January 7, 2025

Happy New Year!

I recently stumbled across a social media post from a guy who calls himself "LindyMan." My son is an avid follower of his account, and since then, I've checked in on his writing.

He's a throwback, a modern-day philosopher. He says something is lindy when it has stood the test of time. So, what is Lindy?

He says that coffee is lindy. It's been around for over 400 years, and if it had harmful effects, like cigarettes, we'd know it by now. Grilling is also lindy. It goes back to the Stone Ages. Walking is lindy, he says. Walking has been around forever, and it'll never go away.

As we begin our new year, this Lindy Effect has been on my mind. It seems true. We tend to overcomplicate, chase fresh and new, and overlook tried and true.

I've been thinking about my 2025 reset. How can I be more Lindy? Keep it simple and focus on things that are proven.

• Instead of reading books on the current best-seller list, read classics. Books that have been enjoyed for decades or even centuries.
• Try to move—a lot—every day. LindyMan says he wants to walk this year at hunter-gatherer levels! My hunch is that daily walking would have more benefits than sporadic, start-and-stop fitness routines.
• Lift weights.
• Take care of your community, which includes your family and those in your neighborhood.
• Focus on Spirit-Mind-Body, which is as old as antiquity.
• In business, find people to talk to, listen to, and provide outstanding service.

This Lindy Effect reminds me that a good life is about playing the long game. Our current culture is about productivity, getting things done, cold showers, a grind mentality, and a carefully crafted morning routine. I don't think those are lindy.

He's saying that to have a long, productive, and fulfilled life, look to the past. Look at what people have been doing for centuries—and cast a weary eye towards the social media, influencer-driven, "click here and your life is changed forever" tactics. Shortcuts come and go. There will be a new one next month.

Granted, we are blessed to live in the current time with technology and comfort once only dreamed of. But the past offers some key lessons, too.

We forget them at our peril.

The Huddle is a weekly newsletter that is designed for leaders. Leaders must be learners. There is never a moment when leaders arrive. It's a never-ending growth process. I hope this can be a resource that you can use to stay sharp and share with your team.

With that, here are some things I ran across this week.

Five Behaviors to Eliminate - When I read this post, I thought about the C.S. Lewis quote: "Humility is not thinking less of yourself, but thinking of yourself less."

Time Magazine's CEO of the Year - Lisa Su is the CEO of Advanced Micro Devices, a global semiconductor company. She has led AMD to a remarkable decade-long turnaround. When she took over, the company stock was $3 per share. Today, it's at $120 per share.

There are several good takeaways in this article. Interestingly, their chief rival, Nvidia, is led by her cousin. What are the odds? Regarding developing company leaders, she says, "Leaders are not made. They are trained."

Amen.

My Favorite Books of 2024 - Each year, one of the more popular pieces of content I put out is my favorite books of the year. Who doesn't like a good book list?

This year, I read a lot of books. A lot of bad ones. A lot that I put down. Life is too short to slog through a bad book. But I read a few good ones too. Click here to see them.

What was your favorite book in 2024?

Boring Before Brilliance - We love prodigys. Tiger Woods won golf tournaments at the age of 21. Serena Williams won a Grand Slam event at the tender age of 17. LeBron James is the NBA Rookie of the Year at 19.

But we don't always appreciate those who have sustained success over a long time. I love this six-minute video about golfer Scott Stricker. His coach says, "I know plenty of people who have won major championships. They get hot for a week. But Steve has had success over an extended period."

Stricker says he's boring...but sometimes, boring can become brilliance.

That's an excellent message for us mortals. Steady. Boring. Keep showing up. Keep working to improve. It leads to brilliance if we do it long enough.

A quote to leave you with

Have a great week!