When I awoke from a coma with little mobility in my body and difficulty speaking, I had no experience running an international technology company. Without the brain plasticity that my learning had created, I would likely still be bedridden and possibly vegetative. New experiences and learning have meant everything to me, and maybe even saved my life.
In my new role, I’ve had to improve my skills in a lot of areas to serve my mission to help others, at scale. I’ve had to improve my visual communication skills so that I can effectively pitch my ideas to potential investors and partners. I’ve also had to learn marketing skills to build awareness and interest in Zeer. And I’ve had to improve my financial skills to manage our resources effectively and make sound decisions about where to invest. If you want to be successful as an entrepreneur, you need to continuously improve your skills and always be learning. Data shows that entrepreneurs who are continually curious and willing to learn new things are the most successful.
Luckily for me, I was a professional actor before I was a technology entrepreneur. My career meant learning new things day after day. In one production I learn how to speak Arabic, a few months later, I am a Senator’s political operative, a month later, I am an illegal Italian immigrant in the 1950s living in Brooklyn. One of the great blessings of my life has been my fascination with, and ability to, learn new things and become new people.
Working my way from a coma to a competent CEO was no easy task. Every day, for the last six years, I have worked to get a little better. It was a proverbial hockey stick, no doubt, for the first 4 years. For the last two, I still work to get better at my job, to serve my mission, and make the world a little safer.
-Adam David Jones, CEO Zeer, www.zeersafe.com
