Every fortnight I curate some of the observations and insights that were shared on social media. I call these Friday’s Finds.

Lyall Taylor — “Garry Kasparov once said that one of biggest mistakes chess players make is trying to ‘undo’ a bad move, when in reality, once a bad move is played, it is already a whole new game and an entirely fresh mindset is required.”

Peter Stoyko — “I think of sunk-cost as being too invested in a wrong path and reluctant to make a change of course. This is acknowledging a wrong change of course then trying to get back on the old path, which is no longer relevant because the course change sets up new strategic considerations.”

Gideon Rosenblatt —
“Untruth — lie
Double down — lie, repeated
Pivot — stopped lying
Tongue in cheek — realized that lie went too far”

Tim Minchin — “If someone writes an article you disagree with, here is an option that a lot of you seem to have forgotten: read it, then have some thoughts about it.

Then have some thoughts about your thoughts. Critically assess your intuitive reaction. Then see if there’s any elements of the piece that you might agree with. See if it might even — god forbid – adjust your view. Just a tiny bit.

Give to the writer all the credit & generosity of interpretation you would give a friend. Apply to yourself all the criticism you’d intuitively direct at an enemy. Then wait a day. Perhaps read the article again.

Then, before deciding to post about it on twitter, consider: am I signaling my virtue? Am I just polishing my brand? Am I going to be inadvertently boosting the signal of something I wish had less exposure?

Am I just fishing for ‘likes’. Do I have a strategy whereby I might effect positive change? Is my interpretation unique enough to add to the debate? Am I just fueling ineffectual anger? Have I noted my biases? Have I applied humility? Then think, maybe I’ll have a tea. Then go make a tea. Then drink your tea.”

@getify —

“The saying ‘Jack of all trades, master of none’ is usually used standalone in a sort of slight against generalists as lesser than specialists.

But the original full saying is quite enlightening:

‘Jack of all trades, master of none, oftentimes better than a master of one.’”

The autocrat’s flowchart by @ictlogist