Dickie's Digest - Coronavirus, Bill Walsh, and Building Wealth
Friends,
新年快乐! Or, in English, Happy Lunar New Year! With the turn of the year, we transition from the Year of the Pig to the Year of the Rat. The Zodiac sign for those born in 1995 is the Pig, and for those born in 1996, it’s the Rat. If you’re curious, here’s the Rat’s profile, the Pig’s profile, and a Lunar New Year Guide.
This Lunar New Year celebration is especially interesting given the recent coronavirus outbreak in China. The weekend preceding the New Year is the world’s largest human migration— an estimated three billion trips will take place as Chinese citizens travel to celebrate with family. There are currently over 2,500 confirmed cases in China, but some experts estimate it could be 10 times that amount. Within the US, there are three confirmed cases in California, Illinois, and Washington, with three more pending here in New York. To stay up-to-date, I’m following this fascinating New York Times profile of the virus.
Thanks to those of you who signed up over the past few days — here is this week’s edition of the Digest. Enjoy!
What I’m Reading
The Score Takes Care of Itself: My Philosophy of Leadership: Bill Walsh
In honor of the San Francisco 49ers heading back to the Super Bowl, I decided to give The Score Takes Care of Itself by Bill Walsh a read this week. Within the first 20 pages, I was hooked.
Bill Walsh coached the 49ers from 1979 to 1988, leading the team to Super Bowl victories in 1981, 1984, and 1988— quite a strong run.
In the book, Walsh writes about his philosophy on leadership, building teams, and, most importantly, building and instilling a Standard of Performance.
The most intense part of the book is Walsh describing his personal Standard of Performance:
My Standard of Performance—the values and beliefs within it—guided everything I did in my work at San Francisco and are defined as follows: Exhibit a ferocious and intelligently applied work ethic directed at continual improvement; demonstrate respect for each person in the organization and the work he or she does; be deeply committed to learning and teaching, which means increasing my own expertise; be fair; demonstrate character; honor the direct connection between details and improvement, and relentlessly seek the latter; show self-control, especially where it counts most—under pressure; demonstrate and prize loyalty; use positive language and have a positive attitude; take pride in my effort as an entity separate from the result of that effort; be willing to go the extra distance for the organization; deal appropriately with victory and defeat, adulation and humiliation (don’t get crazy with victory nor dysfunctional with loss); promote internal communication that is both open and substantive (especially under stress); seek poise in myself and those I lead; put the team’s welfare and priorities ahead of my own; maintain an ongoing level of concentration and focus that is abnormally high; and make sacrifice and commitment the organization’s trademark.
How awesome is that? A ferocious and intelligently applied work ethic. Maintain an ongoing level of concentration and focus that is abnormally high. After reading this, it’s easy to see why this franchise was successful under Walsh’s leadership.
What I’m Watching
SportsCenter Images of the 2010's Decade
The SportsCenter Images of the 2010’s Decade video came out a week or so ago, and it’s awesome.
My favorite part is that I can vividly remember where I was and who I was with for so many of these magical moments.
After watching this one I proceeded down the rabbit hole, watching the 2000s version as well as the 2010’s College Football version.
What I’m Listening To
How to Get Rich: Every Episode + Extras - Naval | Podcast on Spotify
If you have never heard of @Naval, this podcast is a great introduction. He is one of my favorite Twitter follows, with an insight density greater than nearly anyone I follow.
This four hour mega-episode has more value than any MBA program out there. Naval’s big picture focus is on leverage in the 21st century.
“Early on, find things where you have any interest and take on accountability. Don’t worry about short-term compensation. If you dive into the edge of knowledge, which nobody knows how to solve, and solve the hard problems, people will line up behind you. The leverage will come.”
As you listen, don’t worry about trying to remember every point he makes— there are simply way, way too many. This summary guide has all the best points laid out for you.
Quotes and Questions
In every man there is something wherein I may learn of him, and in that, I am his pupil. — Ralph Waldo Emerson
Time magnifies the margin between success and failure. It will multiply whatever you feed it. Good habits make time your ally. Bad habits make time your enemy. — James Clear
In anything you are trying to improve, what decision or rule can you implement that eliminates many more future decisions? — inspired by this Tim Ferris blog post.
End Note
If you’re enjoying the Digest so far, I’d love it if you shared it with a friend or two by forwarding it or sending them here to sign up. In a world full of noise, I’m trying to make this email the highest signal one you receive each week — I hope you’re enjoying it.
Be sure to follow me on Twitter or respond directly to this email to get in touch. And should you come across anything interesting this week, send it my way! I love finding new things to read through members of this newsletter.
Have an epic week,
Dickie