800-CEO-READ Blog

"Don't Trust, Just Verify"

With all the hype about Freakonomics this year, it's no wonder that Steven D. Levitt, coauthor of the book, was asked for his "Golden Rule" in the December issue of Business 2.0. The Business 2.0 section is called "My Golden Rule"; it consists of success secrets of 30 leaders.

What's Levitt's Golden Rule?

Don't Trust, Just Verify
So much of what we hear and what we're taught turns out to be false on closer scrutiny. Whether it is expert advice, what you read in the paper, or what your mother told you, if it is important, take the time to figure out for yourself whether it is really true.

While I found each of the 30 rules to be worthwhile in their own right, these are two that stuck out:

Warren Buffett's Golden Rule:

There Can't Be Two Yous
When you get out of bed in the morning and think about what you want to do that day, ask yourself whether you'd like others to read about it on the front page of tomorrow's newspaper. You'll probably do things a little differently if you keep that in mind.

Blake Ross's (co-creator of Firefox) Golden Rule:

The Next Big Thing Is Whatever Make the Last Big Thing Usable
We focus on the everyday problems that nag at everyday people. There are more than enough to go around without imagining new ones.