Get Matrix-like insights into the patterns that support high achieving business and personal success

Authored by Ron Friedman

Featured title: Decoding Greatness: How the Best in the World Reverse Engineer Success

Reconstruct existing and proven ideas and in your own way, add more efficiency to it or make it unique.
Observe, study, collect the objects, principles, behaviors, and best practices in your field and apply these patterns.These patterns can be the blueprint of your success.
Connectedness is the center of high-performing teams. Communication builds strong relationships and clears misunderstandings, and a means to show appreciation to your colleagues, which leads to high performance.

New York Knick coach Pat Riley’s book, The Winner Within, opened Ron’s eyes to the power of human motivation. [01:16]
One of the studies that Ron did during graduate school was looking to see whether there is or isn’t an impact of seeing a Michael Jordan jersey on a basketball performance. [02:42]
The factors that lead people to perform at their best. [03:46]
Does greatness comes from talent? [04:03]
Or does it come from practice? [04:21]
Ron talks about the power of reverse engineering in achieving greatness. [04:58]
The process of reverse engineering. [05:25]
An elaboration of the insight of viability and how it distinguishes mega entrepreneurs like Jeff Bezos, Mark Cuban and Richard Branson. [07:12]
What we can learn from Tinder bout how they used algorithms. [11:41]
Ron talks about his first book, The Best Place to Work. [13:54]
Connectedness is the heart of high-performing teams. [14:37]
Appreciation plays a key role to having superior performance. [16:20]
My Quest for the Best lightning round. [29:37]

Ron has served on the faculty of the University of Rochester, Nazareth College, and Hobart and William Smith Colleges, and has consulted for some of the world’s most successful organizations.

Popular accounts of his research have appeared on NPR and in major newspapers, including The New York Times, Financial Times, The Globe and Mail, Washington Post, The Guardian, as well as magazines such as Men’s Health, Entrepreneur, and Success. He is a frequent contributor to the Harvard Business Review, Psychology Today, Fast Company, Forbes, and CNN.

His first book, The Best Place to Work, was named an Inc. Magazine Best Business Book of the Year. His new book, Decoding Greatness: How the Best in the World Reverse Engineer Success, was selected by Amazon’s editors as one of this year’s best non-fiction books.

Below are key people, places, books, quotes, websites, and other resources that we discussed so you can explore further.

Get leadership insights weekly.

Subscribe free →

Enjoying the podcast? A quick ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ review on Apple Podcasts makes a real difference — thank you!