boardrooms & balance

This week, I finished two books.

One was What They Don’t Teach You at Harvard Business School - written by Mark McCormack, the guy who basically invented sports management and closed billion-dollar deals in a pre-internet world.

The other was The Almanack of Naval Ravikant - a quiet, clear book packed with ideas on wealth, happiness, leverage, and how to stop being your own bottleneck.

They couldn’t be more different.

One's about observing people in boardrooms.
The other’s about observing yourself in silence.

There’s a lot of gold in both of these books, so many to choose from.

But to make your life easier,

Here are 5 takeaways I’m sitting with right now:

1. Watch how people treat others when they don’t have to be nice.

(McCormack)

This one stayed with me.

Mark says the best way to really know someone?
Watch how they treat the people they think don’t matter.

The waiter.
The junior staffer.
The receptionist.

That’s where people drop the act.
And that’s when their ego, insecurity, or need for control shows up.

People skills start with people watching.
Not with talking.

Just shut up and listen.

It’s amazing what you begin to notice.

2. “Is that reasonable?” is how you win more deals without fighting harder.

(McCormack)

These three words change the tone of almost any negotiation:

Instead of defending or pushing or explaining, you ask.
And it softens the room.

Because you’re not attacking, you’re inviting.
It frames your ask as common sense, not confrontation.
And when you say it calmly, confidently, and without needing a win…

…it usually lands.

These three words help to break down the walls of your opposition, easing them up for logical thinking rather than emotional decision-making.

3. Win trust through consistency, not cleverness.

(McCormack)

Most people try to impress.
They over-pitch, oversell, overpromise.

Mark’s been in enough high-stakes rooms to know; that doesn’t work.
People don’t trust flashy. They are reliable.

The ones who:

• Show up early

• Deliver what they said

• Say “I don’t know” when they DON’T know

They’re the ones who win in the long run.

You don’t need to outsmart anyone.
Just show them you’re exactly who you say you are — again and again.

4. “Impatience with actions. Patience with results.”

(Naval)

Naval’s version of consistency hits from another angle.

Take fast action.
Ship early.
Experiment often.

But when it comes to the outcome, zoom out.

Don’t rush the result. Don’t chase the feedback loop.

Just keep doing the right thing, long enough, consistently enough.
Let the compounding do its job.

Can’t rush greatness. 🤷‍♂️

5. “Desire is a contract you make to be unhappy.”

(Naval)

This one’s sharp.

Every time you say,

you’re locking yourself into a contract.

The fine print?
You’ve agreed to be unhappy until then.

Naval reminds you:
The goal isn’t to have no ambition.
It’s not to be owned by it.

To be in motion, without being in need.

That’s where the real leverage is.

Every desire you have means you are allowing yourself to be unhappy until you achieve it.

TL;DR: Be careful what you wish for. 🤫

These two books couldn’t be more different.

McCormack teaches you how to move through the world.
Naval teaches you how to move through your mind.

One’s external. One’s internal.

And somewhere between those two…is the actual game. 🤺

Currently reading:

• Influence by Robert Cialdini - a deep dive into the psychology behind why people say “yes” (and how to ethically get them there).

• The Revenue Acceleration Playbook by Brent Keltner — mapping buyer journeys and sales conversations to actually build trust and close deals faster.

Have the best week ahead. 🪬