Am I Being Too Subtle
Sam Zell
Summary
Advice from one of the great American entrepreneurs of the 20th century
Rating: 4/5
Notes
When your world is business and your business is the world, it’s all about long term relationships
Nothing is more important than a man’s honour - reputation is your most important asset
When you’re not aware there are any limitations, nothing stops you from trying
When there’s scarcity, price is no object
Indifference to rejection is a fundamental part of being an entrepreneur
The value of really listening to the other person’s main concern is at the heart of any negotiation
Use simplicity as a strategy - if there are 12 steps in a deal, the whole thing depends on one of them
Opportunity is often embedded in the imbalance b/w supply and demand
Don’t depend on people unless you understand their motivations and are confident your interests align with theirs
A leader can’t let his emotions impact his stability
Boars that don’t exercise an ownership approach are complicit in poor performing companies
‘Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it’ - George Santayana
The degree of which you rely on strong relationships is the single biggest difference b/w doing deals in emerging markets vs. the USA
Look at EGI to be a part of
His purpose in life is to make a difference and he defines it as driving growth
Be ready to pivot
Fundamental truths: law of supply and demand, liquidity equals value, limited competition and long-term relationships
Negotiation that leads to a winner and loser rarely leads to a successful transaction or another one down the road
Don’t take yourself too seriously
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Make Something Wonderful
Steve Jobs
Summary
The life of Steve Jobs in his own words
Rating: 5/5
Notes
Make something wonderful and put it out there
‘You appear, have a chance to blaze in the sky, then you disappear’
When you’re a stranger in a place, you notice thing you don’t otherwise (Jobs after India trip)
Whenever you start with nothing, always shoot for the moon. You have nothing to lose.
You never achieve what you want without falling on your face a few times
Never be afraid to fail. You never achieve what you want without falling flat on your face a few times
We are never taught to listen to our intuitions, to develop and nurture them. But if you do pay attention to these subtle insights, you can make them come true
Creativity equals connecting previously unrelated experiences and insights others don’t see
Believe that some of what you follow with your heart will come back and make your life richer. And it will. And you will gain even firmer trust on your instincts and intuitions
Make your avocation your vocation. Make what you love your work.
The journey is the reward. The reward isn’t in the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, it’s in crossing the rainbow
To find A+ talent, if experienced, look at their track record and results
The world we know is a human creation and we can push it forward
The people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do (read whole ad ‘here’s to the crazy ones)
We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then is not an act but a habit - Aristotle
Hire people better than you are
You can’t plan to meet the people who will change your life
It’s impossible to connect the dots looking forward, but they make sense looking backwards so you have to trust the dots will somehow connect in your future
Everything around you that you call life was made up by people no smarter than you
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