Notes from reading in Spring 2019. Langone came to speak at UT Austin and gave out signed copies.
Character of people you work with in business is of paramount importance:
- Don’t make the same mistakes with people repeatedly.
- Have the courage to end relationships based on things you believe are wrong.
- Being spiteful can be a great feeling when winning.
Bond trading = a sales job:
- The key to standing out is bringing in new business.
- Just doing what’s in your job description accomplishes nothing.
- Creating new conflicts without being prepared to handle them risks getting fired or upsetting stakeholders.
Langone himself was a poor Italian kid who got lucky several times:
- Admins and others vouched for him, didn’t kick him out, or provided him with the last-mile boost.
- When he got rich, the $400 others invested in him turned into millions.
Essential debts:
- Don’t try to nominally repay your essential debts—you can’t. Instead, spend the rest of your life paying them forward.
Don’t buy the hype around people who come and go.
- Many rise in fame in record time and fall even faster.
- Bad character will always be the ultimate tell