Counterintuitive Lessons

Here are some counterintuitive lessons discussed in the "My First Million" podcast:

1. Starting Greatness: Mike Maples highlights how traditional startup thinking may hinder true innovation. He advises founders to envision themselves as "time travelers", breaking free from the present to conceive novel and breakthrough ideas, rather than settling for incremental improvements. This is particularly counterintuitive as it requires ignoring current trends and narratives to truly innovate 1.

2. Course Completion Rates: Sam Parr and Shaan Puri discuss the surprisingly low completion rates of online courses. Despite high enrollment rates, completion rates are in the single digits. The counterintuitive part is Sam's suggestion that solving this low completion rate may not be worth the effort, arguing that the effectiveness of a business isn't necessarily tied to the usage of its products 2.

3. Unpredictable Human Behavior: In a discussion with Morgan Housel, the unpredictability of significant economic and historical events is explored. Housel emphasizes humility in predictions, suggesting that the biggest drive of change is often completely unforeseen events. This counters the common desire for predictive power and control in business and investment strategies 3.

   Starting Greatness

   Shaan Puri

   Mike Maples

   Mike shares his insights on starting a great startup and how to think beyond the present to create breakthrough ideas. He also discusses the importance of counterintuitive lessons and how they can help entrepreneurs succeed.

   

   My First Million

   4 Big Trends and $0 to $1 Billion Startup Idea Frameworks | My First Million #191

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4. Delegating for Success: Nick Huber and Sam Parr discuss that you can amplify your business impact by making others good at their jobs, not just by being good at your task. A particularly counterintuitive insight related here is Nick's view on the importance of copywriting skills in leadership and delegation. Effective communication, as exemplified through copywriting, is seen as foundational for delegating and leading effectively 4.