Jim Collins and Ed Zschau (#741)
This episode is a two-for-one, and that’s because the podcast recently hit its 10-year anniversary and passed one billion downloads. To celebrate, I’ve curated some of the best of the best—some of my favorites—from more than 700 episodes over the last decade. I could not be more excited. The episode features segments from episode #361 “ Jim Collins — A Rare Interview with a Reclusive Polymath ” and #380 “ Ed Zschau — The Polymath Professor Who Changed My Life .”
Please enjoy!
Bios of guests may be found at tim.blog/combo .
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#741: Jim Collins and Ed Zschau
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What was your favorite quote or lesson from this episode? Please let me know in the comments .
SHOW NOTES
[05:00] Notes about this supercombo format.
[06:03] Enter Jim Collins.
[06:28] How Jim’s students influenced his entrepreneurial path.
[10:45] Why Jim carries a three-timer stopwatch.
[12:21] Using a spreadsheet to optimize discipline in service of creativity.
[13:42] Ideal minimum creative hours per year.
[15:19] Avoiding a life-distorting “funk.”
[17:41] Calculating an optimal end point.
[19:27] Patterns discovered using Jim’s time-tracking method.
[20:23] Three crucial components for living the life Jim wants to lead.
[22:18] The bug book and the hedgehog concept.
[30:31] Peter Drucker mic-drop lessons.
[34:39] Enter Ed Zschau.
[34:59] How I convinced Dr. Zschau to let me into his Princeton engineering course.
[37:38] Ed’s background in competitive figure skating and the lessons it taught him.
[41:45] The origin of Ed’s meticulous attention to detail.
[45:31] The benefits of learning by doing through the case method.
[49:21] Ed’s definition of entrepreneurship.
[50:50] The role of optimism in entrepreneurship and life.
[53:30] Ed’s aspirations as a teenager and young adult.
[55:32] What drew Ed to Princeton as an aspiring physics philosopher.
[58:21] How Ed got into teaching and his belief that career planning is overrated.
[1:03:37] How Ed learned to become a good teacher and the influence of extemporaneous speaking.
[1:06:53] Lessons from extemporaneous speaking competitions about preparation and adaptation.
[1:11:04] Ed’s thoughts on focusing for extended periods versus opening himself to opportunities.
[1:13:06] Ed’s decision to run for Congress.
[1:17:57] Advantages of committing to a maximum of three terms in the House of Representatives.
[1:21:29] Ed’s experience and self-reflection after losing his Senate race.
[1:23:40] Ed’s decision process when transitioning from investor to CEO.
[1:26:05] Differentiating between high-impact commitments and peer pressure.
[1:29:41] Comparing Ed’s parenting style to his teaching style.
[1:31:17] Ed’s belief in encouragement over direction and his own upbringing.
[1:34:45] The origin of Ed’s goal to live a life that matters.
[1:37:05] Influential books and recommendations for aspiring entrepreneurs.
[1:42:05] Ed’s current excitement and efforts to make higher education affordable through technology.
[1:48:37] The mantra by which Ed lives his life and his childhood nickname.
[1:50:57] How Ed brings the sound of music to his endeavors.
[1:57:34] Ed’s influence on others to continue his work of changing the world.
[1:59:40] Parting thoughts.
SELECTED LINKS FROM THE EPISODE
Connect with Jim Collins :
Website | Twitter | Facebook
Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap and Others Don’t by Jim Collins | Amazon
How The Mighty Fall: And Why Some Companies Never Give In by Jim Collins | Amazon
Great by Choice: Uncertainty, Chaos, and Luck — Why Some Thrive Despite Them All by Jim Collins and Morten T. Hansen | Amazon
Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies by Jim Collins and Jerry I. Porras | Amazon
Beyond Entrepreneurship: Turning Your Business into an Enduring Great Company by James Collins and William C. Lazier | Amazon
Thelma and Louise | Prime Video
Stanford University
Manage Your Time Like Jim Collins | HBR
Concepts: The 20-Mile March | Jim Collins
A Thousand Hours of Creativity by Jonathan Eastwood | LinkedIn
Jim Collins’ Happiness Spreadsheet | Accidentally Retired
Operations Research/The Simplex Method | Wikibooks
The Hedgehog Concept | Jim Collins
Straight from the Hedgehog’s Mouth: Management Guru Jim Collins | The Irish Times
Ten Lessons I Learned from Peter Drucker | Jim Collins
Drucker Day Keynote with Jim Collins | The Drucker Institute
Sierra Nevada College
System Industries
IBM
ELE 491: High-Tech Entrepreneurship | Princeton University
Harvard University
Caltech
University of Nevada, Reno
Reader’s Digest
StarTek
US House of Representatives
Brentwood Associates
The TECH Interactive
University of San Francisco
California Council on Science and Technology
Omaha Knights | Ice Hockey Wiki
10 Versions of Murphy’s Law for Universal “Truths” | ThoughtCo.
“If You Fail to Prepare, You Are Preparing to Fail” | Quote Investigator
Case Method Teaching | Stanford University
Harvard Business School
Stanford Graduate School of Business
The McPhee Syllabus | The Millions
Kant’s Views on Space and Time | Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
Einstein’s Theory of General Relativity: A Simplified Explanation | Space
Newton’s Views on Space, Time, and Motion | Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
The Devastating Impact of the 1961 Plane Crash That Wiped Out the Entire U.S. Figure Skating Team | Smithsonian
Officer Candidate School (OCS) | US Navy
Extemporaneous Speaking: Things to Know | ForCom
113 Extemporaneous Speech Topics | My Speech Class
Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr’s Duel | American Experience, PBS
American Electronics Association | NNDB
How Silicon Valley Hacked the Economy | The Nation
House Committee on Ways and Means | GovTrack
1986 United States Senate Election in California | Wikipedia
Zschau Named CEO of Censtor, a Disk Maker | Los Angeles Times
Boy Scouts of America
The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich by Timothy Ferriss | Amazon
The 4-Hour Body: An Uncommon Guide to Rapid Fat-Loss, Incredible Sex, and Becoming Superhuman by Timothy Ferriss | Amazon
Benjamin Franklin: An American Life by Walter Isaacson | Amazon
Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson | Amazon
Einstein: His Life and Universe by Walter Isaacson | Amazon
The Wright Brothers by David McCullough | Amazon
Building on Bedrock: What Sam Walton, Walt Disney, and Other Great Self-Made Entrepreneurs Can Teach Us About Building Valuable Companies by Derek Lidow | Amazon
The Walmart Museum
Income Share Agreements: What Students Should Know Before Signing | Nerdwallet
Lambda School
Mission Impossible | Prime Video
The Steps of the Simplex Algorithm | HEC Montreal
My Way by Frank Sinatra | Amazon Music
PEOPLE MENTIONED
Bill Lazier
Joanne Ernst
Jerry Porras
George Dantzig
Rochelle Myers
Peter Drucker
Benjamin Franklin
John McPhee
Immanuel Kant
Albert Einstein
Isaac Newton
Richard Feynman
Aaron Burr
Alexander Hamilton
Jonathan Sachs
William A. Steiger
Alan Cranston
James Wei
Thomas Edison
Abraham Lincoln
The Wright Brothers
Walter Isaacson
Steve Jobs
David McCullough
Derek Lidow
Sam Walton
Doug McMillon
Batman
Robin
The post Jim Collins and Ed Zschau (#741) appeared first on The Blog of Author Tim Ferriss .
