When was the last time you changed your mind about something big?
For me, it happens about every three years.
The most recent one happened last January, when Naseem Taleb's book Antifragile pointed out a false belief I'd been holding my whole life.
I used to think "If it hasn't been scientifically proven, it must not be true"
It's crazy how we think anything can be scientifically proven true when the scientific method itself is designed to only debunk theories, not prove them. At best science can say "we haven't disproven this idea...yet"
I corrected that misconception just in time for the great covid mask debate (remember "there is no evidence that face masks prevents infection"?)
Changing my mind so regularly is a humbling experience.
If I know I disagreed with my past self on fundamental issues, and I know my future self will disagree with me today, how confident can I be in any of my current beliefs?
Your nuggets for the week:
- Get Into the Leader's Head
- Innovation Requires Curiosity
- Discover Your Signature Move
#1 Get Into the Leader's Head
Alex Danco was given this career advice when he joined Shopify:
"Familiarize yourself with the dozen senior people who have the final call on really important decisions. Learn their operating philosophy around business and around how Shopify works. Go consume every written memo and every podcast episode they’ve ever done, get inside their heads, learn their perspectives and their preferences, and learn what gets them to say yes to things.
To be effective, you need to know how to get those people to say Yes to things, and how they would think through a decision down to a detailed level. If you can do that, then you can get basically anything you want done...
it’s not like we only care about their opinions because they are decision-makers; it's advice about how to think better. Great leaders are right, a lot. They know things. You'll have their operating philosophy available on-demand"
#2 Innovation Requires Curiosity
Frank Stephenson, a famous car designer, highlights the importance of staying curious:
"A lot of people seem to think that curiosity slows things down.
Rather, curiosity is that grand spark, that big bang that kicks everything off, because without that we don't innovate. It's the first ingredient that you need for everything else to succeed."
The full interview is on Farnam Street's podcast Pushing the Limits of Innovation
#3 Discover Your Signature Move
Bill Grundfest, who mentored famous comedians like John Stewart, shares his wisdom on discovering your talent.
His key message:
Think about what you're passionate about and what others care about.
Find that intersection, and just highlight those bits
That's where you'll really shine
You'll enjoy the full interview with Bill Grundfest and Stew Fortier
Your Turn 👊
Now I'll repeat the question from the intro:
When was the last time you changed your mind about something big?
Reply back, I'd love to hear it!
Till next week
--Zain