Since publishing my book, Principles for the Changing World Order, a year and half ago, I’ve had a number of great conversations about the five big forces I identified and how they are continuing to shape the world today. I recently talked with New York Times columnist…

I spent nearly 50 years developing decision-making principles that helped me build the world’s largest hedge fund and make better decisions in most every other aspect of life. I’m now at a stage in life where I want to pass them along to help others, so I’m doing that in a new…

I spent nearly 50 years developing decision-making principles that helped me build the world’s largest hedge fund and make better decisions in most every other aspect of life. I’m now at a stage in life where I want to pass them along to help others, so I’m doing that in a new…

When managing an area, you need to gain a rich enough understanding of the people, processes, and problems around you to make well-informed decisions. Without that understanding, you will believe the stories and excuses you are told. #principleoftheday

Constantly probe the people who report to you while making sure they understand that it's good for them and everyone else to surface their problems and mistakes. Doing so is required to make sure you're getting what you want, even from people who are doing their jobs well (though…

Job slip is when a job changes without being explicitly thought through and agreed to, generally because of changing circumstances or a temporary necessity. Job slip often leads to the wrong people handling the wrong responsibilities and confusion over who is supposed to do what.…

While that might sound obvious, people often fail to stick to their own responsibilities. Even senior people in organizations sometimes act like young kids just learning to play soccer, running after the ball in an effort to help but forgetting what position they are supposed to…

Eliminate any confusion about expectations and ensure that people view their failures to complete their tasks and achieve their goals as personal failures. The most important person on a team is the one who is given the overall responsibility for accomplishing the mission. This…

If you’re interested, you can hear my conversation at the @UN with the legendary ocean explorer @SylviaEarle here:

Today is World Ocean Day which I just celebrated at the UN. The ocean is our biggest, most important asset, accounting for 72% of the Earth’s surface--so more than twice as much as all continents combined. It is incredibly interesting, valuable, and almost totally ignored.…

All the laws of reality were given to us by nature. Man didn’t create these laws, but by understanding them we can use them to foster our own evolution and achieve our goals. For example, our ability to fly or to send cell phone signals around the world came from understanding…

Like a ski instructor, you need to have close contact with your people on the slopes so that you can assess their strengths and weaknesses as they are doing their jobs. There should be a good back-and-forth as they learn by trial and error. With time you will be able to decide…

They can do this by 1) managing others well, 2) job slipping down to do work they're not responsible for because others can't do their jobs well, or 3) escalating what they can't manage well. The first choice is optimal; the second signals that a change is needed in the people…

Great managers orchestrate rather than do. Like the conductor of an orchestra, they do not play an instrument, but direct their people so that they play beautifully together. Micromanaging, in contrast, is telling the people who work for you exactly what tasks to do or doing…

Here is some of my advice for those who are graduating and entering “the real world.” You’re about to enter the beginning of the second phase of your life which is totally different from the first. Realize that you know virtually nothing about what it’s like so you need to…

While everyone has the right to make sense of things--and is in fact obliged to challenge principles and policies if they conflict with what they believe is the best approach--that's not the same thing as having the right to change them. Changes in policies must be approved by…

Principles are hierarchical--some are overarching and some are less important--but they all should inform the policies that guide your individual decisions. It pays to think those policies through to ensure that they are consistent with each other and the principles they are…

You don't want the people you work with to merely pay lip service to your community's rules; they should have a high sense of ethics that makes them want to abide by them and hold others accountable for abiding by them, while also working to perfect them. The way to achieve this…

I was asked what I think of the debt deal, so here it is in a nutshell. It was as I expected, which is the best the one could expect, though not good enough for the following reasons: 1. Bipartisanship: Grade A. The middle held together against the extremists in their parties.…

Don't make the mistake of just having the case-at-hand discussion, because then you are micromanaging (i.e., you are doing your managee's thinking and your managee will mistakenly think that's okay). When having the machine-level discussion, think clearly how things should have…

Think about what type of case it is and what principles apply to that type of case. By doing this and helping others to do this you'll get better at handling situations as they repeat over and over again through time. #principleoftheday

The second purpose is more important than the first because it is how you build a solid organization that works well in all cases. Most people focus more on the first purpose, which is a big mistake. #principleoftheday

No matter how complete any project or plan, there will always be things that come out of nowhere and look like the most important or urgent or attractive thing to focus on. These shiny objects may be traps that will distract you from thinking in a machinelike way, so be on your…

If you keep your focus on each individual task, you will inevitably get bogged down. If instead you pay attention to building and managing your machines, you will be rewarded many times over. #principleoftheday

Here is some of my advice for those who are graduating and entering “the real world.” You’re about to enter the beginning of the second phase of your life which is totally different from the first. Realize that you know virtually nothing about what it’s like so you need to…