Brown Advisory’s Post

The best consulting solutions blend creativity with expertise. Success comes from mastering both the art and the science.

The best consulting solutions blend creativity with expertise. Success comes from mastering both the art and the science.

"He can see something's really wrong. I tell Joe that his investment in my firm is down 50%. He lost half his money, and it wasn't his firm's money, it was his personal money," begins Graham Weaver's "How to Live an Asymmetric Life." Graham is the founding partner of Alpine, a platform for seizing alpha for institutional investors by putting people first. Graham evolved from an overworked, under-principled Wall Street analyst to a conscientious cultivator of asymmetric advantage, the foundation of seizing institutional alpha. Graham distills 29 years of investment experience thus: "If I had to summarize great investing in a single word, it would be ‘asymmetry.' There are criteria which, when you stack them on top of each other, don't stack linearly; they become logarithmic — or asymmetric. For example, if you have an incredible management team who builds a great team to support them, moves at a fast pace, operates in a large industry, can redeploy large amounts of capital at high returns, and is willing to do so over a long time – then you're not playing for a 1.5x or 2.0x outcome, you could be playing for a 10x, 20x, or even 100x outcome." In the video, Graham distills four principles for individuals to achieve enduring excellence: 1. Do hard things: "…get comfortable being uncomfortable." Life is hard; embrace it. 2. Do your thing: "Life is suffering. So figure out something worth suffering for." Grind the potential that is uniquely yours. We know "how differently we will show up when we're truly energized about something." 3. Do it for decades: "There is almost no obstacle that won't yield to you at full power for a decade." 4. Write your story: "Remember, the ‘how' is the killer of all great dreams." Graham concludes by exhorting individuals seeking excellence to embrace principle over emotion. "These principles are the antidote to fear. Each of these four principles is a tangible, tactical way to look fear in the face and make a decision — one based not on fear, but on what is possible — on playing for the asymmetric upside in your life." #alpha #institutionalinvestors #investing #investments

The best consulting solutions blend creativity with expertise. Success comes from mastering both the art and the science.

The best consulting solutions blend creativity with expertise. Success comes from mastering both the art and the science.

We keep dictating that strategy documents are supposed to be short and pithy. But in my humble experience, people are erm…different. Some clients/bosses like brevity, others like detail and length. To the latter, detail represents diligence. Four slides, no matter how blindingly smart your idea is, will leave them wondering what they’ve paid for. Therefore, why don’t we just ask them what they’d prefer? Decks can be longer and more thorough but, and here’s the important part, they should contain *detail described simply* and should still have a clear, compelling narrative. It’s not length that’s the problem, it’s the way you tell the story. For more information on why simplicity is important, check out Daniel Oppenheimer’s Princeton study ‘Consequences of erudite vernacular utilised irrespective of necessity: Problems with using long words needlessly.

“The first step in the Strategic Choice Structuring Processis to define the problem as a gap between the outcomes you are currently producing and the outcomes you wish you were producing. The outcomes you are currently producing are the consequence of all the choices you have made up until today interacting with the competitive dynamics in the market in which you are competing. To close the gap, you need to make a different set of choices because doing the same thing and expecting a better outcome is the definition of insanity.” Roger Martin 🔗 to the full article in the comment below 👍 and ♻️ Diego Schmunis👀

The more clarity we have in life, the more clarity we’ll find in markets—or in anything for that matter. It’s a core principle of mine, and it’s why I’m immersed in the timeless wisdom of the great poets, saints, and philosophers. After all, everything is connected. This approach garnered enough attention to warrant publishing the Stray Reflections book. In it you’ll find infusions of clarity and inspiration in short chapters for the quiet moments at home or at work. Think of each reflection as a chance to reset and rebalance. If you’re feeling anxious about the world or simply want to become a wiser investor, I humbly urge you to buy a copy. It is an antidote to uncertainty in life and markets. Go ahead and place it prominently on your desk: it’s designed to make you look clever too. And, of course, let me know what you think. https://lnkd.in/g3ibAGWm

https://buff.ly/49hGo2C A recent Question of the Week from our free blog asks How do we connect Thanks Giving with Critical Thinking? How do we connect these seemingly detached (thanks and thinking) ideas?

“The greatest challenge to any thinker is stating the problem in a way that will allow a solution.” From Bertrand Russell, author of 'The Problems of Philosophy'. My takeaway: - Effective reporting is crucial for decision-making. Follow me on LinkedIn for expert insights.