Mental Models

Alan Watts on making sure you don’t fool yourself with your own stories:

"Most people are out of touch with reality because they confuse the world as it is, with the world as they think about it, and talk about it, and describe it."

Howard Gardner (developmental psychologist) on 7 Types of Leadership that can help understand the way different people think:

1. Linguistic: ability to speak and write well

2. Logic-mathematical: ability to use logic and mathematical skills to solve problems

3. Spatial: ability to think and reason about objects in three dimensions

4. Musical: ability to perform

Shane Parrish (Farnam Street) on the importance of being concise in communication and what the goal of conciseness should be:

"Perhaps summarization is not the ability to produce insight, but rather the ability to recognize what other people will experience as insight."

The Braintrust, as conceived by Pixar, is a group of experienced, trusted colleagues who gather periodically to review a project in development. Its primary purpose is to provide honest, constructive feedback to help improve the project.

Key aspects of the Braintrust include:

1. Candid feedback: Members are encouraged to speak openly and honestly

Ray Dalio on (some of his) Principles:
1. Don't confuse what you wish were true with what is actually true.
2. Don't worry about looking good; worry instead about achieving your goals.
3. Don't overweight 1st order consequences relative to 2nd & 3rd order consequences.
4. Don't let pain stand in the way of progress.
5. Don't blame bad outcomes on anyone

Jason Zweig (WSJ) on how beginner’s luck can lead you down a catastrophic path and why failing fast & early can have its advantages:

“Being right is the enemy of staying right because it leads you to forget the way the world works.”

Mr. Burns (The Simpsons) on breaking the rules of the game:

"If you can take advantage of a situation in some way, it's your duty as an American to do it. Why should the race always be to the swift, or the jumble to the quick witted? Should they be allowed to win merely because of the gifts God gave them? Well, I say cheating is the gift man gives

Brian Halligan on why you shouldn't hire the person with the fewest weaknesses: "It’s like you’re an ice climber going up the ice, and it’s treacherous and you could easily slip, and what you’re looking for are executive members who have been up that same sheet of ice, but in the last three or four years. What you don’t want is somebody who spent

The "Hungry Beast" and "Ugly Baby" analogy from "Creativity, Inc." is a powerful metaphor used to describe two competing forces in business.

The Hungry Beast:

- Represents the established, successful part of a business that demands constant feeding

- Symbolizes the need to meet short-term goals, deadlines, and market demands

- Requires immediate