Guy Kawasaki. One of the most prolific business book writers of our times. Dispenser of native wisdom. One of the original straight talkers. Wonderful storyteller. I read all his books and found them easy to read and simple to digest. The simplicity was from his time at Apple. As the evangelist for the Mac (software ecosystem) and the author of the book The Macintosh Way, he imbibed the ability to simplify.
Wise Guy – his latest, chronicles his quest for wisdom of 65 years. Darrah Brustien distills 11 lessons that Guy elaborates in his book.
Find people who challenge you – Find people who challenge you. Guy suggests you put yourself out there, out of your comfort zone.
Know when to quit – Quitting at the right time can be crucial for your eventual success. There is no right time. Trust your instinct. If something is not working out after all your efforts, it possibly will not.
Question everything – “When somebody tells you something’s for sure, you should question that. And when somebody tells you that something absolutely is not true, you should question that, too. Basically, you should always be skeptical. I think that’s what leads to breakthroughs in life.”
Never stop learning – “Learning is not an event that ends. It’s not the 100 yard dash where you cross the tape and it’s done. It’s more like a marathon. At 62, I decided to take up surfing. Let’s just say that at 62, you’re about 58 years too late to take that up.”
Prioritize Relationships – Being so busy that you do not have time to cultivate friendships or spend time with family is a “cop-out” according to Kawasaki. For entrepreneurs “what’s important is not only whom you know, but also who knows you,”.
Customers can’t tell you how to innovate – This one is a Steve Jobs favorite. “Your current customers cannot tell you how to innovate. They can’t tell you about the next curve, the revolution, the next category,…”.
Learn how to sell, even if you’re not ‘in sales’ – In life everything boils down to two basic things – you are either making something or you are selling something. ”Every body has to sell”
Say ‘yes’ – “The upside of helping people all the time far exceeds the downside of being screwed a few times. “ Classic Kawasaki.
Don’t take things personally – “..Don’t look for problems. Give people the benefit of the doubt. Don’t be so easily offended. If not, you’re going to be angry your whole life.”
Be yourself – “Just be who you are because it’s so hard to maintain a façade. It’s easy to be honest because typically there is only one truth. ..”
Ask for help – “…Of course, you have to follow up asking for help with gratitude and reciprocation. It’s not a one-way street. But I think the concept that you should never ask someone for help because you’re going to ruin the relationship or never have a relationship is false,”
All in all a great read of the core lessons from the book.
Link to the article : Guy Kawasaki On The 11 Lessons That Changed His Life (And Can Change Yours, Too) by Darrah Brustein https://bit.ly/2KLaUdG
Link to the book : Wise Guy https://guykawasaki.com/books/wise-guy/
