Boston tech influencers have at least one thing in common: a commitment to creating successful outcomes for our community through the businesses they build and the talented people they employ and mentor. They are passionate about our city and are actively contributing to cultivating and expanding our ecosystem while constantly seeking ways to improve it.
The work they are doing every day is both fascinating and noteworthy, so I asked a few of them to spend an hour with me to discuss success, challenges and their approach to managing their businesses and themselves. We talked about their paths to leadership, pivotal moments of learning, their habits, as well as the awesome things they are building, seeing and seeking. Each was generous with their time and candor. To follow, is one question that I asked of all six of these successful Boston tech leaders.
How do you get into your zen place?
David Cancel, Founder & CEO, Drift
“I do have this morning ritual that I do now that’s helped me a lot. I wake up early (which is something you learn once you have kids), usually like 5 a.m. Then I do twenty minutes of yoga at home, something I’ve done seven days a week for almost 300 days. I found a practice that I like on YouTube and I’ve been following it and just trying to perfect it over time. Then I read -- I’m always reading -- for twenty minutes because I’m trying to do this all before my son and daughter wake up. I write down two things each day in my Five Minute Journal: What I am grateful for and what I want to accomplish. Then, usually someone has woken up, so I will spend time with them. I find it hard to be consistent at night, so I try to be really consistent in the morning with not only those three things I start with, but also with my kids. While all that has happened, I make it a point that in that whole period during the morning to not check e-mail. It’s not until after I’m done with my routine that I will check my phone. Now it’s easy, but in the beginning I was freaking out.”
Kirk Arnold, CEO, Data Intensity
“I’m still looking for my zen place. My kids will tell you that I don’t have one! I’m an early person and do my best work early. I love that first half hour where I just go through my day and prioritize my goals. On a really good day, I think about what’s 90 days out. I love mornings. I think it started when my kids dragged me out of bed and it’s just stayed with me. I think my biggest challenge as I push myself to grow is this: ‘How do I put it away?’ I know that you absolutely have to mentally take time away and the CEO job is 24/7. It’s with you always unless you are amazingly balanced. My ‘meditation’ happens for about forty-five minutes in the office before everyone gets here.”
Diane Hessan, Entrepreneur, Marketer, Investor
“It sounds strange, but because I am not a morning person, I get up super early in the morning -- usually by 5am. Three days a week, I work out with Ryan, my trainer, and other mornings I just grab coffee and get to work before the phone calls and emails start pouring in. Zen is easy when it's quiet. On the way to work I love listening to podcasts. I usually put in my earplugs, put on my sunglasses, and stay in my cocoon while I hear David Axelrod interviewing interesting people. I also manage my stress by playing the piano. When I was a kid, my parents would know that I was decompressing if I was banging on the ivories."
Ellen Rubin, CEO and Co-founder, ClearSky Data
"I swim twice a week. The pool is the one place where I can really think without interruptions because you cannot have a phone there. So, it turns out it's a good place!"
Brian Shin, Founder and CEO, Visible Measures
“I don’t really know if I have a zen place. I do realize I’m not great at relaxing, so for me, it sometimes takes me awhile to get into the mindset. I’ll think, read, watch videos and then all of a sudden, find myself in the zone and just hammer out work. To relax, I need to make sure that all the stuff that needs to get done is getting done and that the team has everything they need to be effective. That helps me relax. I love spending time with my family. It’s rare, but when I can go for a walk with my kids, that’s my happiest time.”
Lou Shipley, CEO, Black Duck Software
“There’s a picture of my daughter and me and it’s at our place in New Hampshire...It’s being up in the lake area and hiking. I also play a lot of hockey. I have a team I run with a bunch of players here -- just to be out and about and having friendly competition. I also like to have fun here at Black Duck. We laugh all the time. We decided to do a Monty Python and the Holy Grail day and we took all the famous lines from the movie and printed them out and posted them all around the office. We had all the food, all the movies playing all afternoon -- it was a blast. Being creative and then having fun with creativity. That’s one of my zen places.”
