Philosophical Mindset

From Abstraction to Understanding Over the past year I’ve been learning how to code. I didn’t start with a grand plan, but just wanted to explore something new. I took a deep dive into Python and picked up the Django framework that makes it easier to build websites and applications. Coming from a philosophy background, I noticed that my approach to the learning process was anchored in the conceptual foundation I had acquired during years of philosophical training. ...

Five years after the pandemic, it feels like we’re back to square one. Only this time, the existential crisis is triggered not by a strict lockdown but by AI, trade chaos, political uncertainty, and a host of other issues. I recently picked up John Kay’s Obliquity. It’s a good read. The core idea? Under complexity and uncertainty, we are better off pursuing our goals indirectly, not head on. For example, if you chase happiness directly, you usually fail. ...

Over a year ago, I gave a philosophy workshop to a group of managers. The focus was on how to ask better questions, and why cultivating self-awareness, curiosity, and the habit of questioning our assumptions can make us better problem-solvers, managers, and leaders. During the Q&A session, a department head said: “Your presentation was very interesting. You raised some good points and offered a few guidelines for asking better questions. But I have a question for you: in what way is philosophy different from executive coaching?” ...

This is a section from my book Philosophy for Business Leaders: Asking Questions, Navigating Uncertainty, and the Quest for Meaning where I share how adopting a Stoic mindset helped me navigate uncertainty and adversity. Check it out! You can also order a copy of the book at the following link. Thank you. I’ve already shared my story in the introduction to this book, so I won’t go over it in detail again. I’m more interested in showing how adopting a Stoic mindset, which is certainly not an easy task, helped me navigate professional and personal adversity and uncertainty. ...

This is an excerpt from my book: Philosophy for Business Leaders: Asking Questions, Navigating Uncertainty, and the Quest for Meaning 1. Negative Visualization and Premortems Incorporate the practices of negative visualization and premortem into your decision-making toolkit: The Stoics advocated a valuable approach to prepare for adverse events: mentally simulating the worst-case scenario. This doesn’t mean dwelling on the negatives in every endeavor but rather exploring potential pitfalls along the way. By doing so, you equip yourself to proactively hedge against undesired outcomes to mitigate the impact. ...

The below text is the introduction to the first part of my book “Philosophy for Business Leaders: Asking Questions, Navigating Uncertainty, and the Quest for Meaning.” The first part is titled: The Art of Examining Yourself and Questioning Your Assumption. If you enjoyed reading the intro, you can get your copy at the following link. “Great negotiators are able to question the assumptions that the rest of the involved players accept on faith or in arrogance, and thus remain more emotionally open to all possibilities, and more intellectually agile to a fluid situation.” — Chris Voss ...