Henry Kissinger was known for being an uber-perfectionist politician, especially when it came to writing speeches. He believed every word in a speech counted and didn’t consider one done until it was revised 20 times. He also demanded the same level of perfection from his staff and colleagues. Here’s the story of Ambassador Winston Lord handing Kissinger a report (from Walter Isaacson’s book Kissinger: A Biography): One oft-told tale about Kissinger . . . involved a report that ... Read More
Avoid WWII Plane Survivorship Bias
During World War II, military leaders had a challenge. They wanted to add more armor to American planes to minimize the chances of getting shot down by enemy fighters. The challenge was that armor is heavy. Too much of it makes the planes go slower and use more fuel. Too little of it doesn’t protect them. So to optimize its placement, the military looked at data of bullet holes on returning planes. Some deduced that they should concentrate the armor on the red dots because ... Read More
Running Remote – A Short Interview with Liam Martin about his New Book
Liam Martin and Rob Rawson recently published "Running Remote: Master the Lessons from the World’s Most Successful Remote-Work Pioneers," and I had the opportunity to ask Liam a few questions about it. As a side note, I read the book and think it's fantastic. I highly recommend that you pick up a copy. Here's a short interview with Liam Martin about Running Remote Q: You mention in your book that the content is not really about remote work, but more about this concept called ... Read More
Use Guide Dog Selective Disobedience
Dogs who help blind people go through some of the most sophisticated training. They need to be smart enough to navigate their owners safely around low-hanging obstacles and narrow paths—routes that a dog can easily pass through but not a human being. They’re also trained to pause when they come across small steps. They wait for their owner to acknowledge the minor obstacle before proceeding. But what if that small step is on the side of a road, and there’s a car speeding toward them ... Read More
Make One-Way Door Decisions for Chernobyl-Type Risks
Jeff Bezos has a simple decision-making framework.[i] He thinks of decisions as doors. Some are one-way doors. Others are two-way doors. One-way doors are irreversible. You have no idea what’s on the other side. And you can’t get back through them if you make a mistake. Two-way doors are reversible. You can go back by reopening them if you make a mistake. ***** A few days after the Chernobyl nuclear accident, scientists were worried about a new problem unfolding below the nuclear ... Read More
Leverage Musk’s Employee Vector Theory
Dharmesh Shah (the co-founder and CTO of HubSpot) once attended a small dinner event where someone asked Elon Musk the following question: “What’s your advice on growing and scaling a business?” Musk replied: “Every person in your company is a vector. Your progress is determined by the sum of all vectors.” This vector theory is a powerful mental model for leading a company or even a team. Let’s break it down. Think of a vector as an arrow with a magnitude and direction. For ... Read More
“Mental Models for Effective Managers” Book is Out!
I'm excited to share that my latest book "Mental Models for Effective Managers" is now published. It'll help you learn how to make better decisions and lead with confidence. This short book includes 13 stories that show you how to think better through powerful management anecdotes. You'll learn: How to delegate tasks the right wayWhy you should start with the big pictureHow to classify problemsHow to avoid common biasesWhy you should give clear directionsHow to think like Jeff Bezos ... Read More
How to present while reading notes (without appearing like you’re reading and by looking straight at the camera)
In the video above, I share how I use a teleprompter to read notes off my screen while looking straight at the camera and without appearing like I'm reading them. This helps when I need to present to a live audience or when I need to record a course Products I use in the video Teleprompter: Little Prompter Teleprompter App (iPhone and Android): PromptSmart Pro USB Camera: Logitech c920 Ring Light: Eicaus Ring Light with Stand Backdrop: Cowboystudio 10x12 ft Muslin ... Read More
3 Tips That Help Hybrid Leaders Reconfigure the Hybrid Office
As you plan your team's hybrid working model, one of the things to consider is how to reconfigure your hybrid office. This includes repurposing the existing office, implementing hot-desking, and leveraging advanced technology. Here are three tips to help you out. Tip #1: Repurpose the Existing Office into a Hybrid Office Instead of dedicated office spaces in your existing office, repurpose some of them into meeting rooms and quiet spaces. Meeting rooms (or conference rooms) are ... Read More
How to Read Notes While Presenting PowerPoint Slides
Here's a quick hack that shows you how to read notes while presenting PowerPoint slides live during a webinar or meeting. This is a setup I use to present to an audience when I need to rely on speaker notes (without having anyone see my notes). You'll need two monitors, an external webcam (one that you can adjust above your notes), Microsoft PowerPoint, and online presentation software that can share one screen at a time (such as Webex). Step-by-step instructions on how to read ... Read More
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