Last week I caught a new podcast in my feed that stopped me in my tracks. Tim Ferriss was interviewing Jim Collins. If you’d like to check it out you can find it here: The Tim Ferriss Show Transcripts: Jim Collins on The Value of Small Gestures, Unseen Sources of Power, and More (#483) – The Blog of Author Tim Ferriss

Jim Collins is by far and away my favorite business strategy author. Meeting him almost three years ago knocked off #17 on my dream list. The way his brain works is nothing short of incredible. When making an important business decision I can virtually guarantee that his advice from one of his books (including Good to Great and Great by Choice) will be running through my brain.

Hearing his interview with Tim blew my mind even more than I ever would have expected. What I appreciate about Jim’s style is his inquisitiveness, logic, and thought process. While I of course got some of his sage like business advice as well, what really has had me thinking often came from several other directions. Here’s just a short snippet of some of the topics / thoughts that have had me thinking long since first listening to it.

• What is it that really drives you?
• Seeking out and appreciating the dichotomy of “light” and “dark” forces our heroes exhibit. Seeing the jump from their difficult times to their peaks.
• “30 years and 30 minutes” – how the past dean of admissions at Princeton makes great admission decisions. The example of the potential student who’s vocation of choice was demolition derby.
• The power of spontaneous gratitude for someone
• The importance of preparation and deep research
• The many lessons that can be gleaned from reading biographies and autobiographies
• The power of questions and curiosity in business

So many wonderful stories and concepts from this podcast that my mind is still reeling. I’m so thankful for hearing this podcast, I am excited to listen to it again tomorrow on my drive to let it fully sink in.

Thanks!!!