Andrew McAfee’s Post

The greatest investors do this: https://lnkd.in/gJn6GEVf 1. Learn How People Think, Not What They Think When you try to understand how someone thinks, rather than just what they think, you can learn to "fish" (gain the ability to think for yourself) rather than just gather "fish" (collect their specific thoughts or opinions). 2. Invest Within Your Circle of Competence Warren Buffett refused to invest in technology companies for a long time, even though his friend Bill Gates founded Microsoft. The lesson here is to invest within your "circle of competence" - not avoid technology stocks altogether. 3. Don't Copy People You Admire The key is to learn how the person you admire thinks, not just copy their specific decisions. Developing your own mental models and understanding a company's dynamics is more valuable than simply following someone else's investment choices. Interested in learning more timeless investing skills? Join 86,000+ readers who receive my articles on investing, life, and philosophy every week. No spam. No ads. Unsubscribe anytime. https://lnkd.in/gpihxX9p

Beliefs can alter outcomes. In September we had a manager meeting approaching and one of the prep pieces was to watch a Google talk with Ari Weinzweig discussing the power of beliefs in business, and I found the ideas to be very impactful. Shoutout to Marcus Hall for getting that in front of the team. Ari proposed a simple formula: Our beliefs about others drive our actions towards others. Our actions towards others influence their beliefs about us. Others beliefs about us drive their actions towards us. The actions of others then, naturally, influence our beliefs about them. Ari is able to elegantly display this dynamic with a simple circle chart and what he ultimately demonstrates is that our beliefs about people are reinforced by cause and effect, and that we can take direct responsibility for the cause. If I think someone is a jerk, and I treat them like a jerk, how could I really expect them to respond to me in any kind of way that wouldn't encourage my belief about them? When I find that I'm having a difficult time with somebody, I have been using this model to initiate a pause and shift of habits in myself. What is my belief about this person? How could I challenge my belief to pursue a different result? As leaders, we must always endeavor to manage our own behaviors in pursuit of a desired result rather than an emotional outcome. This thought model has been working very well for me and I encourage others to give it a try if they find they are struggling with their personal interactions.

✅ #Lesson1: Culture Eats Strategy for Breakfast ➡️ Sometimes that’s the first thing we should start working on, because it may be holding the company back.  ✅ #Lesson2: Forget Strategy, Do What’s Best for the Customer ➡️ Everything corporate move is a chess move to drive towards creating some durable competitive advantage. ✅ #Lesson3: Sometimes You Just Have to Cut Your Losses ➡️ Not all the business models are great. ✅ #Lesson4 Every Investment has an Opportunity Cost ➡️ In some cases investments that do not return as quickly as other opportunities could be strategic. ✅ #Lesson5 At a Software Company Engineers Are Your Most Valuable Resource, Listen to Them ➡️ Listening to developers and making them happier, translate into more productivity and higher morale. . . . . #lessons #leadership #strategy #investment #opportunity

Satya Nadella returned Microsoft to the top by showing humility as CEO. Here’s how it’s done "Nadella didn’t use his bully pulpit to demand managers learn customer focus. Shouting at people to become better listeners doesn’t work very well. Instead, he went on a “listening tour,” meeting with managers throughout the firm and quickly implementing some of the bottom-up requests (e.g., dropping the company’s force-ranked performance evaluations)." {Article quotes} #leadership #entrepreneurship #biz #organization #corporate #ceo https://lnkd.in/d_ijcCcK

𝐇𝐨𝐧𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐯𝐞 𝐉𝐨𝐛𝐬: 𝐀 𝐋𝐞𝐠𝐚𝐜𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐈𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐈𝐧𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐎𝐧 𝐎𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐛𝐞𝐫 5, 2011, 𝐰𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐚 𝐯𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫: 𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐯𝐞 𝐉𝐨𝐛𝐬. 𝐇𝐢𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐥𝐮𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐬𝐜𝐚𝐩𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐧𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧. 𝐎𝐧𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 2005 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐞𝐜𝐡 𝐚𝐭 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐔𝐧𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐲, 𝐚 14-𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐭𝐞 𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐤 𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐞𝐩𝐥𝐲, 𝐨𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐢𝐬𝐝𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐥𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐛𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐬𝐲𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐲 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐬. 𝐊𝐞𝐲 𝐓𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐯𝐞 𝐉𝐨𝐛𝐬’ 𝐏𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐨𝐩𝐡𝐲: 𝐄𝐦𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐏𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧: Jobs emphasized that true success and happiness come from pursuing what you love, encouraging bold risks in the quest for your passion. Innovation and Courage: Known for his fearless spirit, Jobs inspired others to challenge norms and stay hungry and foolish in their endeavors. Design and Simplicity: A pioneer in merging technology with elegant design, Jobs transformed consumer tech by prioritizing user-friendly experiences. Visionary Leadership: His foresight and leadership fostered a culture of innovation at Apple, leaving a legacy of excellence that endures. Future Trends Inspired by Steve Jobs: Driving Innovation in Consumer Technology: Jobs’ influence continues to propel advancements at companies like Apple, pushing boundaries further. Focus on Design and User Experience: The emphasis on aesthetics and usability, championed by Jobs, remains vital for successful tech firms. Inspiring Future Generations: His philosophies and speeches inspire entrepreneurs and leaders, shaping the future of technology and beyond. Steve Jobs' legacy is a powerful reminder of the importance of innovation, courage, and authenticity. His Stanford speech remains a timeless call to live authentically and pursue our passions with unwavering determination. "Credits: 🌟 All write-up is done by me(P.S.Mahesh) after indepth research. All rights and credits for the video/visual presented are reserved for their respective owners. 📚 For attribution or content removal requests, please contact me. 📩 Only used for Academic Learning/Sharing good work purpose, giving due credit to respective owner 📚 Thank you, and God bless. 🙏"

