI, UX and day-to-day activities and more time talking about the role of management, decision making, and planning. My role is not anything like what I’ve done over the past…
Why the blockchain won’t save CRE Tech
I’m a fan of altcoins, crypto currency, digital tokens, etc. Bitcoin, ether, litecoin, and their like have a new business model for how they work and what they can do for people and businesses. The blockchain itself has so many possibilities as to be maybe the biggest invention since the iPhone. You can find new…