Business Biographies and Memoirs includes six profiles of Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk, Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Jack Ma, Richard Branson by JR MacGregor. One of the things the author asked of the reader is to look at the accomplishments and not the personality of the individuals. That made a huge difference for me because some of these men are not likable.
Business professionals often like to read biographies and memoirs of accomplished people. They want to be inspired, but they're also looking for that magic bullet that will help them to achieve success. It's good to see what others have done.
However, you have to be mindful and not copy what others have done since you don't know their secret sauce. Business Biographies and Memoirs by JR MacGregor includes profiles of six giants — Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk, Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Jack Ma, and Richard Branson.
Since 2020 has started, we have experienced race riots and the world is still experiencing a global pandemic. Many business models no longer work. So many have to pivot if they want to remain relevant. Perhaps if we look at the lives of these six highly accomplished individuals, we can get a glimpse of a thing or two about the next steps to take.
What is Business Biographies and Memoirs by JR MacGregor About?
The author of Business Biographies and Memoirs says that biographies about others are biographies about ourselves.
Do you agree?
He also cautions us that when you're reading a biography, to look at the cause and effect the person's actions had on the world around them.
Finite Game vs Infinite Game
One thing I found interesting is that the author classifies each of the six leaders profiled in terms of whether they played or are playing a finite or infinite game. There are two types of games you can play. They're finite and infinite games.
A finite game comes to an end when someone wins and that's the game that Bill Gates plays. On the other hand, for an infinite game, there is no definite end. Players keep the game going. You can play a finite game inside an infinite game. Steve Jobs played the infinite game. Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk, Jack Ma, and Richard Branson play the infinite game.
Business Biographies and Memoirs: Jeff Bezos: The Force Behind the Brand
The founder of Amazon, Jeff Bezos, has a sound understanding of how to leverage technology. That's his big thing. You have to find the spark to take your career or business to the next level. Let technology drive your products and services. Find something you can make a difference with and fire up your passion. Become inspired.
Bezos is adamant about what he needs to do. You learn from making mistakes. Make your own luck. Success is about achievement, not reward and money. Do something every day that will contribute to your goal.
Secret Sauce
- Know the future.
- Understand that cause and effect and its principles are never yielding.
Have a vision and pursue it. That's how you attain what you're after. Bezos believes in the power of thinking. Wealth comes from his choices, decisions, failures, effort, pain and relentless pursuit.
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Non-Obvious Megatrends: How to See What Others Miss and Predict the Future by Rohit Bhargava
What Does it Mean to Be Relentless, Are You Relentless?
What impact do you have to make to create wealth? Bezos' wealth is proportional to the problems he had to solve. Things he had to counter and innovate to get Amazon to where it is today. He has an inquisitive mind and the power of reasoning is important to him. Reasoning helps you to up your problem solving and negotiating game.
As a youth, Jeff Bezos offered the course, Directed Reasoning. Science and literature were a part of the course. Some books covered included:
- Dune
- Watership Down
- The Once and Future King
- Stranger in a Strange Land
- Black Beauty
- Gulliver's Travel
- Treasure Island
- Our Town
- The Matchmaker
- David Copperfield
It's important to have a diverse skill set. What is your X-Factor? It's the MacGyver Effect. Use what you have in front of you to create something. Bezos' actions are deliberate. Do you know where your market is going?
Be the best you can be in everything you do. It's about getting from concept to outcome.
Set an insurmountable goal to challenge yourself. He looks across the horizon to determine what needs to happen. Now that it's not business as usual, what do you think needs to happen for you to achieve success in this new environment?
Have an overarching purpose. Every decision and action you take should be directed to that purpose. Bezos is resilient and consistent. Be able to think your way out of any corner. What problems do your products and services solve? His rise and that of Amazon are intertwined. He's concerned with outcomes and not processes.
Business Biographies and Memoirs: Elon Musk: Moving the World One Technology at a Time
In school, Musk was bullied. He has the uncanny ability to apply focus and attention to the things that matter to him. Elon Musk moves from one state of existence to the next. JR MacGregor says the wealthy will always pay more in appreciation for some things. He's very industrious. And comes from a family of highly energized people.
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Summary: Mind Hacking by Sir John Hargrave
Pursuit of Knowledge
Accomplished men and women have a special brand of genius. Musk's genius is his ability to direct his focus and attention. He has the power to remember and assimilate what he reads. This helps him to make sense of what he learns. He understands the fundamental nature of knowledge. And is able to apply what he learns in practical ways.
3 Areas to Understand About Elon Musk
- Apply focus on what he's paying attention to.
- Not get distracted from what he's focused on.
- Memorize every aspect of the event.
The author adds some practical tips based on what he learned from Elon Musk.
Lessons From Elon Musk
- Traveling gives you different views of the world.
- Be willing to do what's necessary.
- Performance and reputation in one area lends itself to other areas.
- Convert inspiration and thought into tangible reality.
- Fear unlocks the edge you need to succeed.
- Use an existing wheel to create something better.
- Good at gathering intelligence.
- Make your plan and work at it until you get where you're going.
