Paul Gould

Strategic Concepts & Mechanics

Signature MoveCalm as a Weapon at the Negotiation Table

Signature MoveCollect Relationships Like Intelligence Assets

Signature MoveGifts That Outlast the Commission Check

Identity & CultureConsensus Hiring, Two Promotes Per Import

Cornerstone MovePackage the Elements, Then Force the Bid

Identity & CultureMailroom Encyclopedia Before Anyone Else Wakes

Competitive AdvantageBe the Outlier in a Multiplayer Contest

Operating PrincipleTreat Every Client as a Corporation

Signature MoveThousand Letters a Year, Zero Left Unanswered

Cornerstone MoveNo Fee Letter, Just Trust—Then Name Your Price

Decision FrameworkNever Promise a Name You Can't Deliver

Cornerstone MoveOrchestrate the Room Before Anyone Sits Down

Signature MoveCars in the Garage Before Dawn

Risk DoctrineNo Written Contracts, No Anniversary to Leave

Relationship LeverageThe Ten-Minute Watch on the Desk

Strategic PatternMirror Their Culture, Not Yours

Cornerstone MoveEquity Stakes for Distribution Leverage

Competitive AdvantageCableLabs Royalty-Free Standards Play

Cornerstone MoveStock Architecture to Lock Control

Competitive AdvantageBlackout as Franchise Leverage

Capital StrategyTax-Sheltered Growing Annuity

Capital StrategyInsurance Company Capital Over Banks

Signature MoveNever Bet the Whole Farm

Strategic PatternWarrants as Industry Coordination Currency

Decision FrameworkEmpathy as Negotiation Architecture

Signature MoveThrow the Keys on the Table

Signature MoveOwn a Small Piece of a Winner You Can't Run

Operating PrincipleDecentralized Cowboys with Centralized Benchmarks

Risk DoctrineWhat If Not as Decision Filter

Strategic PatternScale Economics as Survival Doctrine

Signature MoveAsk One Sharp Question to Crack Open Intel

Signature MoveCash Flow Not Earnings as Currency

Cornerstone MoveBuy the System, Pay With Its Own Cash Flow

Identity & CultureIntrovert's Edge Through Listening

Primary Evidence

"Though we sat on opposite sides of the table, Herb and his associates mentored me throughout. Enrique Senior walked me through the art of valuation, Paul Gould was my deal-point tutor, and Herb himself schooled me on how to keep the process moving. He could herd the most difficult people without cracking his whip or indulging his own ego. And because I had the highest regard for Herb’s probity, I never worried that he would try to put anything over on us."

Source:Who Is Michael Ovitz?

"Most of the boats I have owned over the years—*Liberty, Ragtime, Leslie Ann*, and others—passed for a traveling boardroom of sorts. Peter, Paul Gould, Gordon Crawford, Gerry Lenfest, or some different cadre of investors would set sail on a long trip, from the Bahamas up to Maine, or back down to Florida. You get to know people pretty well on a long boat ride. There was freedom to explore new ideas about the future of programming, potential combinations, or threats on the horizon."

Source:Born to Be Wired

Appears In Volumes

Who Is Michael Ovitz?Born to Be Wired