Capitalogix

Innovator Mindsets

To some, new technology is a good thing.  To others, less is more.

Most people simply "tolerate" technology transitions, some people drive them, and others crave them and use them as a catalyst for growth or strategic advantage.

In the image, above, the blue line represents consumer adoption (taken from Geoffrey Moore's "Crossing the Chasm", while the yellow line represents market share. 

As you can see, only 2.5% of the population drive innovation (or adopt it early enough to help drive the Alpha & Beta versions of emerging technologies). 13.5% make up the Early adopters, who help get it ready for the mainstream.  Then the early and late majorities are the groups that ultimately consume (or use) the mature product. Meanwhile, Laggards are often forced kicking and screaming into “new” technologies as the early adopters are well on their way to subsequent iterations. 

Even if you are not an innovator, here are a few Innovator Mindsets that I find useful. 

1. You Believe There’s A Better Way
   • Wherever you are, you know that there is a best next step and you are eager to find it and take it.
   • You recognize that the opportunity for more (or better) often lies just beyond the constraints or problems of the current way.
   • The bigger future fuels your efforts. When initial excitement fades, understanding what the bigger future can bring helps you power through.
2. You Are Comfortable Being Uncomfortable
   • You understand that Pioneers sometimes take arrows in the back.
   • When creating a new reality, you expect some resistance as a result of the law of averages. Escaping the status quo takes a lot of momentum, but it’s worth it. 
   • You recognize when victory is near.  In a quirk of human nature, too many people quit just before they would have won. Don’t make that mistake.
3. You Know Where You're Going, Even If You Are Not Sure How You're Going To Get There
   • Your goal should be your North Star. A clear direction is important to ensure that activity leads to progress.
   • Measure progress and momentum rather than the distance from your goal.
   • It is easier to course-correct while in motion.
   • If you’re too committed to a path that isn’t leading in the right direction, you might find what Blockbuster, RadioShack, and Kodak found.
4. You Are Married To Questions (Not Necessarily Answers)
   • Everything works until it doesn’t; and nothing works forever.
   • It’s easy to find an answer and think it’s the right one, but there’s always a best next step or a better way.
   • Figure out what you want and how to get it. This is much more empowering than focusing on what you don’t want or why you can’t get it.
   • Ask questions that focus on opportunities or possibilities rather than challenges or what you want to avoid.
   • Energy flows where focus goes.
   • Commit to finding a way!

I plan on sharing more Innovator Mindsets.  Let me know what you think.

Turning Thoughts Into Things

Well done is better than well said - Benjamin Franklin

Turning thoughts into things is an important skill set to understand.

Visionaries tend to spend a lot of their time exploring the future. In and of itself, this is neither good nor bad.

If you generate a lot of ideas (but don't properly cultivate and structure them) those ideas can easily become a distraction to you and your team. 

When properly managed and pursued methodically and purposefully - those same ideas become the catalyst for massive progress. 

There are three main ways, I believe you can make thoughts into things:

• Focus Your Energy - People often focus more on what they don't want, rather than on what they do want. By directing your energy and focus toward opportunities and possibilities, it becomes a lot more likely that you will recognize and take advantage of opportunities and possibilities when they appear or occur. 
• Imagine Your Future - One of my favorite quotes is " the best way to predict the future is to create it." Abraham Lincoln originally said it, but I've thought or said it enough it feels like mine to me.  By deeply imagining the future you want to call into existence, and thinking about it with that end in mind, it becomes easier to imagine the intermediary goals or milestones needed to reach your desired goals.  The basic outline brings order to the chaos ... and the strategies and tactics needed come from the finer distinctions you make thinking about each part (or what is needed to reach the next milestone).
• Make It Tangible - Name it!  Naming something is powerful. Whether it's a product in your business, a concept, or a goal. Making it tangible solidifies it in your mind, and in the mind of others.  Think about what happens if you reach it (and what would happen if you fail).  Come up with the criteria that provides evidence of success.  What would it look like?  How would it perform?  What does it make possible? What would it prevent? How would it impact key measures of efficiency, effectiveness, or certainty?  What can you do about it now?

