By 2019, Paul Moller had spent more than 50 years developing the Moller M400 Skycar. This was going to be micro aircraft capable of vertical take-off and landing, allowing anyone with a drivers license to jump in and fly by inputting speed and direction. After 40 years of development and over 100,000,000 in investment, the...
I sat down at the table and spread out my notebook, my laptop and my two pens. I always grab a table that’s slightly too big for one, as I need to spread a little… Now – I’m not here for long. Generally I have a rule that I don’t work in cafés, so I’m...
After a while, it’s easy to find a concept, idea or quote and share it with the world. We can highlight it, use a post-it note, or record it in a diary. But these actions that are placed on a pedestal, or the sentences we know will be read carry less weight than we think....
In the last three weeks, I’ve had a similar situation present itself four different times. The way it unfolds is, I’m packing things into my car at the beach, or sitting at a table somewhere doing my thing, and someone I know walks in, or walks past. At first glance, I don’t recognise them… Then...
When I was in retail, one of the brands that we stocked was Icebreaker, from New Zealand. Icebreaker made socks, clothing and a lot of cool weather, merino wool gear. Their product was high end: neat and orderly. And then one day in the mail I got a package. It was from Icebreaker, but I...
In 2010, a commercial Qantas pilot named Pete asked if I could help him prep for an Ironman triathlon. I had recently competed in Hawaii and had done OK in a few other races, so had a couple ideas on how to build into these bigger events and organise the programming. Pete had been doing...
The ability to change one’s mind is probably a key characteristic of the successful investor.Jack d. Schwager In the financial markets, if you are wrong on a position, there isn’t a problem. But when you aren’t able to change your mind, and stay wrong, then we have an issue. When we zoom out, we are...
A poor outcome can be frustrating. And yet, it can come off the back of a great decision. Again, the power of the reflection process is clear. Now that I see the poor outcome, now that I have feedback, knowing what I now know, would I still make the same decision again? Would I change...
