023 | Good Things About Great People

Hey friends,

There’s just something about some people that makes them great.

..or one of the biggest CEOs in the world.

Here’s everything I learnt from a LinkedIn Course I completed at the beginning of lockdown on career advice. For the full unedited notes, click on the link at the end of this article for a free front-seat view into my Notion Workspace.

The meat of it is that around 40 CEOs were asked questions to the effect of what made them wildly successful and what pearls of wisdom they’d like to share with people starting out their careers or aiming for those c-suite positions one day. I’ve condensed all the insights into the five most commonly recurring pieces of advice.

Among those interviewed were Jamie Dimon, Bill Gates, Tony Robbins, Ray Dalio, Oprah Winfrey, and Richard Branson.

Five pearls of wisdom

#1 Become the go-to person in your field of expertise.

Essentially over-deliver and go the extra mile compared to your counterparts. This will set you apart and instantly make you more resourceful and an important asset.

#2 Read a lot and focus on becoming a better version of yourself.

There’s no question that reading is a superpower to harness. As Warren Buffett often says, knowledge compounds over time the more you read.

#3 Don’t shy away from making mistakes and more importantly learn from them.

Humans learn best from their mistakes. Making a mistake once is great - it’s your best learning opportunity. Making the same mistakes numerous times is just lazy.

#4 Always stay true to your morals and core values.

If you think something is wrong, say it. Don’t just conform to something that doesn’t sit well with you ethically or morally. This will only lead to bigger problems later.

#5 What happens outside of work directly impacts your career.

Maintain a good work-life balance and make time for family, friends, and your hobbies. This helps to prevent burnout. There’s a lot more to life than your career.

The most impactful quotes

Just spend your life learning. I read four or five newspapers every morning. I read tons of stuff. I read everything that people send me. You can learn from clients, you can learn from competitors.. just keep learning. — Jamie Dimon

Do what you love, be ready for change, understand how change works. — Bill Gates

Don't let your fears stand in your way. Fears of how you’re perceived, or fears of failure. Failure is part of the journey. So you know to, go out there and experience, have the failures, learn from the failures because you are very open-minded. — Ray Dalio

Want more? 👉🏾 Here are my full notes from when I took the course — click here.

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This Week’s Quote 🎯

Humans work best when they have a sense of purpose. It doesn’t seem to matter what it is, as long as there is one! Without a sense of purpose the Human lacks direction and meaning to life. ― Steve Peters, The Chimp Paradox

This Week’s Recommendation 🚀

Netflix Documentary 🎞 — The Social Dilemma

I watched this documentary earlier this week and it really opened my eyes on the various ulterior motives big tech companies may have and all the mischievous ways in which our own data can be used to trap us further and further into the black hole that is social media addiction. It’s only 90-minutes long and it’s eye-opening.

This Week’s Content 🏄🏾‍♂️

I’ve got a super interesting video coming out tomorrow — subscribe to watch it first. In the meanwhile, check out last week’s video. ☕️

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That’s all for this week - be safe, be happy!

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