Intentional Growth – I think the title says enough

John Wooden and his Pyramid of Success

Many moons ago, again while making a trip to the local library, I picked up a tome that only marginally interested me. It was written by a former UCLA bench-warmer who wanted to celebrate his former coach, John Wooden. If you want to know more about Coach Wooden, Google it. Just know that he is perhaps the most successful college basketball coach to have ever roamed the sidelines.

This book was the first time that I was introduced to Coach Wooden’s “Pyramid of Success”.

He created this pyramid much like Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. The bottom layer includes traits that must be satisfied prior to being able to satisfy the next layer and so on. In coach Wooden’s eyes, the only way to be a perennially successful team was to climb through all five levels of his pyramid of success. By the time the author wrote this book, Coach Wooden was a frail, dying old man. Nevertheless, the wisdom that he imparted to his athletes, and by extension to us, is in my opinion, timeless.

One of the greatest lessons I learned from Coach Wooden, through this book, is that you cannot treat people equally in order to be successful. While some will grumble that others are divas and that they shouldn’t be given preferential treatment, what those who complained did not understand was that Coach was also treating them unequally, according to their temperaments and gifts. In order to create a powerful team, you need to meet people where they are. Often this means forgiving the occasional transgression in order to magnify their own, special giftedness. It won’t make you popular with everyone at the moment, but as the cliche states, success breeds success.

I am thankful to have learned this lesson, and despite my own desires for the concept of “parity”, as I’ve practiced Coach Wooden’s missives, I have found that teams are stronger, more performant, and happier for it (even if they grumble a bit).

July 24, 2022 by Chris Tackett People

When the Student is Ready, the Teacher Appears

Seriously, people. This is one of the most poignant bits of wisdom that was ever shared with me was this one. Of course, it is too clever by half, which is the kind of thing that would appeal to me. It harkens back to the old Christian parable of “one set of footsteps” because the teacher has been there all of the time, but only when the student is ready to take in the wisdom does it appear to the student that the teacher is there.

Consider this as you migrate through all of your interpersonal interactions. Not everyone is ready to hear what you have to say, no matter how well or often you say it…and no matter how much you think that they need to hear it. When you realize that someone isn’t ready to hear what it is you so badly want to share with them, ostensibly to save them from some of your own pain, there’s no reason to give up. Help elevate their thinking bit-by-bit with tools / proverbs that they can hear, even if you have to prostrate some of your own failures to them. People are usually worth it.

We are all in a “state of becoming.” If you don’t believe that, then close this website and move on to something which will espouse more “certainty” for you. However, it’s been my experience that only when a) you’ve earned the right to speak truths to people through lavishly protecting their dignity and b) they’re in a mindset where they can understand at an emotional level what you need to share can you play the role of teacher.

Also, always assume that you are still a student. We all have so much to learn. No matter your age or experience, you still have much to learn from others. Often wisdom comes from the least “impressive” people. The more you are open to being humble and open to hear their wisdom, the better your experience and influence will be.

July 24, 2022 by Chris Tackett Wisdom

Ryan Holiday

Given that I started this blog with posts about angry Bob, it only makes sense that the next author I highlight was once his research assistant. Ryan Holiday is a self-proclaimed modern Stoic and the author of three of my favorite books. I exclusively give one of these three books as college graduation gifts. I also hide a check in the back pages of the book, and only one person I know has cashed one of those checks. I digress.

One of the hardest lessons I believe that young adults have to learn in order to be wildly successful is to understand and then embrace contradiction. Ryan’s books continue to help me see the journey as not linear, but as looping, self-intersecting arcs. Consider the titles.

Ego is the Enemy. In my youth, I felt that I needed to build me because so many others were trying to marginalize me. I didn’t feel that I was being taken seriously. I needed to build my own power. How could that be the enemy?

The Obstacle is the Way. I felt that there were so many obstacles to overcome, that it was wise to avoid them altogether. What imbecile would choose to take on obstacles?

Stillness is the Key. I’ve never been good at being still. I can’t even sit still for very long. I’ve always been a bit jittery. When I’m still, it causes me to actually become more unnerved. This might be a path for others, but not for me.

