You are the company you keep.
It’s an old saying, but there’s wisdom in that old saw.
Here’s another similar thought:
“You’re the average of the five people you spend the most time with.”
That’s a quote attributed most often to motivational speaker Jim Rohn.
Those concepts led to a lively discussion recently with a few friends.
I’d like to add that what you read also plays a large part in how you think. Charlie Munger, Warren Buffett’s long time partner, says that he has never met a smart person who doesn’t read—incessantly. Charlie is 95 and has met a lot of people, so I trust his insights.
So in the spirit of Charlie Munger and Jim Rohn, I thought I’d share a few of my regular “sources.”
Seth Godin—a hugely popular author and blogger, Seth is an influential marketing and business mind. He blogs daily and he usually nails it. His books are outstanding too. I once applied to work with Seth. His rejection letter was crushing but was so well written that I realized on the spot that there was no way could I hang with him. He’s just another level. Like asking to play hoops with LeBron James when you can’t jump or shoot.
Fred Wilson—a well-known New York City based venture capitalist, Wilson also blogs daily and reading his thoughts is akin to taking a daily MBA course. Very insightful.
Bob Lefsetz—The Lefsetz letter is a provocative blog that talks about music, tech, politics and culture. Lefsetz is a great writer and while I sometimes disagree with him, his writing is so vivid and interesting his work becomes a must read. He regularly angers his audience is incredibly brave and transparent.
Bernadette Jiwa—an Australian marketing guru who reminds me of Seth Godin.
Peggy Noonan—Wall Street Journal columnist who always seems to nail it. She writes with perspective and historical insight. Just terrific.
Frank Bruni—New York Times columnist, has very different politics than Noonan, but also seems to see past the noise to get to the root of issues.
Tom Friedman—-in a word, brilliant. He’s the guy I’d want at any dream dinner party. We saw speak in Fort Lauderdale last year and he was just wonderful.
David Brooks—a conservative voice that I enjoy reading because he’s smart, reasonable and open minded, three traits sorely lacking today.
Tim Ferris—-he’s endlessly fascinating and his podcast is always amazing. Ferris is all about peak human performance and his interviews are in depth and fascinating. He has some great books too.
Terry Gross—I think she may be the best interviewer alive. Just a master class in getting her subjects to open up and share.
Peter Coy—Bloomberg Business Week writer. Always terrific essays on world events and trends.
Shane Parrish—His blog is aptly called brain food.
Polina Marinova: Polina scans the web so we don’t have to and points us to the most interesting stories. Her blog is called The Profile.
Kevin Siskar: cool stuff on the start up life.
Joseph Lichterman—writes beautifully about innovative approaches to journalism. And journalism needs innovation.
Lawrence Tribe—really entertaining Twitter feed. A law school professor who explains the world we are in through the lens of a constitutional expert.
Modern Love—a Sunday Times staple. The best ones are amazing. The worst ones are still worth a read.
Steve Van Zant—his Twitter feed is funny, combative and always interesting. Plus, he plays guitar for the E Street Band and starred in The Sopranos. What a life!
Axios: great way to start the day and feel smart. Bite size nuggets about politics, business, culture and the world.
Simon Sinek—daily sayings that remind me of my “why.”
Reid Hoffman—his master of scale podcast tells the stories of entrepreneurs who have successfully scaled their businesses. I’m reading his new book “Blitzscaling” and it’s full of insights on business model innovation.
Otis White–Otis is a friend who has written extensively about Delray Beach. His blog on local government is simply the best on the subject anywhere.
Kevin Klineberg–An urbanist and champion of walkability, Klineberg writes about the “Messy City” with flair and intelligence.
Nancy Koehn–The Harvard leadership expert and author of “Forged in Crisis” has a lively and always interesting presence on social media.
There are more..I just love to read. Hopefully this list gets you thinking about your reading list. Or spurs you to start hanging out with your sharper friends. And please send me some suggestions.