People Will Do Anything For Those Who…

A Blair Warren quote on persuasion: People will do anything for those who encourage their dreams, justify their failures, allay their fears, confirm their suspicion, and help them throw rocks at their enemies.  I’ll reformat this, because it’s a useful framework before you ask someone to do something (and an extremely useful framework before you … Continue reading People Will Do Anything For Those Who…

Mark Manson’s 9 Steps To Complete Misery

If you need your therapy with a spoonful of sarcasm, step over Ted Lasso and into Mark Manson’s YouTube channel.  In “How To Be Miserable And Ruin Your Life,” we get this 9-point checklist for success: Always _______ someone else for your problems.  _______ constantly.  _______ anything remotely challenging or uncomfortable.  Wait for _______. Get … Continue reading Mark Manson’s 9 Steps To Complete Misery

Behavioral Problems Need Behavioral Solutions

The finance industry has gone from intuitively exploiting behavioral biases, to endlessly labeling them, to discussing how to “correct” them, to (finally) start talking about how to work productively with people who are inherently… people. Messy, regular, (sometimes self-aware) people.   Richard Thaler, long a lighthouse on these BeFi seas, said it beautifully in his book … Continue reading Behavioral Problems Need Behavioral Solutions

Imposter Syndrome Vs. I’m The Poster Boy Syndrome

On one hand, sometimes you feel like you’re an imposter and have no right to even attempt what you’re doing (or scared to start doing).  On the other, you feel like “I’ve soooo got this. I’m the champ - look at my crown, everybody gather round and listen up.”  It’s useful to know the term … Continue reading Imposter Syndrome Vs. I’m The Poster Boy Syndrome

How To Use Status To Create (Or Destroy!) Value

First, as a rule, if you tell people “look how organized I am,” the universe will then throw a proverbial wrench into your gearbox and howl with a laughter only the cruelest of taskmasters can howl. Last night, after a marathon of calls and busyness, I was making dinner and remembering I still didn’t write … Continue reading How To Use Status To Create (Or Destroy!) Value

Two Types Of Trust

David Burkus has a fascinating post up about the “Two Types of Trust on Teams.”  Here’s the short version: Trust is what enables teams to work well together.  More trust = better, less trust = worse.  The two types of trust worth focusing on (and building/rebuilding) are Cognition-based trust and Affect-based trust.  Cognition-based trust is … Continue reading Two Types Of Trust

Understanding Human Behavior Isn’t A Wrench, It’s Gravity

Understanding human behavior isn’t a wrench, it’s gravity.  Biases exist. Understanding them isn’t another tool in the toolbox. They’re… Newtonian. They're foundational to everything else. Biases and behaviors are the starting point. They’re the operating systems we all run on. We don’t have to fix them, we have to work with them.  h/t Brian Portnoy and … Continue reading Understanding Human Behavior Isn’t A Wrench, It’s Gravity

Podcast Of The Week: Diana Chapman On Trusting Your Instincts

I’ve mentioned Diana Chapman before in these notes here, here, and here. The book she co-authored, The 15 Commitments of Conscious Leadership, had a major impact on me last year. I’m all for hearing her in updated, thoughtful conversations right now.  She recently joined Shane Parrish to talk about the drama triangle, responding to challenges, … Continue reading Podcast Of The Week: Diana Chapman On Trusting Your Instincts