From 600+ conversations with the world’s leading thinkers.
You have some smart people gaslighting us into telling us this isn't true... and that's now how history works. Those same people, when a Donald Trump figure comes onto the scene- or some other toxic force- are like who's going to save us? But they discouraged you from believing people had the power to do that.
There is no magic formula for great company culture. The key is just to treat your staff how you would like to be treated yourself. People are fundamental in driving the success of a business. You should treat your employees like the smart and capable adults they are.
There are individuals within organizations who seem untouchable, be they extraordinarily successful salespeople or powerhouse CEOs. These individuals often appear to be above the rules, even above the law. They're given latitude due to the exceptional value they bring to the organization.
The idea of grit is being able to sustain effort and commitment to goals that take a really long time. That's the part of the equation that sometimes gets overlooked.
It feels to us that the festival is owned by the people, and me and my Dad are kind-of custodians of it. In that sense, it's a bit like a sailing ship… me and my Dad drive it, but the ship is made of a few hundred people – our key organisers and creatives, who build each part of the ship with their own vision.
Putin badly miscalculated his chances of quick success in launching his 2022 invasion of Ukraine. But I think he will make a much sounder calculation of the costs to him of taking the action of using WMD.
We see ourselves as the long term creative and strategic partners to our clients and that word – partner – is really important to us. We will put intellectual, human, financial capital around the ideas of our clients and make them happen. A manager is about somebody that has an opinion, who has the ability to take your dream from inside your head to a reality.
There's an Overton window of policies you can make, but it's a wider window than the policies you can run your political campaign on. It's more a matter of legislators than politicians -- even though they're the same people.
You must surround yourself with great people, and as you grow, never forget the generosity gene. Building a great team is what this business game is all about. The team with the best players working together wins.
You are as good as your highest level of preparation in any negotiation. In any negotiation, you develop trust by putting in time where you don't have any skin in the game; that means you need to watch negotiations happen- and get a feel for how it's done. You can't just throw yourself in at the deep end and hope you can swim.
If your judgement is hijacked by emotions such as rage, fear, neediness, loneliness, or anger, you will act out of impulse – not out of value. This can be incredibly harmful – when the dust settles, you may realise you've messed-up.
Being underestimated often brings out the best in me. It's not just about overcoming insecurity but leveraging it as a catalyst to ensure that I bring everything I have to the mission and that I muster the courage to show people who I really am.