From Chad

The most important work is not the external project, but the internal transformation is facilitates. Sir Edmund Hillary‘s ascent of Mount Everest exemplifies this, as he focused on personal growth rather than the achievement itself. By viewing work as a forge for self improvement, individuals can find greater fulfillment and purpose.

Encouragement is a powerful tool, especially during times of doubt and failure. A story about Henry Ford and Thomas Edison illustrates how a few words of encouragement can fuel, perseverance, and lead to success.

Thomas Edison is often remembered as an inventor, but he was more accurately in improver. He built on existing ideas, refined them, and made them commercially viable, exemplified by his work on the lightbulb, photograph, and vote-counting machine. The key to his success was a system for improvement, not waiting for inspiration, but rather setting clear goals, running experiments, and shipping practical solutions.

Booker T. Washington, born into slavery, walked 500 miles to attend Hampton school. His entrance exam was to sweep a room, which he did impeccably, earning him admission and a job as a janitor. He used his education to build the Tuskegee Institute, focusing on training teachers to uplift their communities. This is the last installment of John Maxwell’s 15 Invaluable Laws of Growth.

The goal of life is not to avoid problems, but grow larger, so that problems become less overwhelming. As you grow, your capacity to handle challenge, challenges increases, leading to greater opportunities in a better life.

Smart people learn from others, a concept known as the law of modeling. Imitation is a foundational skill building stage that leads to innovation. Learning from mentors and models provides a shortcut to better thinking and faster progress.

Van Phillips, after losing his foot, asked why a better prosthetic couldn’t be made, leading to the creation of the cheetah flex foot. Curiosity, a trainable mindset, drives growth and improvement, as exemplified by Phillips question and subsequent innovation.

Diya Jolly has chosen to step back in rank or pay four times in her career to prioritize growth opportunities over status or salary. Her decisions, governed by the Law of Trade-offs let her from Microsoft to Freewill, Google, Okta, and now Xero. The key takeaway is to consider the best alternative when making decision decisions, as every choice involves an opportunity cost.

Brad Jacobs, who built eight billion-dollar companies, believes that engineered pressure enhances performance. He embraces the tension of being a public company, using quarterly earnings as a public report card to keep his management team Sharp. The key is to be comfortable with being uncomfortable into voluntarily stretch, oneself to draw out the best performance.

Sam Insull, Thomas Edison‘s right-hand man, built the centralized electric supply industry, but lost everything due to reckless borrowing. His story highlights the importance of character, as strong character, supports higher treatment and prevents failure. The message emphasizes the need to prioritize character growth over external success.