209. Larry O'Brien on Values and Decision Making, Failure and Success, Changing the World

The Winning Momentum Podcast with Scott Sinclair

In this Episode I have a wide-ranging discussion with Larry O'Brien, leader of DGOV3, founder and past CEO of Calian Group (CGY:TSX), former Mayor of Ottawa, best-selling author, a celebrated citizen and entrepreneur and Blockchain Advocate.
Larry discusses business start ups, managing a public company, how his 4 values have guided his success in business and life, politics and his new passion, using new blockchain technologies to improve democracy.
• I started a company and made every single mistake possible. In six short months, I destroyed the company completely and spent the next two years trying to figure out why someone as smart as I thought I was could screw up so badly. I realized that I was the problem.
• I realized I didn't have a solid value system to make decisions, because success is not one decision. It's hundreds and hundreds of decisions made repetitively.
• You need to have a strong moral compass to be successful. As a CEO, you’re the one who's ultimately making decisions. So, I had these four value tests that I applied to every decision that I made.
• You have to have a certain gentle narcissism in your soul if you're going to be an entrepreneur, if you're going to be a CEO, because it has to be about “me”. You know, you have to take it personally.
• You get a lot luckier if you're where the energy is.
• We started looking at ways of applying blockchain technology and new technologies to make the world better. How can we solve some of the world's bigger problems? How can we apply technology to make democracy better for everyone?
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