Steven
Key takeaways:
- I didn't have many ‘takeaways' from this book, but enjoyed the way human history was nicely summarized, touching on some of the more important moments.
- My favorite part was the discussion of the future. I thoroughly enjoy technology, and the thought of being a cyborg one day was highly engaging for me.
I enjoy Friends and re-watch it every few years. Chandler was always the character I connected with the most. Seeing what Matthew Perry was suffering through while I had so much fun watching Chandler on the screen left me with a bizarre combination of emotions.
Thank you, Matthew Perry, for writing this book and giving me a new understanding of addictions.
Key takeaways:
- The main takeaway: Take care of your people (and treat them like people), then they will take care of your business.
- A team can only effectively face external threats when there are no internal threats. It's up to the leaders to eliminate those. You need a circle of safety.
- Leaders of great organizations don't look at people as commodities to grow the money, but they see money as a commodity to help grow their people.
- The story of the gazelle looking up when they think they spot danger, then that spreading to the rest of the herd was potent. It could be a positive, but, as outlined in this story, works the other way as well. If one of the teams senses ‘danger', everyone will feel it and become sensitive to it.
- We can change the chemical stimulation our team receives. Endorphins help hide pain; dopamine makes you feel good about accomplishing a goal; serotonin makes you feel grateful for the people who support you; oxytocin is responsible for love and released when bonding. You can use these to build a strong team with a circle of safety. Cortisol is released when stressed, which inhibits the other chemicals, and makes us more selfish.
- Abstraction Kills. If you make decisions after looking at numbers on a spreadsheet, you will be missing the human effect. Before deciding on layoffs, pay cuts, etc., put yourself in the shoes of one of the employees or customers who will be impacted by your decision.
Key takeaways:
- It was fun to re-experience the world through the eyes of a child. That aspect felt very nostalgic.
- I like Atticus. While at first he didn't appear to be much, his integrity and character shone through at the end of the day. It was a good reminder of what counts in a person, even if they don't seem all that special at first.
- Just because you disagree with a person, or just because a person does something you disagree with, it doesn't mean you need to treat them any different. Atticus does a great job separating the person from the beliefs/actions (Mrs. Dubose, Ewells, etc.)
Key takeaways:
- The way Robert presents his ideas, he seems like the kind of person you would only do business with once, after that you would want to stay far away.
- He talks often about crushing or dominating people on your team or enemies. From my experience, I think a collaborative approach is much better. I would rather earn my place by working harder and being more creative than by outwitting or outmaneuvering everyone around me.
- I think there are probably a few select times in a persons career or business where these principals are practical and effective, but living these principals on a daily basis is unlikely to lead to a happy life.
- “Over confidence, particularly as a result of success, will make you go to far.”
- “War demands the utmost in realism, seeing things as they are.”
- “The last war you fought is a danger, even if you won it. If you are victorious, you will tend to repeat the strategies you just used, for success makes us lazy and complacent. If you lost, you may be skittish and indecisive.”
- “We tend to over estimate others' abilities, after all, they are trying hard to make it look like they know what they are doing, and we tend to underestimate our own. You must compensate for this by trusting yourself more, and others less.”
- “Reading and thinking about [new ideas] won't work. You must put them into effect.”
- I loved the section where it talked about General George Marshall training leaders under him. He spent a lot of time transferring his ideas and thoughts to people who could become ‘replicas' of himself.
- “The essence of strategy is not to carry out a brilliant plan that proceeds in steps. It is to put yourself in situations where you have more options than your enemy does...True strategy is being able to do strategy A, B, or C, depending on the circumstances.”
- “If you want to make people with low self esteem feel better about themselves, praise has a superficial effect. Instead prod them into accomplishing something tangible, giving them a real experience. That will translate into a much deeper feeling of confidence.”
Key takeaways:
- First impressions matter, a lot!
