Music of the Week
Dave Matthews Band is an American rock band formed in the early 90s in Charlottesville, Virginia. The band originally consisted of Dave Matthews (lead vocals, guitar), Stefan Lessard (bass), Carter Beauford (drums, backup vocals), Boyd Tinsley (violin, backup vocals), and LeRoi Moore (saxophonist). It has since slimmed to Matthews, Lessard, and Beauford. Some of my favorite songs include The Dreaming Tree, Shake Me Like A Monkey, She, Again and Again, and So Right.
Quotes of the Week
Kind people are never involved in arguments, and those who like to argue are never kind. – Lao Tzu
Build a great business and you could write your prospectus on a cocktail napkin and it’d be fine. – John Collison
If you really want to be the outlier in terms of achievement, just sit down on your ass and read — and do it all the time. — Charlie Munger
Wrong decisions are part of life. Being able to make them work out anyway is one of the abilities of those who are successful. — Warren Buffett
Success depends upon previous preparation, and without such preparation, there is sure to be failure. – Confucius
Articles of the Week
“When demand exceeds supply, the grid operator usually has to pay gas power plants to fire up and provide more electricity. By incentivizing power saving, it lowers the need to burn more fossil fuels” from UK Households Will Get Paid to Not Use Electricity explains how demand response works.
“From morning until night, we’re thinking about Boar’s Head, how to do it. We’re constantly in contact with each other. It’s our identities. It’s our life. That’s what we do” as quoted in The Secret Dynasty That Controls The Boar’s Head Brand shows how the company owners think about the brand.
“You almost certainly can’t consistently do the kind of work that demands serious mental focus for more than about three or four hours a day” noted in The three-or-four-hours rule for getting creative work done is advice I need to implement as soon as possible to prevent burnout.
Book of the Week
Leadership Strategy and Tactics: Field Manual by Jocko Willink offers leadership principles that can applied by business owners, parents, and employees. The book offers skills that can be practiced and implemented immediately. Willink, a retired U.S. Navy SEAL officer teaches readers how to lead in any situation. He uses leadership lessons he learned on the battlefield in Iraq that readers can use in their lives. Decision-making tactics are prominent throughout the book. I appreciate the simplicity in Willink’s writing making books like this one accessible to the masses.
Podcasts of the Week
Renewable energy was the podcast de jour this week. Episodes I enjoyed include NextEra Energy: The Renewable Energy Leader, Brookfield Asset Management: Alternative Cash Flows, NPM Interconnections: Keith Derman | Ares Management, Power Surge: AI, Renewable Energy, and the Future of Electricity, and Reunion Co-Founders on the Tax Credit Market.
Bonus: Video of the Week
Jensen Huang got his best career advice from a gardener in Japan
