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The Humility Imperative: Effective Leadership in an Era of Arrogance by [Dave Balter]

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Dave Balter

The Humility Imperative: Effective Leadership in an Era of Arrogance Kindle Edition

by Dave Balter (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

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The Humility Imperative begs the question: can one be confident and have humility at the same time?

In order to explore that, this book emphasizes the very personal nature of leadership. It delivers authentic, raw evidence that building anything requires constant attentiveness to interpersonal dynamics.

The Humility Imperative follows entrepreneur and investor Dave Balter's journey from the sale of his fourth startup, BzzAgent, through the launch of three additional startups--Smarterer, Mylestone, and Flipside Crypto--as well as his time as both a corporate executive and as a partner in a venture capital fund.

The experiences highlight the fact that while humility may be intended in one's heart, it only becomes genuine if it is reflected through the thoughts of others.

The lessons are a reminder that every interaction--both professional and personal--is the lens by which your own intentions become clear. Humility is an imperative. And it lives in the eye of the beholder.

Print length

236 pages
Language

English
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Publication date

June 30, 2020
File size

9558 KB
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Editorial Reviews

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"Raw, sometimes useful, always interesting, Dave Balter has delivered a personal account of what it means to be a tech entrepreneur. Books like this are rare indeed, and you won't soon forget it."
--Seth Godin, author

"The Humility Imperative is chock full of lessons about entrepreneurial leadership: the sleepless nights, the complex relationships, and the incredible importance of not being suckered into thinking you are the greatest thing since Steve Jobs. And it reflects the Balter I've known for decades: witty, direct, insightful, and often just plain off his rocker."
--Diane Hessan, founder and chairman, C Space

"If you read only one darkly entertaining and oddly insightful book about startups, leadership, and love, it should be this one. Also, you should read more books."
--Dharmesh Shah, co-founder and CTO, HubSpot

"Entrepreneurs live in a world of paradoxes. You have to believe you will succeed while knowing that most ventures fail. You have to sacrifice your emotional energy and time to the neverending needs of the business while knowing that you are drawing on reserves from your closest relationships. Balter distills the complexities, pitfalls, and joys of entrepreneurship in this honest, engaging, and wise book--and surgically narrows in on the contradiction of humble leadership in a world that expects unwavering confidence."
--Shikhar Ghosh, professor of management practice, Harvard Business School, and co-chair, HBS Rock Center for Entrepreneurship.

About the Author

DAVE BALTER is CEO of Flipside Crypto, which provides business intelligence to crypto organizations. Previously, Dave was co-founder and CEO of Smarterer, a skills assessment company acquired by Pluralsight (NASDAQ: PS) in 2014. Post-acquisition, Dave was head of transactions at Pluralsight, while also serving as a board observer. In 2001, Dave founded and was CEO of BzzAgent, a social media marketing company, which was acquired by dunnhumby, a division of Tesco, in 2011. From 2011 to 2014, Dave sat on the Global Executive Team at dunnhumby, where he led all M&A activity and founded and led their investment arm, dunnhumby Ventures. Dave is venture partner emeritus at Boston Seed Capital; personally, he is an investor or advisor to more than fifty technology organizations.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B089VK6Q3V
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Houndstooth Press (June 30, 2020)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ June 30, 2020
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 9558 KB
Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 236 pages

Best Sellers Rank: #1,346,057 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #38 in Social Theory
- #198 in Small Business Bookkeeping (Kindle Store)
- #288 in Financial Risk Management (Kindle Store)

Customer Reviews:
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Dave Balter

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DAVE BALTER is CEO of Flipside Crypto, which provides business intelligence to crypto organizations. Previously, Dave was co-founder and CEO of Smarterer, a skills assessment company acquired by Pluralsight (NASDAQ: PS) in 2014. Post-acquisition, Dave was head of transactions at Pluralsight, while also serving as a board observer. In 2001, Dave founded and was CEO of BzzAgent, a social media marketing company, which was acquired by dunnhumby, a division of Tesco, in 2011. From 2011 to 2014, Dave sat on the Global Executive Team at dunnhumby, where he led all M&A activity and founded and led their investment arm, dunnhumby Ventures. Dave is venture partner emeritus at Boston Seed Capital; personally, he is an investor or advisor to more than fifty technology organizations.