- I really liked the chapter on Nassim Taleb's investment strategy. (Black Swan, by Nassim Taleb)
- Typical interviewing questions don't work well. People prepare their answers, based on what they think you want. “When you have an interview with someone and have an hour with them, you don't conceptualize that as taking a sample of a person's behavior, let alone a possibly biased sample, which is what it is. What you think is that you are seeing a hologram, a small and fuzzy image but still the whole person.” Give them a hypothetical: “At your weekly team meetings, your boss unexpectedly begins aggressively critiquing your performance on a current project. What do you do?” or, “You're
in a situation where you have two very important responsibilities that both have a deadline that is impossible to meet. You cannot accomplish both. How do you handle that situation?” These will tell you much more about a person.
- “If everyone needs to think outside the box, maybe it is the box that needs fixing.”
- It takes more than a smart group of people, you need a smart organization.
Key takeaways:
- Obama, despite being among the most important people in the world, still took time to look after the people around him, reaching out with notes of encouragement or sympathy, following up and celebrating their victories. Good leadership requires this.
- Changing your views does not mean you have flip flopped. It happens when you learn and grow. Samantha started her career heavily critical of US foreign policy. As she learned more about the intricate details involved in the decisions, she could better appreciate why the answers that felt so clear when she was younger were not necessarily the right answers. Those in power were not weak or unconcerned, but they had other things to consider. This is not an excuse to do nothing or to maintain status quo, however. We, as a society, need both ‘idealists' and those who will balance all considerations. Listen to both. Somewhere in that tension, the ‘best' answer resides.
- One person can make a difference.
- It is easy to feel defeated when up against the big problem. Focus on the problem you can solve.
Key takeaways:
- In isolation, on paper, a lot of the ideas presented in this book are appealing. I think that would probably be the case for most political party platforms. The problem is we live in the real world where things are rarely so neat. This highlights that no worldview is perfect, but that (most) bring something important to the table. To stand somewhere on the political spectrum and tear apart the views (or worse, the people) who have chosen to stand somewhere else is not productive. We'd be far better off to carefully consider all perspectives, then chose the stance that seems best for the majority of people, not the one that aligns with our party of choice.
- This book challenged me. Too often I have chosen a political stance based on what feels right. Stephen showed that often it's not that simple. There are too many nuances and and humans are complex. I like immigration and the idea of allowing many people in. He highlighted that many policies that benefit immigrants who move to Canada are counter intuitive to what I might have believed. Of course there is more to the story than what he has provided, but it was a good reminder that there can be compelling evidence on each side of a discussion. If we really want what is best, we need to make time to listen to both.
- Stephen raised issues surrounding Donald Trump's presidency many times. I found his analysis about how DT gave a voice to people who felt like they hadn't been represented very interesting. It wasn't necessarily that everyone who voted for Trump agreed with all of his policies, but that they believed he would represent them when no one else was.
- I do not enjoy politics and have not been very involved in these conversations. Stephen Harper was the prime minister from 2006 - 2015 when I was young and even less interested, so I knew very little about him. While there are many issues we wouldn't see eye-to-eye on, I really enjoyed hearing his perspective and the approach he used to make decisions.
Key takeaways:
- Regardless of political views (and I won't get into mine) claiming the ‘other side' is wrong, or ignorant isn't a good look. While some things are possible to prove false, many are not. Reading through this book I found it off-putting when Anne did that, even though I think we would probably agree on many stances. It didn't seem productive and is unlikely to result in meaningful conversation that would convince a person to rethink their views.
- I was fascinated by Anne's analysis of conspiracy theories and how they impact a group of people, specifically as it relates to an election
- Democracy is important, obviously. It was interesting to read about how democracy has been changed or valued in realtime.
“Democracy has always been loud and raucous, but when its rules are followed, it eventually creates consensus-the modern debate [social media, us-vs-them, etc.] does not.”
Key takeaways:
- “The decision to use force should not be determined by men who's careers depend on the use of force.” While I am rarely involved in conversations about the use of force, this applies to other areas as well. Compliance people will tend to see that the sky is falling. Sales people will tend to see the need for expansion. Do not ignore these people, but understand their viewpoint while weighing their suggestions.
- The Kennedy administration (and likely most others) seems to have been hamstrung by division and the desire to keep power. Decide what is important and what is worth working toward, then get everyone on board. Critics or people who see the world differently are not enemies.
