Weekly Quote: Jan-Benedict Steenkamp on Leading People
This week’s quote comes from Jan-Benedict Steenkamp’s 2020 book Time To Lead: Lessons for Today’s Leaders from Bold Decisions that Changed History. Steenkamp is a marketing professor, keynote speaker, and author. He is also the co-founder and executive director of AiMark, a global non-profit foundation focusing on sustainable brand growth.
Perspective can come from understanding that everyone has days, weeks, or even months where things aren’t going well. So the mess that Steenkamp writes about in this week’s quote isn’t necessarily the product of a malcontent’s wish to cause trouble; it can come from bad luck or a challenging situation.
People go through stuff, and it isn’t always their fault. It could be that a family member is sick and the medical bills are piling up, their child is struggling with depression, or they get injured working around the house. A leader should consider the situation as they try and help the person get through it. That person won’t always make it; some problems are too much or too overwhelming, and the job can’t and probably shouldn’t compete. If you can’t help them find the path through, allow them dignity and offer some grace as they find their way out.
Trying to help is noble. It’s not always easy and sometimes requires more from you than you might like. Remember that giving of yourself in a measured way to someone who is hurting and still wants to show up might be what keeps them going.
Regardless of what happens, you have a choice. You can be someone who helps, even if, in the end, things crash and burn, or you’re just another part of the mess. The choice seems like an easy choice to me.
Tony Fadell on The Secret of Great Design
I recently finished reading Build: An Unorthodox Guide to Making Things Worth Making by Tony Fadell. The book looks at Tony's career in tech, starting at General Magic and Philips, moving to his time at Apple designing the iPod and iPhone, and then onto his work creating the Nest Learning Thermostat. In addition to being an author, Tony is an investor and advisor at Future Shape, mentoring startups with his experience and knowledge from many years as a designer, creator, team leader, and CEO.
Build is full of insights and interesting details into the products he helped create, a few of which I’ve shared as weekly quotes. Tony writes about the challenges of managing growing org charts, managing crises, developing the user experience, marketing, building a culture, and how successful companies work with their legal teams to best avoid one of the hazards of a successful and disruptive startup - litigation.
Overcoming Habituation
In this TED talk from 2015, Fadell talks about the need to overcome habituation as a critical driver for successful design and improved user experience. He offers three tips to get better at this::
Look Broader
Look Closer
Think Younger
Number three is something I see as my kids grow up. Kids haven't been habituated to the way things are, and they aren't afraid to probe why something is the way it is. You'veYou've probably seen this too if you are a parent or close to kids. It'sIt's worth taking note of how powerful that perspective can be.
Staying Beginners
Tony talks about how Steve Jobs wanted the teams at Apple to stay beginners. This is why Apple puts so much thought into not just interface and hardware but also the little things like shipping the original iPod with a charged battery or even the packaging design. Apple realizes that reducing friction is essential, especially for new customers, so their products aren't just easy to get out of their boxes; the process is elegant, and the device is ready to use.
Developing an Idea
If you've read Build, you'll recognize some of the stories and narrative devices that Tony used at TED in 2015 are weaved into the narrative of his book, published about seven years later. It's inspiring to see how ideas can simmer and continue to develop and improve over time.
It seems that Tony has followed his own advice throughout his career, from his time creating portable electronic devices at General Magic to his work on making the iPod, iPhone, and Nest Thermostat. He iterated, made mistakes, surrounded himself with other driven people, and found incredible success in developing some of our favorite products. Perhaps unsurprisingly, that's what makes this book so great. It's part autobiography, part strategy session, and entirely his lived experience that we can all benefit from reading.
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Weekly Quote: James Clear on Being Proud
This week’s quote comes from a thought James Clear shared on his Instagram. James is the author of Atomic Habits (3) and the 3-2-1 weekly newsletter.
This quote created some deeper thinking about pride and how it fits into daily life, particularly in the professional realm. I’m traveling this weekend for a wedding, and look forward to sharing more in a future entry when I have some time to develop the idea further.
Communication Expert Julian Treasure on How to Speak so that People Want to Listen
There’s a good chance you’ve already seen the 2013 TED talk from Julian Treasure about speaking so that people will listen. Julian discusses several aspects of communication, including the “seven deadly sins of speaking” and the four cornerstones to speak more clearly and connect with the listener. Finally, he covers some tools you can use to make your voice more receptive.
A few minutes into watching this, I realized I had seen this talk before. I flashed back several years to my then office and remembered coming across Julian and this talk on LinkedIn, of all places. Total Deja vu.
