RECENT POSTS
Crowd Wisdom (#381)
Over the past few years, I have taken many trains from New York’s Penn Station to Boston. Over those trips, I’ve noticed a pattern: about 5-10 minutes before the arrival track of a train is announced, people start to congregate around a specific track where they believe the train will be. While you’d expect the results to be no better than blind guesses, the crowd seems to be right a vast majority of the time. This happens even though, as best as I can tell, the train’s arrival track follows no discernable pattern. Following the crowd is often viewed as …
Happy Reunions (#380)
This past weekend I attended my 25th college reunion. It was a much-needed opportunity to connect with some of my closest friends and reconnect with people who played an important part in my life that I hadn’t seen in decades. Upon reflecting on what was a fun and enjoyable weekend, two themes stuck out to me which I believe have broader implications. Positive Nostalgia It was a wonderfully positive experience to see people I had not seen in years and reminisce about decades-old memories. Many of us have experienced the warm comfort of revisiting our fondest past stories, which is …
Avoiding Maximalism (#379)
When I look around the business landscape right now, most notably on my LinkedIn feed, I feel like I’m watching a movie I’ve seen many times before. A few weeks ago, I wrote about how generative AI is poised to cause rapid changes to many aspects of how we work and live over the next few months and years. Given AI’s potential, it’s not surprising to see it talked about constantly in the news and across social media, to the point that it often feels like the only topic of conversation. As is common with many technological advancements, the genuine …
Failing vs Failure (#378)
While not everyone is a sports fan, sports undeniably can offer us valuable lessons for life and leadership. A prime example occurred last week during the NBA basketball playoffs. The Milwaukee Bucks, who had the best record in the league, suffered a shocking and resounding defeat in the first round of the postseason. Perhaps the most resonant moment of the series came after it ended, during a press conference featuring Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo. Antetokounmpo, a two-time NBA Most Valuable Player and one of the world’s best basketball players, was asked by a reporter if he considered the season to …