I will explore these books individually in future posts, but know that each of them is absolutely worth your time. Also, Ryan’s daily reader The Daily Stoic which provides bite-sized snippets of wisdom on how to interact with yourself, and the world, with greater poise.

July 10, 2022 by Chris Tackett People

Star Trek

Time for me to revisit a guilty pleasure. As a child of the seventies, Star Trek’s original series was incredibly important to me. Even as a tyke, I knew it was often campy and usually ridiculous, I enjoyed the thought of exploring the galaxy enough to rewatch episodes every time they aired.

A few days after I moved to Arkansas, the pilot of Star Trek: The Next Generation aired. I was so happy to re-enter the universe of Trek, TNG was appointment viewing for me through all seven years of its run. While I enjoyed the galaxy-hopping SciFi fun, I quickly found myself wanting to emulate some of the behaviors of the characters on the show. However, over the course of the run, I realized that I was learning important life lessons on poise, agreeable disagreement, the value of diversity, and leadership. This personal growth journey continued with Deep Space Nine.

It’s not an overstatement that much of what I learned about behaving as a functional adult came from these two Star Trek series. It’s likely that it was a “right time / right place” situation given my age and development, but I would be remiss if I didn’t share content so valuable to me.

Wes Roberts wrote a book called Make It So which is more of a plot synopsis of the leadership lessons from Star Trek: TNG. I don’t recommend the book necessarily, but am offering it as an option if you’re curious.

If you want to learn while being entertained, the above two Trek series might be worth your time.

July 10, 2022 by Chris Tackett Content TV

Other Greene

I’m not going to spend much time on The Art of Seduction or The 33 Strategies of War. If you read The Laws of Human Nature, then you’ll learn what you needed from these other two tomes and learn it within context and not simply as tools/weapons. If you feel that you need to be completist, YouTube is once again your friend.

The 33 Strategies of War

The Art of Seduction

Wrapping up with angry Bob, don’t try to read any of his books straight though. Also, don’t read Greene’s tomes back-to-back. While what he teaches is absolutely essential for long-term success, it can also strip down the best parts of your own soul. You should always be seeking avenues for personal balance. Maybe mix some Liz and Mollie with angry Bob. You’ll thank me.

July 10, 2022 by Chris Tackett Book Content

The Laws of Human Nature

Angry Bob really likes his Laws, doesn’t he?

If you’re going to read only one tome in the Robert Greene bibliography, it should be The Laws of Human Nature. The culmination of decades of research, this title continues Greene’s work to distill human behavior into more and more succinct patterns. While Mastery will always be the most important of his books for me personally, and The 48 Laws of Power should at least be reviewed in summary, The Laws of Human Nature is the one of his books which I continually thought “where was this book when I was in my 20s?”.

While Human Nature is easily the most “readable” of Greene’s books, it can still be a dense read. I ended up buying the Kindle version and the Audible version and read it while having it read to me using Amazon’s Whispersync tech. However, if the nearly 29 hours of content isn’t your cup of tea, YouTube again comes to our rescue. These two videos are nearly two hours of content, but the production quality is spectacular and the distillation of the content is outstanding.

Many people don’t want to live in a world where humans behave the way that Greene outlines in his writing, and I’ve felt that way as well, but it’s naive thinking. We do live in a world like that, even if we try to close our personal worlds so narrowly that we don’t have to have unsavory types in our spheres. However, wild success will require opening your world widely which means you’re going to deal with “bad” actors. This book is the best roadmap I’ve ever seen to help you successfully navigate people.

Even if you’re not excited about reading this book, you need to know the information contained within it. Don’t skip this one.

July 10, 2022 by Chris Tackett Book Content

The Captain

You must follow The Captain.

He doesn’t post that often, but when he does, he comes off of the top rope with a folding chair to smack you out of your bullshit. His account, alone, is worth enduring a Twitter account.

This account is in the Pantheon of people that I love-hate because they have the consistent ability to think the same poignant things that I do but also are able to write them in ways that makes me thoroughly jealous of their ability to be so clear and succinct.

