1: Getting better at getting better is what RiseWithDrew is all about.

Monday through Thursday, we explore ideas from authors, thought leaders, and exemplary organizations. 

At the end of the weeks to follow, we will begin an exploration of author Oliver Burkeman‘s Meditations for Mortals: Four Weeks to Embrace Your Limitations and Make Time for What Counts.

Perfectionism is something we all know something about. 

Perhaps we are … continue reading

1: “If you’ve ever seen a picture of your mother or father as a young adult, you know how startling it can be,” Robert Waldinger and Marc Schulz write in The Good Life: Lessons from the World’s Longest Scientific Study of Happiness.  

“They seem like people we might have met along the road rather than the parents who created us,” the authors observe.  “They often appear less burdened, more … continue reading

1: The Harvard Study of Adult Development is the longest in-depth longitudinal study of human life ever done.  The study has followed the lives of 724 individuals beginning when they were teenagers, and now spans over three generations and includes an additional 1,300 of their descendants.

“For eighty-four years (and counting), the Harvard Study has tracked the same individuals, asking thousands of questions and taking hundreds of measurements to find … continue reading

1: Getting better at getting better is what RiseWithDrew is all about.

Monday through Thursday, we explore ideas from authors, thought leaders, and exemplary organizations. On Friday, I share something about myself or what we are working on at PCI.

As the calendar flips over, it is a good time to do a quick retrospective on RiseWithDrew for 2024. 

I started writing RiseWithDrew back on the week of May 4th, … continue reading

1: “Most of what we know about human life we know from asking people to remember the past,” Robert Waldinger and Marc Schulz write in The Good Life: Lessons from the World’s Longest Scientific Study of Happiness.

The only problem with this approach?

People’s “memories are full of holes,” the authors write.”  Just try to remember what you had for dinner last Tuesday, or who you spoke with on … continue reading

1: The best CEOs understand that they must have a “hands-on” connection with each individual on their leadership team, McKinsey consultants Carolyn Dewar, Scott Keller, and Vikram Malhotra write in CEO Excellence: The Six Mindsets That Distinguish the Best Leaders from the Rest.

“You invest time and energy with each, recognizing they’re all individuals,” comments Michael Fisher, CEO of the nonprofit Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center.  … continue reading

1: McKinsey consultants asked a CEO how much time he spent managing other people’s egos. 

Probably 20 to 30 percent of the time, he answered.

Then, they asked him what percent of time people spent managing his ego.

Silence.  

“Beyond the anecdote,” Carolyn Dewar, Scott Keller, and Vikram Malhotra write in CEO Excellence, “the research is clear: When CEOs are asked if they act as a … continue reading

1: “Most people reach for just a little bit more—a promotion, a little more money, a new personal record,” Dan Sullivan and Benjamin Hardy write in 10x Is Easier Than 2x: How World-Class Entrepreneurs Achieve More by Doing Less.

“Going for incremental progress is a 2x mindset,” the authors observe, “which at a fundamental level means we’re continuing or maintaining what we’re already doing.”

2x is a linear mindset.  … continue reading

1: Yesterday, we analyzed the path Michelangelo took to create and sell his first sculpture, the Hercules.

Doing so “left him a qualitatively different person from his former 17-year-old self who began the project,” Dan Sullivan and Benjamin Hardy write in 10x Is Easier Than 2x: How World-Class Entrepreneurs Achieve More by Doing Less.

“After selling the Hercules, he was now mentally and emotionally a different person, … continue reading

1: Michelangelo was 17 years old.

“He’d just begun working on his first life-sized, three-dimensional sculpture: a nine-foot Hercules, Dan Sullivan and Benjamin Hardy write in 10x Is Easier Than 2x: How World-Class Entrepreneurs Achieve More by Doing Less.

Previously, Michelangelo had sculpted many smaller pieces.  But none were three-dimensional.  And he’d yet to sell a piece of his work.

But now, Michelangelo had made a decision that would … continue reading