This edition is brought to you by The Rundown AI

Good morning to all new and old readers! Here is your Wednesday edition of Faster Than Normal, exploring one short story about a person, a company, a high-performance tool, a trend I’m watching closely, and curated media to help you build businesses, wealth, and the most important asset of all: yourself. 

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Today’s edition:

Cheers,
Alex

P.S. Send me feedback on how we can improve. I respond to every email.

Stories of Excellence

Person: Bill Campbell

Bill Campbell was a remarkable figure in Silicon Valley, known as the "Trillion Dollar Coach" for his impact on tech giants. Starting as a football coach, he pivoted to business at 39, joining JWT ad agency. His career skyrocketed. He became head of sales and marketing at Apple, then CEO of Intuit. But his true legacy was as an executive coach. Campbell mentored Steve Jobs, Google's founders, and Sheryl Sandberg. He refused payment for coaching. "If you've been blessed, be a blessing," he said. His philosophy centered on teamwork and compassion. Campbell's approach was unconventional. He swore freely, even when coaching kids' football. He died in 2016, leaving a lasting imprint on tech leadership.

Key Lessons from Bill Campbell:

• On career pivots: At 39, Campbell successfully transitioned from sports to business, showing it's never too late to change careers.

• On authenticity: Campbell was known for his colorful language, even in professional settings, showing the importance of being true to oneself.

• On coachability: Campbell's all-time favourite question was: "Are you coachable?" He believed that open-mindedness and an ability to self-reflect were upstream of all other qualities.

Read More.

Company: AT&T

AT&T, originally the American Telephone and Telegraph Company, was founded in 1885 as a subsidiary of Alexander Graham Bell's Bell Telephone Company. It became independent in 1899 under the leadership of Theodore Vail. The company quickly grew, acquiring local phone companies and establishing a long-distance network. By 1915, AT&T completed the first transcontinental telephone line. In 1984, the company was forced to break up due to antitrust regulations, splitting into seven regional "Baby Bells." AT&T continued to innovate, launching the first commercial mobile phone service in 1983. In 2005, SBC Communications acquired AT&T for $16 billion and took on its name. Today, AT&T is a telecommunications giant with $168.9 billion in revenue (2022) and over 160 million wireless subscribers.

Key Lessons from AT&T:

• On adapting. Be willing to cannibalize your own business. AT&T's move into mobile phones threatened its landline business. But it was the right call. Don't cling to old revenue streams if new technologies are clearly the future.

• On vertical integration. Control the whole stack if you can. AT&T owned everything from phone lines to handsets to content (after acquiring Time Warner). This gave them unprecedented control over the customer experience.

Read More.

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Accelerants

High-performance tool

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Luck Surface Area

The concept of Luck Surface Area was coined by Jason Roberts, an entrepreneur. He defines it as "the amount of serendipity that will occur in your life, which is directly proportional to the degree to which you do something you're passionate about combined with the total number of people to whom this is effectively communicated."

This idea suggests that we can increase our "luck" by doing more things we're passionate about and telling more people about it. It's not about random chance, but about creating opportunities through action and communication. However, it requires putting yourself out there, which can be uncomfortable for some.

How large is your current luck surface area? What could you do to expand it?

Insights

Tactical reads

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> When improving workplace communication
Communication is the job (Read it here)

> When understanding the principles of persuasion
Cialdini’s 6 Principles of Influence & Persuasion (Read it here)

1 question

That’s all for today, folks. As always, please give me your feedback. Which section is your favourite? What do you want to see more or less of? Other suggestions? Please let me know.

Have a wonderful rest of week, all.

Recommendation Zone

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Hire remote employees with confidence

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Athyna is a service that quickly (<5 days!) finds remote employees across 150+ countries for you or your team. They cover roles from sales and marketing to creative and product, and have worked with companies like Facebook, Zoom, Uber, Microsoft, Salesforce, and Amazon.

I’ve personally used Athyna and recommended them to my Brother, Will, who runs a fashion label, and several close friends running their own businesses. To date, they’ve all had very positive experiences.

If you’re in the market for talent, visit their website to explore options and cover all your hiring needs.

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Alex Brogan

Find me on X, LinkedIn, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok

Offshore Talent: Where to find the best offshore talent. Powered by Athyna.

Why Faster Than Normal? Our mission is to be a friend to the ambitious, a mentor to the becoming, and a partner to the bold. We achieve this by sharing the stories, ideas, and frameworks of the world's most prolific people and companies—and how you can apply them to build businesses, wealth, and the most important asset of all: yourself.

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