Here are just a couple of examples of what’s in store from this account.

Follow him.

July 9, 2022 by Chris Tackett Content People Social

The 48 Laws of Power

This is the tome that Robert Greene is best known for and, as such, it’s also the one with the most polarized comments. I can generally learn the “moral axis” of someone based on their reactions to reading the titles of the 48 Laws. If you were to simply read the titles, and enact those in your life with no additional context, it would be fair to say that you would be behaving indistinguishably from a psychopath. Just remember, though, that the book isn’t the 48 Laws of Leading People to Love, Respect, and Want to be Your Friend, it’s the 48 Laws of Power. Many of the most powerful people in the history of our species were morally reprehensible.

Regardless of your feelings about these Laws, it is in your best interests to be aware of them, especially if you run in large circles of people because at least some of these are being used against you already. It’s also likely that you’re consciously or subconsciously using some of them as well. Being ignorant of Laws users’ tactics is a mistake. Remember that being fore-warned is being fore-armed.

Whenever you decide to dip into the Laws, no matter what medium you choose, don’t try to plow through the content. Consume two to four laws, walk away from the material, and let the ideas marinate. This is not the kind of material that you’ll want to binge. If you do, it’s likely that you won’t have successfully reflected on applying what you’ve learned to experiences in your own life.

Despite the terrific content of the book itself, it’s a bit of a slog. The audiobook is even worse. I would suggest watching this animated YouTube summary as your first exposure to the Laws. I have watched this video at least ten times in the last few years. I’ve even downloaded the video so that if the author takes it down, I’ll always have access to it.

These Laws of Power are neither good or evil themselves. Consider the laws as if they are simply tools, which can be used for offense, defense, or to gain a deeper understanding of the world around you. It’s you who chooses how to employ them. In the end, it’s up to you to decide how you will employ them. My litmus test is to hold myself accountable and then have my closest confidants hold me accountable when I employ the Laws to uncover if I’m using them for selfish purposes or for the greater good. It’s a bit too simple (for example, who gets to decide what’s the “greater good”?) on its own, but it’s an easy test to decide if I’m working toward that psychopath badge or if I’m being the kind of human I wold otherwise choose to be.

I recommend that everyone who is out of high school read The 48 Laws of Power and make some time to revisit them on a regular basis.

July 9, 2022 by Chris Tackett Book Content

Mastery

I first ran into Robert Greene’s work randomly stumbling through my local library. I was in my mid-thirties and starting to deeply feel the ennui of needing to create lasting meaning in my life. The book was simply titled Mastery. It was and is to this date, the most singularly impactful book I’ve ever read. Greene put into words concepts that I could sense at the periphery of my understanding but could not fully grasp as if I was trying to catch smoke in my hands.

This is the only book that I read, put down without reading any other book in between, and immediately reread to tease out all the essence that I could. Clearly, I cannot recommend this book enough. I recommend re-reading this book every few years, in fact.

Please know that this book is not for everyone, depending on your stage of life. If you find yourself still seeking to learn the basics of the world (adulting?) or your profession, save this book for when you feel that you’ve mastered First Order thinking and are anxious to see what lies beyond what you perceive but can’t yet fully grasp. Mastery is not a roadmap to spell out how to see farther, but a perspective-changer that will unlock your own thinking, rewiring your brain to be open to contradictions as not exceptions but as part of the path.

July 9, 2022 by Chris Tackett Book Content

Robert Greene

In my opinion, if you want to be wildly successful at life, you must become a disciple of angry Bob. Robert Greene has spent much of his adult life working dozens of different jobs, either being manipulated by high-functioning sociopaths or researching human nature in order to distill their behavior down to understanding how to outmaneuver them. Angry Bob has, admittedly, become less angry in his later years, despite having to recover from a debilitating stroke years ago. Still, his message remains the same throughout all of his writings: human behaviors are predictable and can be easily categorized and if a thing can be categorized then tactics for managing those behaviors can be understood and enacted.

His Twitter is worth a follow if you’re into snippets of his best, pithy statements.

July 9, 2022 by Chris Tackett People