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March 5, 2025
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Carol B. Tomé, Tight Coupling and The Psychology of Saving
At a glance
This edition is brought to you by Tiny Experiments
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:
> Stories: Carol B. Tomé & Ford
> High-performance: Tight Coupling
> Insights: Persistence
> Tactical: The psychology of saving
> 1 Question: Reader's truth
Cheers,
Alex
P.S. Send me feedback on how we can improve. I respond to every email.
Stories of Excellence
Person: Carol B. Tomé
Carol Tomé is a force in retail. The CEO of UPS since 2020, she's known for her no-nonsense approach and financial acumen. Tomé spent 24 years at Home Depot, rising to CFO and EVP. There, she helped grow revenue from $45 billion to $110 billion. UPS stock is up over 50% since she took over. What's next? Tomé is steering UPS towards electric vehicles and drone deliveries. She's not slowing down.
Key Lessons from Carol Tomé:
On focus: "We're going to be better, not bigger." Tomé believes in quality over quantity.
On communication: "I believe in straight talk." Clear, direct communication is key to her leadership style.
Company: Ford
Ford was founded on June 16, 1903, by Henry Ford and 11 investors in Detroit, Michigan. With an initial investment of $28,000, Ford began producing the Model A. Henry Ford, a former chief engineer at Edison Illuminating Company, had previously attempted two unsuccessful automotive ventures. The company's breakthrough came in 1908 with the introduction of the Model T, which revolutionized mass production through the moving assembly line. By 1918, half of all cars in America were Model Ts. Ford went public in 1956 and remains controlled by the Ford family. As of 2023, Ford is the second-largest U.S. automaker and the eighth-largest globally, with annual revenues of $158 billion.
Key Lessons from Ford
On leadership: Be hands-on. Ford was known for walking the factory floor, often with a stopwatch. He knew every detail of his operation. This wasn't micromanagement. It was deep engagement with his product and process.
On marketing: Let your product speak for itself. Ford spent little on advertising. Instead, he focused on making his cars so ubiquitous that they became their own best advertisement. "The best ad is a good product," he said.
What if, instead of following a rigid path, we embraced curiosity to discover our most authentic ambitions?
Figuring out the next step has never been about following a set formula for me, which is why Tiny Experiments resonated so much. It’s a transformative guide to living a life of curiosity, embracing uncertainty, and reinventing your ambitions.
Written by neuroscientist and entrepreneur Anne-Laure Le Cunff, Tiny Experiments challenges the traditional, linear approach to life and encourages readers to see life as a series of experiments.
Accelerants
High-performance tool
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Tight coupling
Tight coupling is a software design principle where components are highly dependent on each other. "Tight coupling means that one class is dependent on another class," as software engineers often say. It's like two puzzle pieces that only fit together in one specific way.
This approach has its pros and cons. On one hand, it can simplify development and improve performance in small, cohesive systems. The code is often more straightforward and easier to understand initially. But there's a big downside. Changes to one part of the system often require changes in many other parts. It's like trying to change one cog in a complex machine — you might end up having to adjust everything else too.Have you ever worked on a project where changing one small thing broke everything else? That's tight coupling in action. It's worth considering if the short-term simplicity is worth the long-term maintenance headaches. Maybe it's time to look at more flexible design patterns?
Insights
Dale Carnegie on persistence:
"Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all."—Dale Carnegie, American writer, lecturer, and developer of courses in self-improvement, salesmanship, corporate training, public speaking, and interpersonal skills
Tactical reads
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> When understanding the psychology of saving
Saving for the future self: Neural measures of future self-continuity predict temporal discounting (Read it here)
> When examining psychological distance in decision-making
Doing Unto Future Selves As You Would Do Unto Others: Psychological Distance and Decision Making (Read it here)
1 question
Would I genuinely read this or am I chasing the wrong incentive
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
⎯
What if, instead of following a rigid path, we embraced curiosity to discover our most authentic ambitions?
Figuring out the next step has never been about following a set formula for me, which is why Tiny Experiments resonated so much. It’s a transformative guide to living a life of curiosity, embracing uncertainty, and reinventing your ambitions.
Written by neuroscientist and entrepreneur Anne-Laure Le Cunff, Tiny Experiments challenges the traditional, linear approach to life and encourages readers to see life as a series of experiments.
Alex Brogan
Find me on X, LinkedIn, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok
Offshore Talent: Where to find the best offshore talent. Powered by Athyna.
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