Elon Musk never allows distraction to prevent him from achieving his goals. He has both talent and an impeccable work ethic. He's in his head a lot, has a fear of being alone, and is obsessive in his pursuit of his dreams. Elon Musk is a genius at making things happen.
Business Biographies and Memoirs: Steve Jobs: The Man Behind the Bitten Apple
He has the ability to focus without distractions. He works things out in his mind. An innovator, he inspires others to break out of mediocrity. Jobs is a master of taking existing ideas and making them better. And on top of that, he made them relatable. He's able to simplify the complex.
Steve Jobs used meditation and mindfulness to learn to focus. And he was skilled at saying ‘No'. Jobs knew the difference between what was important and what was urgent.
“Focus is Steve Jobs' blueprint and simplicity his path.”
Lessons from Steve Jobs
- Make your product work for your customer.
- Develop the ability to rally others to act.
- Work towards perfection, even though perfectionism doesn't exist.
- Balance and focus are centering.
- See both the details and big picture.
- Like elegance.
Business Biographies and Memoirs: Bill Gates: The Man Behind Microsoft
He's motivated by contribution and achievement. Bill Gates has a lack of adherence to rule and understands risk. He knows how to bluff, doesn't like losing, and has mastered the art of thinking differently. And he behaves outside the norms of society. Success is about breaking a few rules, redefining your reality, and engineering your chances.
Bill Gates' mother had a lot of influence in his life. She opened doors to IBM and introduced him to Warren Buffett. His father was empathetic to humanity and Gates got his take charge attitude from him. His dad had a sense of social responsibility and Gates learned about technological innovation from him.
Lessons from Bill Gates
- Prioritize the task at hand and do whatever it takes to get things done.
- Be clear about what you need to do to achieve his goals.
- Apply singular focus to what you're doing.
- Empathetic to making the world a better place.
- If you want to change the world, get moving on your vision.
- Successful people seldom hesitate to act.
- Have a strong mind and be fearless.
- He calculates each move in real time.
Business Biographies and Memoirs: Jack Ma: A Lesson in Trust, Honor, and Shared Prosperity
As a child, Jack Ma was bullied, but he fought back in his own way. He was curious about everything, and very observant. Ma mastered a balance between patience and hurry. And is able to do what's necessary when it's time to act. When he was a child, he bartered with tourists to give him English lessons in exchange for guided tours.
The most successful people face challenges that they work at overcoming. Ma failed the entrance test to Chinese University. And the third time, he decided to do whatever it took to pass. He was excited about the internet because he saw it as a portal to the world.
Possessing unbridled energy, Ma knows how to get things done. And he has the ability to see the big picture and not take shortcuts. He created trust in his business and realized that success is based on value. He's a proponent for shared prosperity. That's how he became successful.
Lessons from Jack Ma
- Do what's necessary to live today to prepare for tomorrow's success.
- You don't have to be an inventor to make it big.
- Choice determines what unfolds for us.
- You don't need to know the nuts and bolts to succeed.
- Look out for those around you.
- Save so you don't drain resources in the present. Saving helps you to keep costs low.
- Give back to society.
Business Biographies and Memoirs: Richard Branson: The Force Behind Virgin
He has always seen things from a unique perspective. Richard Branson is accustomed to giving customers and clients real value. He constantly breaks the mold about how you achieve success. And he's a transformational leader. Like Steve Jobs, he drives people to achieve more than they normally would.
Branson has perfected the art of harnessing the power of people with different skill sets to unify efforts. He knows how to step outside his comfort zone and takes risks. And he has a vision and is able to make tough decisions.
Richard Branson is very empathetic, has a high emotional quotient, and someone who stays grounded. For him, every day is a new day,doesn’t live his life with regrets, and never shies away from problems. Decarbonizing aviation is important to him.
Lessons from Richard Branson
- Don't have doubts about your achievements.
- Be open to change.
- Change drives profits.
- You don’t have to be perfect to make a difference.
- Need to know the difference between what's important and what are distractions.
- Don't have to be an expert at anything to become a billionaire.
- Be the master of your own destiny.
- When you fall down, pick yourself up.
Final Thoughts on Business Biographies and Memoirs by JR MacGregor
Business Biographies and Memoirs by JR MacGregor has six manuscripts in the book. At one point, each of the profiles was a book by itself. I picked out the sections of the book that interest me.
From reading Business Biographies and Memoirs by JR MacGregor, all six highly accomplished individuals have the following traits in common.
- Ability to focus.
- Know what needs to get done.
- Have a vision and pursue it relentlessly.
- Take decisive action.
- Create value for clients and customers. Solve problems for them.
The most accomplished people use books as problem solving tools. They carve out the time in their schedule to find solutions in the pages of a book. Let me help you to solve your own problems. Additionally, this program helps you to learn valuable career skills. Click the link MoreReads Success Blueprint Accelerator Program to buy.
Books to Buy
Business Biographies and Memoirs: 6 Manuscripts: Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk, Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Jack Ma, Richard Branson by JR MacGregor
Finite and Infinite Games by James Carse
The Infinite Game by Simon Sinek
Relentless: From Good to Great to Unstoppable by Tim S. Grover
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UPDATE: First published in September 2020
