CDOQ

Earlier this week, I saw a new friend for coffee—one of the few truly wise people I’ve encountered in Silicon Valley. What follows is unadulterated wisdom from my friend:   Wisdom over coffee 1. Separate style from substance. Most people judge others based on their message delivery style rather than the content itself. To understand people better, focus on what they’re saying, not how they’re saying it. 2. Test for trustworthiness. To know if someone is trustworthy, look for contradictions in what they say. 3. Evaluate the substance-to-noise ratio. If someone speaks charmingly for a long time to convey something simple, they might have a hidden agenda.  4. It is hard to figure out in an interview if the candidate is trustworthy but you can understand their grasping power [intellect] and articulation [communication] skills.  5. Smart bosses do their best to keep their smart employees. 6. Watch for noise in data. For example, data might show that firetrucks a...

Charlie Munger, age 99, still sharing his wisdom, humor, and mistakes.  Notable Munger line from the Daily Journal ($DJCO) shareholder meeting - dumb is forever. 

Experience is the understanding of a domain in variable conditions to make good decisions within that domain. It is not the amount of time you have spent doing something. 

To see how how the experts confuse correlation and causation everyday, watch financial news and analysis on CNBC or Bloomberg. 

I frequently speak at conferences on many topics including innovation, leadership, and the future of mobile technologies. At these conferences, young people often ask me for career advice. I am reminded of my younger days when I was looking for the same. Wisdom from a few people has greatly influenced my thinking and actions. Please keep in mind there are no silver bullets. But if you are willing to work hard, be patient and open your mind, you may achieve more than you ever dreamed possible. Following are the seven guiding principles I’ve used for happiness and success. 1. Learn . You have to be learning all the time. Don’t just learn about the job you are in. Learn how the business operates. Learn about the value-chain your company is a part of. Learn how your competitors do things differently. Think about how technologies can disrupt your industry. Understand your learning style. Do you learn more from sitting in a class, reading a book, doing, or listening to ...

The first weekend of May just passed. That means I was in Omaha to attend  Berkshire Hathaway's  annual shareholder meeting along with 35.000 other people including  Bill Gates  and  George Lucas . The meeting always begins with two or three new humorous short films starring Charlie Munger and Warren Buffett, Vice-Chairman and Chairman of Berkshire Hathaway respectively. There is the same  serious short film  every year as well; Warren Buffett's 1991 testimony to the congressional committee on the  Salomon Brothers  scandal. The film has a famous line from Buffett," Lose money for the firm and I will be understanding. Lose a shred of reputation and I will be ruthless." I wish more firms followed this philosophy. See my summary of the 2012 meeting here .   Buffett and Munger on the stage. See the peanut brittle?      Both Munger and Buffett are my heroes. I like Munger more for his multi-disciplinar...