All this is to say that it’s worth watching again if you’ve seen it, probably annually. It’s helpful to get a tune-up on how we speak and communicate, given how important it is to most aspects of life.
NY Times: Planning for the End of Elizabeth's Reign Began at the Beginning
The New York Times has a fascinating look at the succession plan for Queen Elizabeth II, referred to as Operation London Bridge.
From the article:
The death of Queen Elizabeth II sets in motion a meticulously choreographed and coordinated procedure for which the palace, the government, the news media, the local authorities and the queen herself had long planned.
As Britain’s longest-serving monarch, Queen Elizabeth II fulfilled her duties through a period of change worldwide. I’m sure she had some incredible stories to share, although she didn’t seem, at least to this American with a soft spot for the UK and its customs and people, to be the kind who told tales.
Tony Fadell on Leaders Taking Ownership During a Crisis
This week’s quote comes from Build: An Unorthodox Guide to Making Things Worth Making by Tony Fadell. Tony is a longtime entrepreneur, the founder and one-time CEO of Nest Labs, and the co-creator of the iPod and the iPhone.
It’s important to remember that if you are the leader, you are the one who is responsible, especially when things go wrong. In chapter 4.6 of Build, appropriately entitled Crisis, Tony lists some helpful tips for getting to the other side. The above quote is number 5, and here is the complete list with a brief description for each:
Keep focused on the problem. Blame comes later.
Instruct the team on the what and how, and then let them do it. Do not micromanage.
You are not alone. Ask for advice from people you trust who may have experienced something similar.
Constantly communicate with all stakeholders.
Accept responsibility and apologize.
Making excuses or even denying that a problem exists does nothing but make the situation worse and will quickly lose the confidence of everyone around you. Crisis management has become a profession, yet anyone can benefit from having Fadell’s experience-based list. The best way to learn is through experience, so the next time you are in a crisis at work or home, grab this list. You can bookmark this page, or better yet, get the book and highlight the chapter. If you do as Tony suggests, you have a fighting chance of surviving the crisis and learning something from it.
I have two decades of operations management experience, and I can’t think of a time when saying “I’m sorry” to someone for a mistake my team or myself had made caused the situation to get worse. Apologizing humbles you, and that’s a great way to start the process of fixing the mistake and finding your way through the crisis.
Weekly Quote: John Kenneth Galbraith on Changing Minds
This week’s quote comes to us from John Kenneth Galbraith. Galbraith was a professor of economics at Harvard University, United States Ambassador to India under John F. Kennedy from 1961 to 1963, and an advisor to President Johnson. He was also a prolific author of dozens of books, including several memoirs and highly regarded books about history, the economy, and society.
It’s easier and more comfortable to reinforce your current beliefs than question them. So you probably seek out information that helps support and reinforce the things you believe. Most people do this occasionally, and it takes effort to overcome.
Despite the challenges associated with rethinking, the next time you have an opportunity to do it after collecting new information, you should. It may feel difficult in the short term, but it’s worth it because you stand to gain a new and potentially more valuable perspective that can help you grow as a person.
I recommend reading Think Again by Adam Grant if you want to learn more about this idea. Adam does a lot of research on how useful it is to think like a scientist and not a prosecutor or a preacher when searching for the truth. As is usual with his books, the narrative is compelling and the argument is sound. The audiobook, narrated wonderfully by the author, also an experienced podcaster with a talent for telling stories, is worth listening to as well.
Steven Pressfield on The Daily Stoic Podcast
If you are a fan of Ryan Holiday and Steven Pressfield, you can probably see how much these two authors inspire and help me on the journey to shape my voice and my resolve to write, create, share, and educate.
Steven has a new book out called Put Your Ass Where Your Heart Wants to Be that I am looking forward to reading. I read The War on Art just before starting 24 Letters and occasionally revisit chapters and quotes from it to keep me motivated.
Pressfield was a guest recently on Ryan’s Daily Stoic Podcast, and the conversation was brilliant. These two guys like and respect each other and lean on one another for support and honest feedback.
The podcast has some great guests. Other favorites include The Psychology of Money Author Morgan Housel and author, professor, and podcaster Scott Galloway.
In fact, when I learn about someone new I usually go search the podcast feed because Ryan has frequently had them on for an in-depth and informative conversation that’s worth listening too.
