One of my favourite books… I’ve already read this three times and will continue to re-read it in years to come. Contact with the earth Antaeus’s strength came from being connected to the earth. Similarly, knowledge cannot be disconnected from the ground. Theory and practice cannot be separated. Moral obligations, ethics and skills cannot be separated. Skin in the game is necessary for understanding the world. It helps us with bullshit identification and filtering, that is, the difference between theory and practice, cosmetic and true expertise.

Integrity We need to differentiate between: a goal a direction a focus an actual commitment Three accelerators: Keep commitment to yourself Stand up for something Be open Values are found in your soul, not in a book Purity of motives =/= good. There is no value judgment in the phrase “pure motives”. It just means you have no hidden agenda. It might very well be that your sole agenda is to destroy a person’s career, and you openly declare it.

The Techmium Can technology want? We often think of desire as a unique trait of living things: your dog wants to be walked; worms want moisture; bacteria want food, and plants want sunlight. Whatever it is, it is a force. You would feel it if you were to stand in its way. While it is far-fetched to say that Technology is a life form, it does possess traits that describe autonomy: self-repair, self-defense, self-maintenance, self-control of goals and self-improvement.

Customer Solution Profit Invest time and energy in learning all there is to know about your customers. Then use that knowledge to create specific solutions for them. Lose money for a short time. Make money for a long time. Examples I can think of: Most consumer products, consulting, etc. Pyramid Profit Use this strategy when your customers form a hierarchy, with different expectations and different attitudes towards price. There are customers who have a non-negotiable price; and there are others who’ll pay top dollar for a unique product.

General priority of human desires ERG—existence, relatedness, and growth 5 Core Human Drives The Drive to Acquire The Drive to Bond The Drive to Learn The Drive to Defend The Drive to Feel At their core, all businesses sell some combination of money, status, power, love, knowledge, protection, pleasure, and excitement. “Status seeking”—People care intensely about what others think of them. (Not from the book, but relevant) When a person sees someone driving a Ferrari, they don’t go, “wow, this person is cool.