Presentation by Patrick Henry, CEO of QuestFusion, to a group of CEOs and company founders at the EvoNexus startup incubator in San Diego. Key considerations and tools for continuous learning. Being receptive and really LISTENING is essential!

1. Always be Learning…Practical Advice
for Entrepreneurs and CEOs
Patrick Henry
CEO - QuestFusion
Strategic Guidance for Startups

2. Food for Thought
• “Education is what remains after one has
forgotten what one has learned in school.” –
Albert Einstein
• “Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if
you were to live forever.” – Mahatma Gandhi
• “I never learn anything talking. I only learn
things when I ask questions.” – Lou Holtz

3. What Does it Mean to Always Be
Learning?
1. Listen More than You Talk – Use Pregnant
Pauses
2. Be Open and Receptive to New Ideas
3. Listen in an Unbiased and Unprejudiced Way
4. Listen as if You’re Hearing Something for the
First Time
5. Listen Trying to Think “I don’t think I know the
answer”, or even “Maybe my answer is wrong”
6. Actually HEAR Opposing Points of View
7. Listen as if you were the “Target Audience”

4. Important Stakeholders
• Shareholders
• Board Members
• Management Team
• Employees
• Customers
• Suppliers
• Key Partners
OVER COMMUNICATE!!
This means listening even MORE than you’re talking.

5. Some Tips Beyond Listening
• Have a Reading List – this means books
– Business and Professional List: General Business,
Personal Development, Domain Experts in Your Vertical
(include books on tape as compliment)
– Personal and Fun List: Novels, Biographies, Fiction,
History, Anything Fun
• Improve your vocabulary through reading and
study
• Attend conferences, seminars, and webinars
• Read newspapers, magazines, periodicals, blogs
• Use Twitter Lists, and Q&A on Quora
• Listen to Podcasts

6. How We Learn
• Seeing
• Listening
• Writing
• Doing
• Teaching
X2

7. Out of the Box Ideas
• Take a College Course Not in Your Field
• Learn a New Language
• Take a Trip and Study the Culture Beforehand
• Do an “Experiential” Training or Course

8. How The Heck Do I Find Time?
• Strategic Activities will be drowned by Tactic
Activities and Nothingness if you aren’t careful
• Plan working-out, re-creating, eating right,
getting enough sleep
• Plan to for reading and learning
• Be STRATEGIC: Plan time for…
– Thinking ahead, hiring, team building, management
by walking around

9. Summary
• Listen More than You Talk
• Listen in New Ways and Actively Listen
• Over-Communicate with Stakeholders – Listen
Closely to Customers
• Implement the Tips for Learning
• Involve Your Complete Self in the Learning
Process
• Out-of-the-Box Continuing Education