Leadership — BLOCK & TACKLE

Learning to Trust My Instincts at 13,000 ft

Identifying a medical emergency on a recent ski trip taught me a valuable lesson in trusting my gut

Leadership, StrategyThomas De NapoliFebruary 14, 2020NOLS, HAPE, High Altitude Pulmonary Edema, Flu, Influenza, Coronavirus, Arapahoe Basin, Keystone, Denver, Colorado, WFR, Wilderness First Responder, Wilderness Medicine

The Return of the Prodigal Alum

Advice to students interested in pursuing careers in entertainment and media from grizzled industry veterans.

LeadershipThomas De NapoliOctober 26, 2019CNN, Alexander Marquardt, Viacom, Georgetown University, Boston Consulting Group, BCG, A&E, Hoya, Career Advice

11 Personal Habits Learned on a Wilderness Expedition

Lessons learned from a backcountry executive leadership expedition that are applicable to daily life in the front-country.

LeadershipThomas De NapoliAugust 5, 2019NOLS, Executive Education, Lifelong Learning, Leadership, Leadership Development, Wyoming, Wind River Range, Expedition

Out of Office

I’m taking a week to venture into the wilderness from July 26 - August 2, with no phone or devices, to develop my skills as a leader, teammate and person.

LeadershipThomas De NapoliAugust 4, 2019NOLS, Out of Office, Wyoming, Wind River Range, Hiking, Camping, Executive Education, Leadership, Leadership Development, Paul Petzoldt

Why I Give My Time to Innovators Who Put It All On the Line

How mentoring founders of other companies makes me better at my job and overall

Leadership, StrategyThomas De NapoliJuly 23, 2019Snapchat, Snap Yellow, Startup Accelerator, Quake Capital, Dave Knox, Innovation, Corporate Innovation

From Making Saves to Making Deals

Mike Liut offers an excellent example to anyone who wants to re-skill and make a successful “2nd act” career pivot

LeadershipThomas De NapoliJune 14, 2019St Louis Blues, Stanley Cup, Gloria St Louis Blues Song, Patrick Maroon, Vladimir Tarasenko, Jordan Binnington, NHL

Thank You Niki

Niki Lauda is a reminder of the power of resilience, grit and sweating the details.

LeadershipThomas De NapoliMay 23, 2019Niki Lauda, F1, Formula One, Mercedes, Argentina, BBC World, Ferrari, McClaren, Advertising

Persistence + Determination

A brief thought on the outsized value of persistence and determination

LeadershipThomas De NapoliMay 20, 2019Brooklyn Half Marathon, New York Road Runners, NYRR, PopularBKHalf2019, PopularBKHalf

4 Strategies for Driving Corporate Innovation

Want to learn 4 strategies that corporate innovators and startup founders can use to navigate change?

I interviewed transformation expert and "Predicting the Turn" author, Dave Knox, on the mindset required to lead innovation within large companies and straight-forward frameworks that are being used by leading brands like Coca-Cola, P&G, UnderArmour and Chobani, that we can all adopt to participate in the startup ecosystem.

Remembering a Titan

Remembering an industry giant who championed projects that were small in scale but ambitious in their vision.

How to Lead (Constructively) Amidst Change

3 strategic frameworks that managers can use help navigate their organizations through change, and which can mean the difference between soaring high with power or bailing out as a failure.

Strategy, LeadershipThomas De NapoliApril 23, 2019Ray Dalio, Principles, Strategy, management, Change, Kodak, Stanford, Stanford GSB, Stanford Graduate School of Business, Disruption, Leadership

Unlock the Power of Questions

The willingness to seek out new and useful information is the foundation of personal creativity, organizational innovation and problem solving. Asking the right questions is the most effective way of doing this.

LeadershipThomas De NapoliFebruary 22, 2019Amazon, Harvard Business Review, Leadership, strategy, management, Apple, Bridgewater, Alison Wood Brooks, Leslie John, DNA, Question, Questioning, Leadership Development, Productivity, Gong.io, sales, Creativity

Learn or Get Left Behind

The best way to be valuable in an industry facing constant disruption is to be able to adapt. The best way to become great at this skill is through lifelong learning.

Leadership, StrategyThomas De NapoliFebruary 5, 2019Viacom, Apple, APPL, VIA, Google, GOOG, Facebook, FB, Amazon, AMZN, Netflix, NFLX, Continuing Educatin, Lifelong Learning, Executive Education, Henry Ford, Adaptation

Why Building Friendships Makes Us Better

My friends and I believe in the “value” of friendship and are thoughtfully investing our time in developing them.

LeadershipThomas De NapoliFebruary 2, 2019Friendship, Leadership, Sundance, Film Festival, Utah, Park City, Sundance 2019, Chris Erwin, Chas Lacaillade, Snowbird, Deer Valley, Ski, Snowboard

5 Job Skills I Learned by Becoming a Wilderness Medical MacGyver

NOLS’ Wilderness First Responder course didn’t just teach me how to save lives. It taught me how to take charge in any situation.

LeadershipThomas De NapoliFebruary 2, 2019NOLS, Wilderness Medicine, Wilderness First Responder, WFR, Austin, Texas, Leadership, Delta, Airlines