Top 10 Key Takeaways of 2020

Big Idea 

As 2020 comes to a close, I can’t help but reflect on the incredible episodes from the past year and all that I’ve learned from each conversation. To wrap up this year, I have compiled my Top 10 Takeaways of 2020. 

Thank you to all the guests, listeners, and supporters for making this the best year yet for What Got You There. 

(00:37) 1. Yen Liow  #209 

“The truth will set you free but first it will piss you off” 

Yen Liow emphasises the importance of introspection to find out exactly what those truths are. There are no shortcuts to finding out the answer to who we are and insights are useless without disciplined execution. Yen explains why introspection is so vital for us to understand why we make certain choices and while figuring yourself out may cause some disappointment, it provides you with the opportunity to grow and evolve. Searching for the answer to who we are is a moving target that constantly changes, but as Yen says, that’s the beauty of it.

(5:22) 2. Dr Michael Gervais  #187

“If purpose is bigger than pain, then purpose wins” 

When the purpose is bigger than you, it matters to you, and it’s future oriented, there’s nothing that can stop you. 

(6:47) 3. Blas Moros #212

You need to fill up your own cup before you can possibly fill up other people’s cups. 

This gold nugget of wisdom comes from Blas Moros’ mother, and it has stayed with Blas forever. He explains how people who don’t fill their own cup before others live in a scarcity mentality. 

Sharing ideas with others does not take anything that you have away, it actually increases it, Blas says. 

(9:51) 4. Kamal Ravikant #175 

“I have a mindset that every problem is solvable” 

Kamal believes that if you realize everything is solvable then when you go to solve a problem, you will figure out the solution. 

(10:58) 5. Keith Rabois #176

“If you try to constrain very talented people, you’re only going to create a mirror of yourself” 

Keith explains the importance of giving people degrees of freedom in order to let them thrive and make mistakes. You truly can’t tell how good someone can be if they’re only replicating what you do. By giving them enough freedom to prove what they’re amazing at and getting close to failing, they will understand the weight of their actions. Along with this, Keith recommends instilling a process for employees to learn so they improve their efficiency and cultivate their craft. 

(14:32) 6. Robert Rosenberg #213

“If you have a team, try to ensure that you have complementarity of skills within that team and for everyone to understand that, and to respect it, and celebrate the complementarity” 

This framework allowed Robert’s long-standing team to move from strength to strength. Robert explains that he relied on his teammates to fill the gaps where his weaknesses were. He credits the book Emotional Intelligence and why understanding yourself and identifying the skills and talents of others is more important than raw brain power. 

(18:42) 7. Dave Cote #201

“You’re trying to build a mosaic, it’s not as pretty as a painting, it’s more like you’re trying to fit in all these pieces to figure out what’s the right decision here”

Dave believes there are three essential principles for leadership: 

1. The ability to mobilize a large group of people 
2. You have to have good judgement to go in the right direction
3. Getting the group to move step by step in the right direction

(23:21) 8. Morgan Housel #210 

“What matters in investing, what actually moves the needle, is not how smart you are, it’s how you behave” 

Morgan tells the story of Grace Gronor, who was born on a farm outside of Chicago in 1910. Grace made very little money throughout her life and when she died in 2010, people were astonished to see she had left $7 million to charity. It was found that this money had accumulated through her decision to invest a small portion of her savings in stocks and leaving it alone for 70 years. 

(26:06) 9. Robert Greene #220 

“If you transform yourself into someone who is able to get inside the minds of others and understand what they’re going through, their emotions, their predicaments, their problems, the whole world will open up for you” 

Having empathy and being able to understand what is bothering others, what they like, and what their values are, provides you with the information needed to appeal to their self interest and they will do something in turn for you. 

(27:46) 10. Ed Sim #219

“I can’t just sit here and not take risks” 

Ed credits his parents for setting the example of the importance of living life with courage and conviction. 

(28:42) 11. Annie Duke  #215

“Our foundation is cracked because we have inaccuracies in the things that we believe” 

Unlike luck, you have some control over what you know and what the quality of your information is. Annie explains the two problems with the foundation of our knowledge. 

1. There are cracks in our foundation due to what we believe is true 
2. The foundation is flimsy because there is so much that we don’t know in comparison to the things that we do know.