Ultimately, each of these ideas is entirely dependent on the actions you're willing to take. And how decisive you can be. 

What aren't you doing because you're overthinking it? Are there opportunities you are missing simply because you aren't looking for them?

Onwards!

It's Not About The Nail...

Apparently, a lot of wisdom can be learned from nails. I've shared the story about the Nail in the Fence in the past. 

This week a funny video called "It's Not About The Nail" recycled through my inbox again. 

Have you seen it yet? It has had 20+ million views across various social media and syndication sites.  So, you've likely run across it even if you haven't watched it.

 

 

via Jason Headley

The short version is that a woman tries to communicate with her significant other about her headache, which he quickly identifies as (literally) a nail in her forehead, with a seemingly obvious solution: Let’s get rid of that nail. She insists that that is absolutely NOT the problem, and if he would just listen to her, that would be clear to him. She explains, clarifies, objects, etc. Eventually, he does see the light ... and gives her not the solution he found so (literally) painfully obvious, but the solution she asked for.

 

"Don't try to fix it. I just need you to listen." It's obvious.

 

Good for a laugh, but, also good as a reminder. Simply put, a problem that may seem apparent to you may not be so obvious to the person with a problem ... and that might be the real problem.

Whether your takeaway is that we often miss the answer right in front of our face, or that we have to be aware of what other people need, or that you can't help people that don't want to be helped ... you're right. 

 

Time Flies - Another Year, Another Lesson

Tomorrow is my 57th birthday. I can't believe how time flies. Birthdays seem to come more quickly as you get older.

It makes sense, though, I suppose. When you were four, a birthday represented a quarter of your life. Now, a year represents a much smaller percentage.

While it's not always pleasant getting older, it sure beats the alternative.

I made a concerted effort this year to make strides towards being more healthy, fit, and vital in mind, body, and spirit.  If you are going to live longer, your future has to be compelling.  I always strive for my future to be bigger than my past.  

As time marches on, I become increasingly grateful for the friends and family who share the journey with me. 

When I was a kid, I couldn't imagine being where I am today ... nor could I imagine the path that got me here. Looking back, it all seems to make sense (even though it felt pretty random while making my way through it).

I feel lucky to have been in the right place at the right time, so consistently, and to find the gift in most situations (even when it seemed so well hidden).

I'm grateful for a lot today, and as much as I love innovation, sometimes things are perfect just the way they are. 

Hopefully, you took time this weekend to let someone know they're important to you. If not, now is a good time for that too!

The Pace of Success

Capitalogix started in my home.  The first employee sat at a tiny desk behind me.  Their job was to exit the trades I entered.  This was an early attempt to avoid the fear, greed, and discretionary mistakes that humans bring to the business of trading.

We started to grow ... and somehow got to 23 people working in my home.  It literally overtook my office, dining room, and the entire upstairs. Neighbors noticed (and expressed their displeasure).

Looking back, it seems crazy (and my wife seems Saintly).  But somehow, at the time, it felt natural. 

Incubating the company in my home, and growing it the way we did resulted in a closeness (a feeling much like family) that pays dividends, even today.

Speed matters ... both fast and slow.  

I shot a video on the subject. Check it out. 

 

 

There is a concept in business expressed by the phrase "measure twice and cut once."  It's much easier to do something the right way from the beginning rather than trying to fix it after you mess it up. 

It saves time and creates a better end result. 

Beginning with the end in mind is powerful.  I often spend what looks like "too much" time imagining the bigger future.  What will things look like when we are ten-times bigger?  Who will we serve?  What dangers will keep me up at night?  What opportunities will we be trying to attract or capture?  What strengths will give us confidence?  Who will we be collaborating with ... and about what?  It helps build a roadmap that makes it easier to understand whether particular activities are aligned with our future (or just something we are doing now). 

