Preface

Dyslexia sucks. ADHD doesn’t help either. I’ve embarrassed myself more times than I can count, sending emails only I could understand, replying all by accident, or avoiding written words altogether. I stuck to short lines like “see me” or “let’s chat,” and if it was more complicated, I walked over or picked up the phone.

But I love to talk. Tell stories. Explain messy problems through jokes or wild references. That’s always been my strength.

People used to tell me, “You should write a book.” They had no clue how hard that would be for me. For someone with my challenges, it’s not just difficult, it’s almost impossible. Then Sam Altman and OpenAI changed the game. Now here we are.

This book was self-published by a dyslexic who probably should have paid for professional proofreading and editing, but that costs money and I’d rather spend it on something that doesn’t suck the joy out of life. If you get worked up over grammar slip-ups or a comma where there should be a semicolon, this book isn’t for you. You’re the fuddy-duddy nerd on the other side of these stories, too busy hunting for typos to see the point.

This isn’t a roadmap to success. It’s the opposite. It’s a blueprint for how not to become me.

Had someone told me these truths sooner, I would be years ahead of where I am now.

I got lucky. A little talent, some hustle, and a quick jump up the ladder, until I hit the plateau of middle management. Most of what you’ll read here I learned by screwing up, sometimes more than once. You can use it to rocket off my path, not crawl through it like I did.

So, this is my book. Messy, honest, sometimes wildly inappropriate. If it helps you see leadership for what it really is, makes you laugh, or just reminds you that you’re not the only one hauling around a box of baggage, then it did exactly what I hoped