Michael Lewis’ “The Undoing Project” tells the story of the friendship and professional relationship of Amos Tversky and Daniel Kahneman. Kahnamen went on to win the Nobel Prize in economics for the work he wrote about in “Thinking Fast and Slow”
What is surprising about their work is the parts done amidst war in Isreal, as both were IDF soldiers. One day, Tversky is teaching at University, the next, he is a paratrooper assaulting the Golan.
This is the list Matt Blumberg has synthesized with his CEO friends in his excellent book “Startup CEO”. One of many ideas in it that were new to me.
To test this list, I asked Joanna Arras of Baird Capital what she thought the duties of a CEO are, and her response was very similar, though she hadn’t read the book.
Kevin Kelly asked a variant of this a couple years back (here, I think: “The Inevitable” on Triangulation) encouraging us to look back 20 years to the birth of the web. We were all aware it was happening, most of us were intimidated, and the relative few that were willing to step out of their comfort zone and learn new skills to build or engage with the new emerging technology gave birth to wonders.
Looking back, what did you wish you had worked harder at in that green field wild west opportunity space?
Today we are at a similar point with both machine learning, AI, and genetic and biological engineering. The tools have become financially accessible, and thanks to the web, self-education is on these topics is freely available.
20 years from now, will you be glad you made efforts in these emerging green fields, or regretful that you didn’t?
While working your day job, inspiration strikes and you’re now working a second part/full time job equivalent to get the startup going.
You then develop “all the time” work habits, and you feel like you’re slacking if you “back off” to a normal work week.
Our ancestors struggled, and each together created the wealthy and abundant society we live in today. That our preceeding extended family has fought over, stolen, and hoarded the money, like families do when ancestors die, does not negate the wealth and value that was created and that we are surrounded by.
The children of the wealthy are not looked down upon when their resources permit them to engage in higher activities than a daily struggle to feed, clothe, and heal themselves.
When we recognize that we are worthy of receiving the inheritance of the wealth our ancestors created, we can begin to employ it in our lives to engage these higher activities.
Those two questions are a simple way of expressing design thinking’s core tenets.
When I apply them to what I’m currently putting effort into and I can’t quickly and concisely answer who it’s for and what it’s for, that means I’m not well focused and should make the effort to answer those questions.
If I can answer quickly, and the answers appear not to align with my larger goals, any of several things might be occurring:
As a father that’s struggled with option paralysis when it’s come to guiding the education of my sons, it’s encouraging to know that working to support their wonder and curiosity in an outdated education assembly line built to stamp out consistent compliant factory workers.
Given Tablets but No Teachers, Ethiopian Children Teach Themselves. Nicholas Negroponte brought The Diamond Age closer to reality.
Whether you’re a fan of Seth Godin, or have always meant to get to some of his (many) books. His current Akimbo podcast is a great way to add small servings of his thought providing and motivating ideas.
And how does it differ from sales?
I’ve heard it explained as: marketing is what brings in the customer, sales is what closes the deal.
Seth Godin described marketing as bending the culture to get people to take a new action. At a basic level, you create urgency. At a high level, you tell a story about where they are at, and the better place they can get to, with you as the guide. “Be the mentor not the hero”
Show them they have a hero’s path to get to the promised land, and you can help them along on their journey.
As someone who’s struggled with attitude (and my weight), I’ve had the best luck with making habits of my physical and mental maintenance. The best thing I’ve done is start a morning ritual:
Just like a routine of good basic regular exercises, you build your strength over time. I’ll probably change books at some point, but these two are working for me. I still struggle, but this morning habit has done wonders for me over time, and start my day off relaxed in the right mind set, and prepared to work toward success.
Jamie Leben 