Bill Gates, a visionary and philanthropist, has imparted numerous lessons from his journey with Microsoft and beyond. One of the key takeaways is the power of passion and tenacity; Gates exemplifies the drive to change the world rather than just retire comfortably. He emphasizes the importance of leaving the world better than you found it, creating systems and ecosystems for change, and focusing on making an impact. Gates also teaches the value of starting early, as he did with computers at age 13, and the significance of forming partnerships to unlock new opportunities and learn from others. His approach to life and business stresses the need for continuous learning, embracing a growth mindset, and surrounding oneself with smart people to push boundaries and innovate. Gates' success is not just in his wealth but in his substantial contributions to reducing global inequities and his relentless pursuit of solutions for the world's most pressing issues. These lessons serve as a blueprint for aspiring individuals who seek to make a meaningful difference in the world.

💡 Interesting article from Harvard Business Review on why bigger isn't always better. Worth a read!

What I Learned from a Billionaire About Handling Criticism Satya Nadella, Microsoft's CEO, has shown us that handling criticism effectively is a key component of successful leadership. Here’s what we can learn from his approach: **1. Adopt a Growth Mindset When Nadella became CEO, he emphasized a "growth mindset," encouraging the company to shift from being a group of know-it-alls to a group of learn-it-alls. As he put it, “The learn-it-all does better than the know-it-all.” This mindset helped me view criticism as a chance to grow, not as a personal attack. **2. Listen Actively Nadella is known for his "listening tours" across Microsoft, where he sought feedback directly from his employees. In his own words, “I fundamentally believe that if you are not listening, you are not learning.” Actively seek out criticism and use it to inform your decisions. **3. Act on What You Hear Faced with criticism about Microsoft’s lag in innovation, Nadella led a strategic shift towards cloud computing and AI, which has been a cornerstone of the company’s resurgence. As he stated in his book Hit Refresh, “The industry does not respect tradition—it only respects innovation.” Addressing criticism directly can lead to breakthroughs. **4. Communicate Transparently Transparency is another pillar of Nadella’s leadership. After difficult decisions, like the 2014 layoffs, he communicated openly with employees, explaining the reasons behind his choices. “The entire company has to be moving towards a single direction,” he noted, underscoring the importance of clear communication in maintaining trust. The Bottom Line: Satya Nadella’s approach shows that criticism isn’t something to fear—it’s something to harness. How do you handle criticism?

We all are Biased: Now Let's Have a Bias for Action   We're all biased. But most of the time when we hear that "b-word," we think of political opposition or media manipulation. But it goes farther than that. Philosophies and beliefs aside, we all have things we favor and prioritize in our lives, and in doing in our daily tasks. As a biased person myself, one of my favorite Amazon Web Services (AWS) principles is a "bias for action."   Like many leaders, our CEO at Cornerstone Technologies, Michael Dyer, former Sergeant United States Marine Corps, inspires our team to think big and deliver results, but of utmost importance is our vigilance for speed. He knows speed matters and customers don't wait. Setting high marks for all is arguably the hallmark of what makes an organization great; this is why Michael sets goals that inspire me and the team around us every day.   Michael's focus thinking big and delivering results is one of my favorites as a former West Amazon Web Services (AWS) Telco leader, now back leading Cornerstone Technologies, the company I founded in 2007. This is to say that having a "Bias for Action" is a paramount "how" for each of us to scale to our desired "what's."   Does this principle sound simple? If so, that's because it's supposed to be. But instilling a bias for action in oneself is not nearly as easy as listening to it.   In a world economy that waits for no one, speed and agility are necessities in business. We must shed the fear we feel as leaders and people of making mistakes and taking calculated risks. Where I came from, it was stated that the ideal was to have 70% of the data to make a decision. While I believe this was generally true, it was also important to know your scope of empowerment. So often before we act, many of us may subconsciously think about "the process," the stigma, or the potential risks and failures associated with this action. At Amazon, we were encouraged to "see around corners" and anticipate what would be the necessary follow-on actions to success or challenges, and to prepare accordingly.   So, today, I find myself challenging my team to be biased. So long as the intention is with a productive, constructive goal in mind to help a greater cause, action is a quicker way to find results, even if that result is failure. And the quicker we fail, the faster we can get to the greatest good.   I am not advocating for callousness, thoughtlessness, or being unscrupulous. But if you're going to fail sometimes anyway (and failure is inevitable in everyone's life), why not fail faster? In doing so, you're quickly collecting more of the world's most privileged asset: data.   There will be a lot of things that don't work in life, in business. Everyone has a bias, but if we start to favor action and calculated risks, we take this inevitability of disadvantage and make it our greatest strength.  Empowering teams to learn and take action leads to leaders who are "right a lot." (Edited by Nick Oliveri)