- While it is important to rethink your views, it is also important to know when you have come to the point of no return (bay of pigs).
- Marry someone everyone loves and find other allies that people like. The reputation of the people you spend time with will begin to impact your reputation, for better or worse.
Key Takeaways:
- The world we live in today isn't so bad. I may disagree with some politicians, or occasionally complain about how slow or ineffective they can be, but we are very fortunate to have the systems we do.
- The transformation of the disciples after Jesus' death is quite astonishing. They all moved from terrified and timid to powerful and bold. They would have had to know they would die horrifically because of it.
- Be humble. Even if you disagree with someone, be willing to honestly review your beliefs.
Key takeaways:
- The issues of residential schools are incredibly complex. Healing is not easy and will take time. It is a process that involves all of us.
- This was a terrible system with rampant abuse. It was even harder to read, having nieces and nephews that are similar in age to many of the children that were kidnapped.
- Even early on, there were critics of the system. Speaking up for what is right can be difficult, especially if you are in a small minority, but it is important to right the wrongs. It's much easier to do with the benefit of hindsight, but that doesn't solve the problems. Stand against injustice before it is easy.
Key takeaways:
- Risk/compliance are among the most important roles in a financial institution. They should not be silenced or sidelined.
- If something is too complicated to understand, avoid it.
- Don't get suckered into the new, flashy, sexy products. If you decide to explore new areas, don't invest more than you can afford to lose.
- Even the ‘smartest' people missed a lot during this crisis. Don't pretend to be smart to fit in. If something doesn't work or doesn't make sense don't be embarrassed to ask questions.
- When moving into new areas or developing new products, look for what could go wrong. Put aside your optimism for this. Think 30 moves ahead.
- Capital requirements are not your enemy.
- Look for connections and interdependency. You can run a great organization, but you are still exposed to the errors of your counterparties.
- Don't ignore warning signs. Always consider them.
- Exercise your pessimism muscles.
- Something can ALWAYS go wrong
Key Takeaways:
- If something is mission critical, EVERYONE involved needs thorough training of not just the day-to-day aspects of the job, but also what to do in unusual circumstances
- If you do not know what you are doing or you are not comfortable with something, ask questions. If your questions are dismissed or not answered satisfactorily, consider the ramifications
- Listen to the evidence. Don't stick your head in the sand
- Always be prepared. Ask yourself, ‘What could go wrong?' If it is serious, prepare for it
Key takeaways:
- Take responsibility. If you have a job to do, do it properly.
- If you have good reason to be uncomfortable with a situation, say something. If your concerns aren't addressed, carefully consider how to proceed.
- Experts are important, but that doesn't mean we can sit by without asking questions and doing our due diligence.
Key takeaways:
- Do not let money turn you into someone others will not like. If you have money, influence, power, etc., people will judge you much harsher, therefore you must be that much better.
- First impressions matter.
- Be willing to change your opinion about someone based on evidence.
- Be careful sharing your opinions of people. It is hard to go back on those.
- Always choose to be kind.
Key takeaways:
- Challenge every assumption you have. Look for reasons you might be wrong, and learn to find joy in being wrong.
- Think like a scientist. Avoid Preacher, Prosecutor, and Politician modes.
- Ask, “What evidence would change your mind?” and, “What would need to be true for me to rethink this?”
- Grey areas are important. People are more inclined to rethink their views if they are shown issues as ‘gray' rather than just seeing the other side.
- One of the most effective ways to help people rethink: Help them consider what they would believe if they were born into a different circumstance. “How do you think you would feel about the issue of police violence if you lived in a marginalized community?”
- Effective leaders normalize vulnerability by admitting their own mistakes and times they have received feedback.
- There are too many ‘takeaways' in this book to try to narrow it down to just a small handful. I'll reread this book often.
Key takeaways:
- Prepare for anything when entering new territory. Do you have the people or tools to survive if the circumstances are much different than you anticipated?
- People are resilient. When you reach the end of your rope, you might be surprised to discover how much further you can go on
- Do not go outside
Key takeaways:
Inspiring, but not particularly revolutionary if you have listened to Bigger Pockets for more than five minutes.