I prefer to optimize on the longer-term rather than the shorter-term.  That isn't always possible or practical ... but when it is, that is my preference.

Pace is important - and a focus on "what's the best next step" is an important driver at Capitalogix, but sometimes in order to go fast, you have to go slow. You may miss out on something, but the ultimate payoff is often worth it. 

It's a good lesson for personal growth as well.  There is no right timeline. No one size fits all.  Take your time. Find your path. 

Anna Vital via Adioma

Hope that helps. 

The Intelligent Investor

There are many different methods of investing - and I've experimented with quite a few of them (fundamental, technical, statistical, quantitative, machine learning, etc.).

Ultimately, I believe most trading techniques work until they don't. 

I don't believe that any technique always works ... but I do believe that there is always something that works. 

Likewise, I believe that there is always a best next step.

Evolutionarily, the strongest or smartest doesn't necessarily survive ... The quickest to adapt and adjust to its changing environment is the one that gains advantage.

Consequently, it makes sense to be on the lookout for sources of new learning (even if they are old).

In the same way that reading news from an opposing slant can inform your decision - studying other beliefs may help you find the underlying truths (or spark the insight you needed).

Warren Buffet is a famous value investor. He does immense research on companies, attempts to buy them at a discount and then hold on to them for long periods of time.  On some levels, our approach to the markets is radically different.  On the other hand, it would be crazy to ignore the brilliance of what he "knows" and what he does.

One of his favorite books on investing is titled The Intelligent Investor by Benjamin Graham. It's a great introduction to the basics of value investing (versus speculating) and the role of inflation, margin of safety, etc. 

It's worth a read ... but if you want to watch a good summary, here's a six-minute video. 

 

via Financial Freedom

If you aren't learning, you're dying.

What's In The Box?

“Words can be twisted into any shape. Promises can be made to lull the heart and seduce the soul. In the final analysis, words mean nothing.
They are labels we give things in an effort to wrap our puny little brains around their underlying natures,
when ninety-nine percent of the time the totality of the reality is an entirely different beast.
The wisest man is the silent one. Examine his actions. Judge him by them.”
― Karen Marie Moning

The current sociopolitical climate has me thinking about the consequences of labeling things, creating boxes, and simplifying ideas into news-ready headlines.

 

via Se7en

With more news sources than ever and less attention span than ever, you see ideas packaged into the attention-grabbing parts. The focus isn’t on education on issues anymore, but getting the click, making you stay on their page longer, sending you to a new article completely unrelated to the reason you clicked to the page.

Complex issues are simplified not even into their most basic forms – but instead into their most divisive forms because there's no money in the middle.

 

via Quote Investigator.

The amplified voices are those on the fringe of the average constituents' beliefs because those are the ones who are often the most outspoken.

Issues that should be bipartisan have been made "us" versus "them," or "liberal" versus "conservative," or "right" versus "wrong."

  

via BrainyQuotes.

In psychology, heuristics are mental models whose purpose is to help you make decisions easier. They’re a starting point to save mental bandwidth, allowing you to spend more brain cycles on the important stuff.

That’s a great use of "boxes" and "simplification" … but shouldn't preclude deeper thought on important issues.

In an ideal world, we would all have the bandwidth to view each individual case of an issue as a whole issue within itself. Most things in this world are various shades of grey, and when you change your vantage point, you can change your answer.

I recognize that’s not realistic.

Instead, I encourage you to remember to continue to think and learn ... even about things you already know.  Confirmation Bias is one of the more common forms of cognitive biases.  Here is an infographic that lists 50 common cognitive biases.  Click to explore further.

 

via VisualCapitalist.

Important issues deserve extra research. New insights happen in between the boundaries of what we know and what we don't.  Knowledge comes from truly understanding the border between what you are certain and uncertain about. 

