The news of Warren Buffet’s apparent successor hit the world on Tuesday, as Todd Combs suddenly became the most well-known, previously unknown person in America. Wall Street Journal painted an unassuming picture of Combs, only 39, who built his career mainly on innate ability and incredible doggedness.
There are two things I take away from this article:
1) Of course I’d like to find comparables in myself with Mr. Combs, but his tireless love of reading financial information, dogged pursuit to his trade, and love for “voluminous” spreadsheets are all qualities that strike a chord in me. Not to mention I think there’s considerable research to be done on the effects of probability assumptions in financial models.
2) Culture is becoming more and more important. I’ve listened to five interviews with Tony Hsieh of Zappos in the past week, and in all he trumpets the same view of culture. To him, culture drives brand and a lot more within a company. Culture is a “committable” trait, one he’s willing to fire someone over, no matter how good they are at their job. The benefits of a strong culture are becoming more apparent, from simply a workplace devoid of negative interactions, to decreased turnover, to a resolute brand that needs to conscious attention.
I’m fascinated by Mr. Buffet and his selection of his successor. I’ll continue to read voraciously about people that interest me, Buffet, Gates, Larry Ellison and Safra Catz, Tony Hsieh, Bill Gross, Jean Marie Eveillard, Daniel Pink, Don Boudreaux, Ross Douthat, Michael Lewis, and many more. I think it’s very important to read about other people’s experiences, their points of view, and their lessons on life. I gain insights, wisdom, and knowledge, and it’s these things that shape my dreams, focus my ambitions, and give me direction.
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