Ten things I learned from Scott Cook

I worked for Scott Cook for almost four years at Intuit. He became one of my most important mentors.

Here are ten things I learned from Scott:

1. Hiring is the most important job you will do.
2. Pick up the phone and talk to customers.
3. Meet customers at their office to fully learn their problems.
4. Ask lots of questions of your team, even the "dumb" questions.
5. Do not spend marketing money until the product grows on its own.
6. Treat business owners as consumers - software must be that simple.
7. It is easy to make complicated things, but near impossible to make simple things.
8. End meetings with more energy than the meeting started with.
9. Always look for coachable moments.
10. Generosity and kindness are long-remembered.