I challenge you to look beyond the headlines, slogans, and talking points you like most. Look for dissenting opinions and understand what’s driving their dissent. Are they really blind or dumb (or are their value-systems just weighted differently)?

Not everything needs to be boxed. Not everything needs to be simple.

 

Applying This Lesson  

“I am ashamed to think how easily we capitulate to badges and names, to large societies and dead institutions.”
― Ralph Waldo Emerson, Self-Reliance

I love learning a lesson in one space and applying it to other spaces. It’s one of the cool things about AI. An algorithm can learn rules in the construction space that may help in the medicine or trading space.  Everything’s a lesson if you let it be.

In that vein, the lesson on labeling also applies to yourself and your business.

Many things are true because we believe them to be, but when we let go of the past beliefs, the impossible becomes possible, and the invisible visible.  

The past doesn’t define the future, and your personality isn’t necessarily permanent.

We are our choices ... and you can make choices today that change who you are (and what you or your business is capable of) tomorrow.

Hope that helps – Onwards!

Here Are Some Links For Your Weekly Reading - June 28th, 2020

 

Here are some of the posts that caught my eye recently. Hope you find something interesting.

Lighter Links:

• Air Travel Data Suggests China Had Nearly 40 Times the COVID-19 Cases They Reported. (VFTW)
• Airlines Tried Social Distancing on Board. For Many, that Experiment is Ending. (Chron)
• MLB Targets 60-Game Season Starting around July 24, Assuming Conditions Met. (ESPN)
• Doomscrolling is Slowly Eroding Your Mental Health. (Wired)
• Photos Show Devastation Unleashed on Terror Leaders by Sword-carrying Ninja Bomb'. (MilitaryTimes)

 

Trading Links:

• Delta Could Furlough More Than 2,500 Pilots, Will Close 3 Flight Attendant Bases. (ThePointsGuy)
• You Won't Believe How Many Airlines Haven't Survived Coronavirus. How Does It Affect You? (Forbes)
• These Mall Staples Announced Thousands of Store Closures in June. (CNN)
• Here's Why New Traders are Losing Money. (TheStreet)
• Warren Buffett Has Warned about the Dangers of Speculating for Years. Day Traders Aren't Listening. (BusinessInsider)

Generations of Fathers

Happy Father's Day!

Both of my children are adults now. It's strange to consider them fully-functioning autonomous adults – because I remember their childhood like it was yesterday (like worrying whether the soft spot on their heads would ever fill in and harden up, or if they'd ever stop sleeping with a nightlight). 

Today, they're men doing great things,  and I get to be proud of them.  I also get to be proud of my role in their growth and proud of passing down the wisdom of my dad, and his father, and the rest who came before me. 

It has been 20 years since my father died ... Crazy how time flies! He was my best friend and an amazing mentor. His vision for what I could become helped shape and inform my goals, my accomplishments, and yes, me.

For example, after winning the State Championship in the shot put, my dad came down from the stands onto the field.  He hugged me and told me that he knew I could do it. Then, he looked deeply into my eyes and asked whether I was a little disappointed?  "Disappointed?" I asked. "But, Dad, I won."  He looked at me and said, "Winning is great ... but you didn't throw a personal best."   He was proud, and he loved me.   He recognized that winning was important ... but he wanted to remind me that the other throwers weren't my real competition.  

In life, to be and do your best, the competition is really with yourself; and we both knew I could do better.

My Dad believed in setting high standards.  He taught me that most people's lives are defined by their minimum standards.  Why?  Because once those standards get met, it is easy to get distracted and complacent.

One of his favorite sayings was, "The difference between good and great is infinitesimal."  This applies to many things. For example, people who are good take advantage of opportunities; people who are great create them. 

As time goes on, I recognize how much of my Dad is in me. And, likewise, how much his father was a part of him ... and how parts of all of us have somehow become a part of my children. 

 

Me, my dad, and grandfather

My Impact on My Children

I hope I've imparted many important lessons to my children - but one of the most impactful lessons was teaching them to enjoy reading. 

