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Hi Zenith Catcher, “Wisdom begins with a definition of terms.” – Socrates
This Thursday, I attended a sales event in Zurich. The first speaker talked about B2B Software Business Cases. Shortly after he started his presentation, he got a question: “Can you define business case?” A reasonable question to know what he’s talking about. He stuttered… “ehm well…” He tried to define it. However, from my perspective, it was not very satisfactory. Shortly after, he continued without confirming if everybody understood what he would talk about. Not to denigrate his entire speech. Many things were very interesting (I took many notes), and he had reason to assume that the audience knew what a business case was, as almost all of them were account executives. But for a noob like me, I was not introduced well to the topic. Assumptions & Definitions This situation confirmed one more time two observations I’ve made in the past: 1) Most educators, speakers, and everyday people assume, in many interactions, that the person they are talking to knows the words they are using. 2) How we define words affects how we think, and how we think affects what we do. If we understand the wrong thing, we do the wrong stuff. Building upon both observations, I saw many super smart and successful entrepreneurs out there who are high performers when it comes to running a business but are super bad when teaching business concepts. One entrepreneur who bridges this gap is Alex Hormozi.
He built successful multimillion-dollar software, consulting, coaching, and brick-and-mortar businesses. In other words, he knows his stuff. I think part of the reason his books, free video courses, and YouTube videos have so many great reviews is because he uses language that he and the consumer understand. In other words: 1) He avoids using amorphous, vague words. 2) He defines words upfront by using a behavioral approach. He asks, for instance, “What needs to occur that we ascribe someone as patient” and then tries to devise a definition that operationalized the word. “How we define words affects how we think. After all, words represent thoughts. Unclear words make for unclear thinking. And unclear thinking makes it very difficult to understand.” – Alex Hormozi, entrepreneur
3) He simplifies sentences and words to 3rd-grade reading level. All these 3 points together (and some more) make him an exceptional business educator, at least from my perspective. 10 Hormozi Definitions for Life So far, I wanted to point out that definitions impact our lives and what we do. Now, I consumed 100s of hours of Hormozi content. Across these many hours, I remembered some of his definitions that stuck with me and served me well. Here are my top 10 Hormozi definitions:
Conclusion As someone who struggled to comprehend life and concepts, Hormozi helped me to understand the world better. And it all starts with knowing what we’re talking about. So, let’s start with a proper definition. Warmly, Nicola PS: Here’s a bonus lesson I picked up from Hormozi. A lot of people struggle with understanding vague advice. Like if you tell someone, “Be more confident” or “Be more patient,” it’s hard to actually act on that—especially for a kid or someone just starting out. But if you break it down into simple, clear behaviors, it suddenly becomes something people can do. For example: instead of telling someone “Be more charismatic,” you could say:
All these are small, concrete actions. And together, they build what people call “charisma.” So yeah, instead of giving big abstract advice, break it down into tiny actions. That’s how people really change. PPS: I do a podcast where I pretend to have a Swiss accent (wink). 190+ episodes online about high performance and business. You can subscribe on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. This week on the Catch The Zenith Podcast: #198: “If You’re So Smart, Why Aren’t You Happy?” – Naval Ravikant. Listen on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or my Website. Inspiring Things This Week:Podcast: One podcast episode I listened to for the 3rd time is Hugh Jackman’s interview with Tim Ferriss from July 2nd, 2020. They talk about the 85% rule for top performance and productivity, how Hugh became an actor, and more. What really stood out to me is how humble and open he is—he’s quick to say “I learned something from you” and to give others praise. He’s also super articulate. Overall, a great episode if you’re into daily routines, decision-making, and learning how to become exceptional at what you do. Books: Reading has improved so many areas of my life, especially my focus and impulse control. Right now, I try to keep a mix: one more technical book about business concepts and one more about life in general. That balance works well for me at the moment. I just started (reading for the 2nd time) Beyond Order (12 More Rules for Life) by Jordan Peterson—one of the best books I’ve read. I first read it two or three years ago, and it’s just as powerful the second time around. Quote of the Week:“Manifestation is bullshit. The only thing that matters is action.”
– Alex Hormozi, founder of Acquisition.com Video Recommendations: |
