Jason Silver's Blog

I step out of my car and immediately see her.

She doesn’t see me, but I can tell we’re heading for the same place.

I pick up my pace. (Don’t judge me.)

She has to be at least 80 years old. (I know. It’s getting worse. Just stick with me.)

She’s moving slowly, but I’m farther away.

About ten steps from the finish line (a.k.a the front door of our bank), I break into a light jog. It’s going to be a photo-finish.

Yes, I’m locked into a footrace with an elderly woman.
No, I’m not winning.

And yes—this st...

It’s a little after 6:30 in the morning.

My heart is racing and my lungs are screaming—I’m stuck under water.

The wave holding me down finally passes and I scramble to the surface for a long overdue breath, only to find another big wave bearing down on me. It’s too close to do anything other than take a deep breath and hope for the best.

With each new wave that crashes down on me (I lost track at 6), I have less and less stamina (and air) to get through the next.

I’m in the wrong place at the wro...

People will think I’m a joke.

That’s how I felt halfway through testing Q&Jay, a pilot project where I answer people’s career questions in short LinkedIn videos.

Here’s one of the most popular videos to date:

To say I’m not a social media guy would be an understatement. I don’t have Facebook, Instagram, TikTok or any social media accounts other than LinkedIn—which, until recently, I only ever opened to find a name I couldn’t remember.

With no real following, a social media project is a big undert...

Have you ever failed to check your blind spot and paid the price?

Recently, I had to make a decision involving one of the biggest investments in my business to date. I assessed the details, evaluated the options and made a decision that, in retrospect, was blind.

In trying to unpack what went wrong, I was struck by a realization from a book I’m currently reading called Incognito: The Secret Lives of the Brain, by David Eagleman.

The book is a neuroscience deep dive into the inner workings of our b...

Thank you all for your huge support during my book launch.

One of the many tactics I focused on to launch Your Grass is Greener was LinkedIn.

I’ve never been big on social media, so I worked hard to engage in a way that I felt would be helpful to others, not just add more noise.

At first I really liked the challenge of trying to figure it all out. But over time I started to dread LinkedIn.

I burned out of linking in.

So, right after the book launched, I decided to cut the tactic altogether.

And that...

The best advertising campaign in history was actually the worst.

But before we dive into that, I have a quick campaign of my own…

Today my book, Your Grass is Greener, went on sale.

Instead of me attempting the world’s best ad, here’s what others are saying about it:

“Practical, no-nonsense advice for anyone looking to up their game at work”
- Laura Gassner Otting, Bestselling author of Limitless -

“An operating manual for a better way to work, no matter what work you do”
- Sam Sebastian, VP @ Googl...

My publisher: We’re dropping your book.

Me: S#!T

That never happened (thankfully), but the rest of this story did…

My publishing team and I were in the final stages of finishing my book for its Sep 2 launch. Editing, laying out, re-laying out after re-editing and so on.

The process is inherently painful, but I felt like we were making the job tougher than it needed to be.

I had feedback to share, but I held back.

I pride myself on having hard conversations. I coach others on how to share challengi...

I’m on a beautiful pier overlooking the most crystal clear water you’ll ever see.

This particular pier is in Lovište, Croatia. A remote seaside town where my wife’s family spent their summers every year.

We took three planes, one train and a long drive to get here.

The sun is finally setting on a busy day and the kids are quiet for the first time in hours. Thank you ice cream!

I sit down to enjoy the moment and that’s when it all went wrong.

I feel tired.

Not the usual end of day fat...

How long does your company take to make decisions?

It’s common knowledge that decisions slow down as more people get involved. Everyone has experienced the frustrations of endless meetings without a decision or waiting around for someone to decide so you can move forward.

I was recently asked to speak about decision-making at a company’s leadership offsite and I wanted to show how groups, even large ones, can make better, faster decisions.

We set an ambitious goal: get more than seventy managers ...

“You’re too old to learn to surf well” — that’s what my surfing friends with decades of experience tell me.

Luckily for me, I’m also too stubborn to listen.

I’ve been learning to surf for about three years now and despite my (apparently far too advanced) age, I have been improving.

Feeling confident, I recently switched to a more advanced board and immediately struggled. For weeks I couldn’t catch a single wave.

I pushed myself to paddle harder and harder trying to make progress.

That’s when I no...