MIT Professor and AI Pioneer Patrick Winston on How To Speak
I recently found out about this video featuring the late MIT professor Patrick Winston’s talk How To Speak. From the description:
Patrick Winston’s How to Speak talk has been an MIT tradition for over 40 years. Offered every January, the talk is intended to improve your speaking ability in critical situations by teaching you a few heuristic rules.
Professor Winston has this presentation nailed down, hitting the beats and keeping people engaged. He even gets some laughs, which, even after 40 years of presenting this talk, must still have felt good.
If you haven’t seen this, take an hour and enjoy. I’ve watched this once, and pretty quickly, I knew a second viewing to take some notes about the big ideas would be required.
MIT Press also published Make It Clear: Speak and Write to Persuade by Professor Winston. I’ve added it to my reading list.
This course is part of the MIT OpenCourseWare program, which offers thousands of courses available for free to anyone without payment or registration. It’s a knowledge rabbit hole that I want to some time exploring, and I hope you do too!
Weekly Quote: Seneca on Finding Courage Through Hardship
This week's quote from Seneca is included as part of the chapter on adversity in The Practicing Stoic by Ward Farnsworth.
Ward has written an excellent book on Stoicism that I have quoted multiple times. I read this book slowly for the first time, taking lots of notes and highlights for future reference, and I am already rereading chapters and passages that can help me make sense of something happening.
It's been a challenging year, although none of what's happened is particularly remarkable or unique to my family, and it's all been manageable despite being exhausting and occasionally overwhelming. I know everyone goes through tough times, and I've been trying to learn from these experiences. Here are a few things that I'm figuring out that might help you too:
I Cannot Control Every Situation
I'm getting better at understanding more quickly when a situation is beyond my control. One of our children, who is now fully recovered, got sick and ended up in the hospital for a few days. I couldn't fix that. I could only be a participant in a bigger plan for recovery and stability for the entire family.
I Can be More Patient
I think I am a pretty patient person, and I am working on getting more tuned in to what it means to be a patient son, father, and husband. Different roles in my life need other things from me. Patience is universal, but there are nuances that I'm picking up on.
Creating Through Adversity Shuts the Resistance Down
I believe that adversity can spark creativity. Unfortunately, I've had very little time to create or write over the last several weeks, but the ideas are still coming and are meaningful to me. I've been feeling The Resistance a lot recently. Its presence encourages me that I am on the right path. I'm not giving up. I'm doubling down.
Building Courage is Worth Doing
I'm building my courage through practice. Living a rich life means that adversity will happen, and while it can be difficult, I feel more prepared to face what is next because of what I have already gone through.
How I Face Hardship Matters
Whether it's at work or home, someone is watching. I may struggle with a situation, but I can strive to have a measured and thoughtful response when it all goes wrong, or something scary happens. Essentially, the definition of being courageous.
Recognizing my Good Fortune Builds Endurance
I am deeply fortunate to have a healthy and happy family. We are coming closer because of these experiences, which is another gift of endurance I will gladly take as part of this journey.
Weekly Quote: Marcus Aurelius on Having no Opinion
This week’s quote comes from Marcus Aurelius, author of Meditations, Stoic philosopher, and Roman Emperor from 161 to 180.
Choosing not to have an opinion on a subject over which you have no control is a valuable lesson. It’s vital to learn the difference between what should receive your attention and the low signal, high noise stuff that doesn’t deserve your time but does its best to get in front of you regardless.
When you cast your opinion towards things that don’t matter, when you comment and like or share, when you offer an idea that you may not even believe in, it’s easy to get sucked into a vortex that makes you unhappy and robs you of your attention and inspiration. It’s not an easy place to escape, so avoid it.
In fact, entire industries thrive when you don’t follow this advice, with some sharing impressive quarterly earnings on calls to their investors, touting the financial success of their engagement strategy.
Time is the most valuable commodity you have. Do everything you can to avoid getting caught up in things that don’t matter. Guard your attention, and honor yourself by making the most of it.
Weekly Quote: Tony Fadell, Author of “Build,” on Screwing Up
This week’s quote comes from the book Build: An Unorthodox Guide to Making Things Worth Making by Tony Fadell, founder and one-time CEO of Nest Labs and the co-creator of the iPod and the iPhone.
Mistakes are the language of growth, and the idea of productive struggle is one of untapped potential. It’s a powerful experience to learn something, especially after getting it wrong.
I’m a few days late with this because of illness in the family, and I’m unable to write many thoughts, although I do not doubt that I’ll be sharing more from this book in the future. Tony is an accomplished and driven guy from whom we can all learn a great deal.
