Nothing like disruption to get the stories going! And when the uproar is about the newspaper business, we get more than the usual number of critics thinking and writing about what it all means. So when Jeff Bezos bought the Washington Post, using his personal fortune from founding Amazon, the stories were flying like Angry Birds.
My personal three favorites: Bezos accidentally clicked on the Washington Post. Then, his two pizza work group rule: when it takes more than two pizzas to keep a work group happy, you have too many people on the project.
And, finally, the story about him when he was nine years old, riding in the car with his grandparents: using a formula he just learned about smoking and the relationship between number of cigarettes smoked a day and shortening one’s life, he blithely announced to his grandma smoking in the front seat that she would be losing nine years of her life. After she burst into tears, his grandpa said, “Jeff, one day you will understand that it is harder to be kind than clever.”
Thanks to friend and colleague,Holly Williams, for her funny – yet thought provoking – post this week! Holly is founder and president of MAGUS Group Coaching, who is committed to delivering innovative and cutting edge leadership coaching programs. MAGUS blends the latest research on the neuroscience of leadership and change with coaching methodology.
What do you think? How does disruption stimulate our thinking and encourage opinions…regardless how far out they may seem? How big is too big for a team to truly collaborate? Is it harder to be kind versus clever? Weigh in…lots of room for fodder here!
It’s very true that it is harder at times to be kind than to be clever. That is what (hopefully) maturity brings: the kindness governor on one’s cleverness and empathy for others. Far too often I see parents demonstrating Shadenfreude or even encouraging that mentality in their children. Although the lesson of kindness and empathy takes work, the rewards, I feel, are great and worth the effort.
Thank you for a wonderful, thought-provoking post today, Kristin!
This post was very helpful. I will be implementing your tips.