Some parents try to limit the amount of time their kids spend watching TV or playing video games. I tried something different.  Instead, my kids earned their games by reading books. And, they also received more books in the process. 

Here's how it worked. 

When they finished a book, it was their right, and my obligation, to take them to the bookstore for us to pick up the next book together. Likewise, when they finished ten books, it was their right, and my obligation, to take them to the computer store or game store for them to choose any game they wanted.

When they finished a hundred books, they earned a game system. 

There came a point when I wanted one of my sons to start reading grown-up books. He was comfortably reading a particular genre (teen fiction) and didn't want to read the kind of books that I thought he was ready to read (and might enjoy more).  So, I created a bonus system that counted a specific book (it might have been a Tom Clancy novel) as three books.  I didn't force him; I just let the easier path to a reward "whisper" in his ear what to read. Once he finished that, he never went back to teen fiction.

As they started to get into their teenage years, I needed to up the ante a little. So, 500 books meant they got a laptop of their choice. Both boys cashed in and probably felt like they were taking advantage of their dad.

So, Who Got the Better Bargain?

Three generations of Getsons

Fortunately, in child-rearing, everyone can win. My sons love reading to this day - and have learned that they can accomplish anything they set their minds to... one step at a time. 

My sons weren't ever forced to stop watching TV, or read a certain type of book, and always had endless things to keep them entertained. 

Win-win. 

I like to think each generation becomes better (as people and parents) due to the cumulative experience of the generations that came before them. 

We stand on the shoulders of giants. 

I look forward to seeing how my (eventual) grandchildren turn out, and how little pieces of me and their great-grandfather show up. 

Hope you had a great weekend.

Carol's Keeping Me In Shape

As I get older, I become more conscious of my mental and physical health. It's easy as an entrepreneur or business person to lose track of your health - but investing in your personal health can be the best thing you do for your business.

Many of my friends now believe that with technology and a sustained focus on health & longevity, they can live past 100. They're paying attention to genetic, physiologic & biochemical makeup, cognitive function, body composition, cardiovascular performance, hormonal status, and much more. Whether they're going to live past 100 or not, I can see the daily results in the quality of their life and the way they look. 

It's the reason I started working with APEX, Dr. Jeffrey Gladden's concierge medical wellness practice.

They've got me eating salads, taking supplements, and thinking about what it takes to be healthy, fit, and vital. 

The goal is to enjoy life though ... Not to deprive yourself as this image portrays ...

 

Exercise is also an important part of the "healthy, fit, and vital" equation.

With gyms being closed during the recent Quarantine, I found another tool that I fell in love with.

Her name is Carol; an AI fitness bike that personalizes a HIIT workout for you,  based on your fitness and your preferred workout length. It makes it way easier for me to fit workouts into my schedule (and way harder to justify skipping a session). 

 

The promise is an "hour's worth" of exercise compressed into an 8-minute workout that really only has two 20-second periods of intense effort.

The science is sound. My experience is that it works for me.  I've done it for about two months now.  The results are undeniable (in terms of muscle tone, endurance, 20% improvement on many of the metrics tracked by the bike, etc.).

The more you use it the smarter it gets. It automatically adjusts to give you exactly the resistance you need to keep you motivated and to continue making progress.

I've been impressed. Working-out at home has always been a struggle for me. I've bought other tools for lifting or cardio, but they tend to end up as coat racks or space fillers. 

Exercise has a "social" component for some people ( comes to mind). Some people need the "social" component of exercise to get through hard workouts (think Peloton or OrangeTheory.) The Carol bike doesn't fully satisfy that part of exercise ... but they do a great job of keeping the session short, fun, and gamified (so that you know where you are, how you are progressing, and where you stand in the rankings).  The combination of the efficiency of the workouts - and being able to see that you are getting fitter, objectively, has been just what I needed. 

Besides Carol's website, here is a link to check out their YouTube channel. 

Onwards.