The Importance of Thinking in Solitude

Solitude and Leadership

This article was sent to me this afternoon by a great friend.  I read it slowly and soon recognized it was one of the top 10 articles of the year.

Enjoy

On the Importance of Reading

If you haven't heard of Charlie Munger then you have missed out.  Charlie is straight man to Warren Buffett.  


Charlie once said, "In my whole life, I have known no wise people (over a broad subject matter area) who didn't read all the time - none, zero. You'd be amazed at how much Warren reads - and at how much I read. My children laugh at me. They think I'm a book with a couple of legs sticking out."




Charlie Munger Biography


I try and read a wide variety of material.  I read to learn, be exposed to new ideas, and to see what others are thinking about.  This benefits me and it benefits my clients.  Too often we get stuck doing the same thing over and over, never really thinking of new ways to do things, or new ideas that can replace current thought.  Reading can give you the edge.

Sourdough Starter "makes" a Great Story

The Story

I ran across a great story in the Wall Street Journal on Monday.  It is entitled, "Was That Blob in Your Kitchen Born in the Gold Rush?"

As I started to read it I knew I would clip this and save it in my Evernote files.

The Key Phrases/Story Bits/Quotes

• "I'm not necessarily a good pet owner."
• Lives on the kitchen counter
• largely determined by the frequency of feedings
• traces its starter to an original batch first mixed in 1849 during the Gold Rush.
• saved by Louise Boudin from a fire during the 1906 San Francisco earthquake.
• The Fresh Loaf, a baking website...now attracts 1.25 million page views a month.

How Would You Use This Story

This would be a great hero story.  The hero starts off, overcomes challenges with the help of a mentor, conquers something and returns to share his/her knowledge with others. 

 Just take the details of the story and match it to your presentation topic.  If you mother or someone in your neighborhood had a starter there is the perfect lead in to your story and your presentation.

This is also leadership or management story as well.  Leaders have something that they value that has grown over years of constant care and growth.  They share it with others who realize its benefits.  If something terrible happens the leader can work with someone they have shared the skill with and regain lost momentum. 

Get in the habit of reading constantly from a wide variety of sources and clip something everyday!

Be Interested not Interesting

One of the toughest lessons to learn in life is about your focus when meeting new people.

We all know that everyone's favorite subject is themselves.  However, most of us will not allow someone we meet, the opportunity to show us just how unique they are.  We spend most of our time talking about ourselves in the hopes that we are interesting.  The better choice is to listen to the individual you just meet and concentrate on being interested.

This is one of my favorite stories


Admired for her beauty, Jennie Jerome (Winston Churchill's mother) glided through the loftiest social circles in Great Britain. Once, on consecutive nights, Ms. Jerome dined with England's premier politicians: Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli and his chief rival, William Gladstone. When questioned about her impressions of the two men, Ms. Jerome made the following observation:

"When I left the dining room after sitting next to Gladstone, I thought he was the cleverest man in England. But when I sat next to Disraeli I left feeling that I was the cleverest woman."


As you chat with people today, listen more than you talk and be interested