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5

47 global ratings

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Michael Troiano

A more human take on leadership.

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on June 30, 2020

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Dave Balter is something of a phenomenon in Boston startup circles, and even as a diligent follower I’d only read about 30% of this material before. Seeing it fresh, together, and in the context of a lot of new work and insights, I’m struck by not only the wisdom but the intimate honesty of it all. This is not a business book of dry facts and boardroom anecdotes. It's the best look I’ve seen at what it’s *really* like to try and build a business, in the real world of egos and insecurities, failing marriages and growing children, celebrated triumphs and inevitable regrets. It’s not the stuff you learn in business school, but what you learn the hard way... through the heart and not just the head, too often after the fact and almost never in a straight line.

It takes courage to share stories this personal, to face the truth of your own situation, to demonstrate strength through vulnerability. This book calls on that kind of courage as a requirement of leadership in the present moment and beyond, and it does so with candor, charm, and the convincing power of its own example.

10 people found this helpful

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StCags

A CEO’s thinking in real time

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on June 30, 2020

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A highly engaging read by a serial entrepreneur who is unafraid to lay it all out there. In most cases, books by successful CEOs are written after the fact, and, inevitably, the books reflect a feeling where the outcome is basically preset. The Humility Imperative is a series of short stories/articles written over the past 10+ years, so we get to see Dave’s thinking and concerns as everything is playing out. Regardless of the title, it becomes clear that the key to successfully building companies is not simply being humble or bold, but how the process is a complex set of interactions that requires a balance between the two (which he admittedly misses at times). Dave s a lively storyteller and the structure itself makes for a fast read. If you are a CEO (or you have to live/work with one), I would highly recommend this book.

One person found this helpful

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KBB Boston, MA

An Intimate Look Inside the World of An Entrepreneur - the Good, the Bad, the Ugly, the Real

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on July 18, 2020

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Reading Dave Balter is like having a beer with your best buddy who happens to be a serial entrepreneur with the storytelling chops of Dave Chappelle. It’s a lesson - a lot of pointed and choice lessons, actually, about life as a founder - that plays like you are at a totally lit show. Balter’s writing is so immediate that if he tells you about how he was so close to the stage he got splashed with sweat, your cheek is tingling. If you want to experience the long, strange trip of startup life intimately and firsthand, this is your ticket to the parade.

10 people found this helpful

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Duncan Walker

A surprising page turner!

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on June 30, 2020

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I don't know why I enjoyed this book so much!

I read 100 pages the first night I picked it up... Maybe it's the dry humour. Maybe it's the voyeuristic view into the life of a startup legend. Maybe it's the unashamed lack of solution to the natural, internal tension I feel everytime I'm trying to balance affirmativeness with humility in my own career. This book is almost therapeutic in those ways, but still packs the witty Balter punches that leave a lasting impression in the minds of anyone lucky enough to hear Dave speak. A great read!

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on July 1, 2020

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I know Dave peripherally and from a long time ago, from the Bzzagent days. His collection of essays truly demonstrates what becoming a master looks like - a true leader, entrepreneur and startup guru. I’m in awe of the stories and a little bit jealous at his journey.

The sponge and the stone in particular jumped out at me. Tons great advice here not only for startup founders, but for wanna bees like me as well. Can’t wait to see what he does next.

2 people found this helpful

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Raphi Savitz

Awesome book on the realities of leadership

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on July 11, 2020

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This book is a collection of pearls from a serial founder who has seen incredible success but remains humble. I had the pleasure of being Dave's "analyst" in multiple businesses and truly appreciated his ability to both be a visionary as well as a servant leader who enables his team. Any startup CEO can learn a lot from Dave.

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Howard

Expertise and entertainment

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on June 30, 2020

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I don't get all the way through many books but this one was both interesting and entertaining until the end. Seems like the author knows his stuff so I am happy to recommend the book. Enjoy.

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Jim

If you're not into startup leadership culture, don't bother

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on December 7, 2020

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I think I bought this based on glowing reviews from a friend or co-worker, but I don't "get it". It's a series of previously published articles from the author, and I didn't find there to be a cohesive narrative. While there is a bit about humility, it's certainly not the central subject.

There are some interesting insights into the world of startups, but I didn't find anything surprising. There is a little bit of the author's personal life mixed in to try to give a more human connection, but it didn't work for me.

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