PKM Toolkit: Using Kindle for Learning and Research
Books are a significant source of joy in my life and a big part of what inspires this site. I read daily, even if only for a short time on busy days, and I do most of my reading using the Kindle app on my iPad.
I like using Kindle because it makes reading more manageable and more accessible. I can easily organize highlights and streamline knowledge transfer into other places for future access. Here are some other reasons why Kindle is an essential aspect of my personal knowledge management system.
Readwise Integration
I wrote about how much I use and like Readwise in the first entry of the PKM Toolkit series. I have used an old-fashioned highlighter in print books and then typed those quotes or passages into Readwise, but it’s time-consuming. Live Text on iOS makes this a little easier by taking a photo and then copying the text,, but highlighting in the Kindle app is simple. Readwise is integrated with Kindle and can automatically sync highlights for me.
Using the Kindle highlight feature, which imports into Readwise easily, is a low-friction way for me to take notes because I need to highlight the text. As a result, the interruption in reading is limited.
Split Screen for Intensive Note Taking
While Readwise is my go-to app for short highlights and the quotes that I feature, Craft is the app I use for data collection, in-depth note-taking, and as a tool for reviewing and tracking my projects.
On my iPad, I can have Craft and Kindle open in split-screen, so I can paste text and take notes. I don’t do this often, but it’s convenient to have the option.
Searching
The keyword search feature in Kindle works well. I like how It breaks down the results into different sections, starting with notes and highlights and then sections of the book by chapter.
I use this feature a lot when building a quote post, so I can find the original context from which the quote was pulled.
Access on Other Devices
Sometimes I read on my iPhone or my hardware Kindle, and because the sync feature is pretty reliable, I can switch back and forth as needed.
Where it Fits in
I get a lot of information from the books I read, which end up in different places based on the intended use. Highlights go into Readwise but can end up in Craft for a different kind of review, and some go to Day One in my personal reflection journal, where I can write at length to get more clarity on a concept.
Despite enjoying ebooks, I still like the printed page, and my personal preference for Kindle is what works best for me right now. With Kindle, I like the portability, ease of note-taking, and access to my books on different devices.
If you’re trying to improve your reading experience on the iPad, you can read about how I hid the reading progress and clock in Kindle and also check out my Reading Focus Mode that helps deal with distractions.
PKM Toolkit is a series featuring software and ideas that help collect, organize, review, and share knowledge. You can learn more about personal knowledge management by reading the first entry of the series.Weekly Quote: Annie Murphy Paul, Author of “The Extended Mind,” on Teaching to Learn
This week’s quote comes from a favorite and often quoted book here on 24 Letters, The Extended Mind: The Power of Thinking Outside the Brain by Annie Murphy Paul.
The context of this quote is that children who are encouraged to take home what they are learning and teach it to their family members can learn more and better understand the material through this act.
This seems to work, in a few different ways, in our adult lives too.
When you were asked to teach your colleague that new system at work, it probably helped you learn it more thoroughly. It may have sharpened your social skills, potentially giving you more confidence, greater empathy, and a better understanding of communicating clearly.
When you go to your doctor, you may experience the teach-back method. Health care professionals are increasingly being trained to ask in a nuanced way for the patient to repeat back what they heard after a conversation so they can offer clarification and address any misunderstandings. The added benefit is that by doing this, the recipient has an opportunity to better understand the information by teaching it to the provider.
You probably remember someone who taught you something important. It may have been in school, a job, or maybe a friend who impacted your life. Perhaps it was a new skill that made you better at your job or a new idea that helped you improve your relationships. Whatever it was, you know the value of teaching even if it isn’t your job because you not only remember that person, you remember how they changed you. Everyone can and should teach what they know; it’s a gift you can give someone that can help improve their lives and the lives of those they touch.
Weekly Quote: Stephen Covey on Leadership and Management
This week’s quote comes from The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey.
This quote resonates with the leadership and management styles that I most admire. Skilled leaders recognize that they are a beacon of strength, experience, and guidance to those around them, and they see their team as vital to their own success and treat them as such.
I’ve found the best outcome for a leader, and a team is to develop a symbiotic relationship where all involved rely on each other for individual and collective success. No one does it alone, and embracing that can be the key to the kind of forward momentum that results in triumph.
PKM Toolkit: Using Day One for Higher-Level Personal Reflection
I keep several journals in Day One. I’ve had a general catch-all since I started using the app regularly in 2016, and I have a gratitude journal that I wrote about here. The newest one I’ve created is for higher-level personal reflection. It’s where I ponder big ideas.
