Everything is a case study.
Because most people are more emotional than logical, they tend to overreact to short-term results; they give up and sell low when times are bad and buy too high when times are good.
Be radically open-minded and radically transparent.
Remember that a good plan should resemble a movie script.
When making rules, explain the principles behind them.
Be Radically Open-Minded.
The most painful lesson that was repeatedly hammered home is that you can never be sure of anything: There are always risks out there that can hurt you badly, even in the seemingly safest bets, so it’s always best to assume you’re missing something. This lesson changed my approach to decision making in ways that will reverberate throughout this book – and to which I attribute much of my success. But I would make many other mistakes before I fully changed my behavior.
Everything important in your life needs to be on a trajectory to be above the bar and headed toward excellent at an appropriate pace.
The key is having the higher-level perspective to make fast and accurate judgments on what the real risks are without getting bogged down in details.
Distinguish between idle complaints and complaints meant to lead to improvement.
Don’t let fears of what others think of you stand in your way.
One of the most important decisions you can make is who you ask questions of. Make.
An excellent skier is probably going to be a better ski coach than a novice skier. Believability applies to management too. The better your track record, the more value you can add as a coach.
Don’t mistake opinions for facts.
Fast talking can be especially effective when it’s used against people worried about appearing stupid. Don’t be one of those people. Recognize that it’s your responsibility to make sense of things and don’t move on until you do. If you’re feeling pressured, say something like “Sorry for being stupid, but I’m going to need to slow you down so I can make sense of what you’re saying.” Then ask your questions. All of them.
New is overvalued relative to great. For example, when choosing which movie to watch or what book to read, are you drawn to proven classics or the newest big thing? In my opinion, it is smarter to choose the great over the new.
Create a Culture in Which It Is Okay to Make Mistakes and Unacceptable Not to Learn from Them.
Understanding, accepting, and working with reality is both practical and beautiful. I have become so much of a hyperrealist that I’ve.
Inexperienced people can have great ideas too, sometimes far better ones than more experienced people.
Look to nature to learn how reality works.