March felt like it would never end. Now, April has flown by. The novelty of the entire world being flipped on its head sent us into a consistent flow of fear, anxiety, and curiosity. As we’ve settled into our new routines, the novelty has worn away and experience eerily similar days on repeat. Our perception …
A stock’s price doesn’t represent the value of the underlying company; it represents the perception of the value of the underlying company. A bad earnings report doesn’t change the fundamentals of a business overnight, yet prices can plummet as the public adjusts their perception to incorporate this new information. Thus, when we’re speculating that a …
Thus we may know that there are five essentials for victory: 1. He will win who knows when to fight and when not to fight 2. He will win who knows how to handle both superior and inferior forces 3. He will win whose army is animated by the same spirit throughout all its ranks …
Practically every meaningful position comes with table stakes. A point guard needs to be able to dribble without having the ball stolen and they must have the ability to orchestrate an offense. A dentist needs to be able to effectively clean teeth and hold a halfway decent conversation. These skills aren’t enough to ensure excellence, …
A common theme lies at the heart of nearly all frustration and anguish derived from the current situation. It isn’t the fact that we’re quarantined. It isn’t the fact that we might get sick. It isn’t the fact that life is different than it was a few months ago. It’s that we’re longing for reality …
One shot to Achilles’s ankle killed him. He crumbled under adversity. He was fragile. The Phoenix was the opposite. Kill the mythical Phoenix, and it arises from the ashes, as if it was never attacked in the first place. The Phoenix was robust. But that’s not where it ends. There’s another level to this game. …
The following snippets are some of my favorite takeaways from Epictetus’s Discourses and Enchiridion. They can be found here, along with my favorite passages from other books and essays that I’ve recently read: http://brandonbartneck.com/favorite-book-takeaways/. Enchiridion Book I, 2“…reflection will show that people are put off by nothing as much as what they think is unreasonable, and …
The current status of the pandemic will pass, but life won’t return to normal. I’ve recently highlighted what this might mean for the automotive industry (link) and we should start thinking about what this means in each of our spheres. The current level of paranoia will subside. Despite how unappealing it might sound to go …
No one likes to be degraded, or to have others talk poorly behind their back. It hurts. And it leaves us wanting to strike back. But Epictetus proposes a different, and I’d argue much more empowering, approach. Instead of defending ourselves, he suggests that we should respond with: “Yes and he doesn’t know the half …
What order should we empty the inbox? The conventional wisdom for a customer-facing individual is something like the following: 1. Customers 2. Superiors within your company 3. Team members and other colleagues 4. Family and friends The “customer is king” so they get first priority. Jim Stengel, long-time marketing executive and former CMO of Proctor …