The most recent entry is about focusing on the present and being in the moment, which I struggle with sometimes. Another topic I’m writing about is humility, looking at this concept through the lens of my relationship with various elements of my family, friends, and professional groups. I don’t write in this journal daily, although I have a reminder to look at it weekly and glance at the topics under review, sometimes contributing and writing further.
Journaling, in whatever form works for you, is worth doing for many reasons. It doesn’t have to be complicated or fancy, and while a prompt or theme can be helpful, it’s unnecessary. Just start writing your thoughts. It helps figure challenges out and better understand yourself and those that are closest and most important to you.
Weekly Quote: Ryan Holiday on Answering the Call
This week’s quote comes from Courage is Calling by Ryan Holiday, an author who is a continued inspiration for me.
Get Started. Go for it. Do it.
When starting a new project, you need encouragement to overcome the resistance. I am thankful for the family and friends who supported me as I launched this project because my negative soundtrack was loud! I didn’t fully understand what came next, and I was scared.
Now, seven months into publishing weekly entries with several regular features, part of the pleasure of working on this project is that I’m still figuring some of this out. I have ideas at various stages of creation, and I’m taking the time to write and think about them, to clarify and build them into something cohesive and tangible that I can share with you.
The vital first step in any creative endeavor is to begin. I started writing blog posts before registering the domain or even settling on the site name because I wanted to start by bringing my ideas to life. The more I wrote, the more confident I became and the more I wanted to accomplish. My confidence grew because I thought less in the abstract and took the time to get work done.
Is there something you want to do? If so, what are you waiting for? Start it, and know that it may become something other than what you originally planned, but know it will be yours.
Finding Focus: Hiding the Clock and Reading Progress in Kindle
I like to minimize distractions while reading on the iPad. Without the proper controls, a connected device can become a firehose of eye-catching notifications. I wrote about how well my Reading Focus Mode is working for me, and that has inspired me to try and reduce the amount of visible data on screen in the Kindle itself. To accomplish this, I’ve decided to hide the Reading Progress data that displays in the lower left corner and the current time that appears in the upper left corner.
It’s easy to toggle these options in the Kindle App. Just do the following:
1. Open a book and press anywhere in the middle of the screen. Doing this will change the view and offer settings and other options.
2. In the upper right corner of the screen, press the icon featuring an upper and lowercase letter and navigate to the More category.
3. Under the More pane, toggle Visible Clock.
4. Press on Reading Progress and adjust as desired.
5. If you check all options available under Reading Progress, it will hide the information but keep it accessible with a tap to the lower left corner while you are reading.
I’m enjoying the white space that this creates. I know it’s a little tweak, but sometimes those can significantly improve an experience. I think this is one of those situations. If you try it, let me know if you find it helpful.
Weekly Quote: Ward Farnsworth, Author of The Practicing Stoic, on Living in the Present
This week’s quote comes from The Practicing Stoic: A Philosophical User’s Manual by Ward Farnsworth, a book I am slowly reading and very much enjoying. I’ve written about this book before and continue to gather insights into Stoicism and how it can help shape my personal and professional journey.
I’ve spent this week living firmly in the present with a house full of sick people (that includes me), and I haven’t had much time to write or do anything beyond survival. I’m happy to live in the present, yet I look forward to the family being well and our routine returning to normal soon.
Weekly Quote: Harry Truman on Reading to Lead
This week's quote comes from Harry Truman, the 33rd President of The United States. In A 1962 letter to Dean Acheson, his Secretary of State from 1945 to 1947, Truman references how essential his reading as a young man was for his time as President, referring to it as his "terrible trial."
Good leaders aren't just readers. They like to write things down as well. Marcus Aurelius wrote Meditations as a journal, likely with no intention of anyone reading it. Winston Churchill wrote and published multiple volumes about his early life and World War II. Their motivations may have differed, but society benefits from their accounting for the historical record.
Biographies are perennial bestsellers because you can gain much insight into the subject's thoughts and ideas and learn lessons from choices and mistakes. You can read widely and deeply into the history of the world and come away with a more profound sense of curiosity and wonder while also learning something new.
You are likely a leader in some aspect of your life. So go and read with intention, even if it is just a few pages before going to bed or during your lunch break. Do it daily, and you will educate yourself, satisfy your curiosity, and build ideas that can inform the future.
If you are interested in reading more about Truman, I recommend The Accidental President: Harry S. Truman and the Four Months That Changed the World by A. J. Baime. So much of our world changed in just the short period this book covers, and it’s an eye-opening read.