Coburn Ventures Podcast

Pull out a notepad and pen, this is an action-oriented conversation just in time for year end. Please enjoy our conversation with Dr. Morris Pickens on his framework for setting goals and achieving results.

Today we're pulling up a conversation we had on engineering uncommon inputs via questions and questions for management. This conversation is all about designing and actively engineering uncommon inputs through question asking, breaking out of what can be a rote, habituated, normalized, but professional going through the motions. Instead, let's focus in on generating uncommon understanding that is going to then move into the portfolio and impact clients. Let's jump in.

Delve into the concept of 'clean time' and its vital role in modern investment strategies. The discussion highlights how smartphones distract our focus and disrupt attention spans. Listeners are encouraged to cultivate intentional relationships with technology. The podcast underscores the value of unplugging for meaningful real-life connections. It offers practical tips for breaking free from mindless screen time, promoting personal growth and curiosity in a noisy world. Embrace counter-cultural practices for a more fulfilling investment approach.

The third annual celebration of gratitude, friends, and thanksgiving. Enjoy!

Today we are working on the theme of identifying change, and to do that we're returning to the subject of complex systems. It turns out, understanding the system we are in is pretty crucial to whether or not our actions will have any significance at all. In addition, a misunderstanding of the complex system, whether regulatory dynamics, or power structures, can throw off our assumptions on the pace of change in an industry. Our own study of complex systems includes a multi-disciplinary approach: we love to learn from others outside the typical investor mindset, and we especially love to learn from people and organizations that have success at solving insanely hard problems. So, we are inviting you right into a conversation we had with our friend Richard Uniacke, the Executive Director at Bridges Outreach, a non-profit that serves those experiencing homelessness or on the brink of homelessness in Newark, New Jersey and surrounding areas. Bridges has had tremendous success, and in large part because leadership fully realized it didn't exist in a vacuum, but had to work to understand the extremely complex system they operated in. Whether you are listening as a leader wondering how you can better unlock change, or as an investor always wanting to understand the pace of change, this conversation is for you. Let's jump in.

Explore the intriguing concept of 'clean time' in investment processes, promoting deep concentration and innovative idea generation. Discover personal challenges with maintaining discipline during weekends and the transformative benefits of dedicating uninterrupted time to research and introspection. Reflect on nearly two decades of balancing passion and professionalism, advocating for a break from conventional productivity pressures. Embrace countercultural approaches that foster creativity and rejuvenate curiosity for a more fulfilling work life.

In the last few decades, we've experienced multiple meaningful technological shifts: the internet, cloud computing, mobility, AI. Every time we're faced with one of these new and vast shifts, I find it useful to come back to one of our core 100-year changes, data. So today we're discussing data-driven cultures to help us navigate how management teams are positioned when it comes to AI or any other technological shift. We include a few questions for management to guide us on our way. Let's jump in.

Today, we have a fascinating capstone conversation in these series on investment decision making biases. In the last few weeks we have worked to provide different lenses through which we can "escape" decision making prisons, so today we will shine a light on something equally powerful at play: our emotions. Not just the simple upside/downside happy/sad spectrum we're all familiar with in business, but the complex web of emotional pairs that do silently guide our decision-making process. Today let's dive deep with Irwin, who breaks down four critical emotional dualities that can either imprison or empower our choices. We'll cover the delicate balance between pride and guilt, to the constant push-pull between excitement and fear (and especially, in business, adrenaline-fueled decision making)- we'll explore how these emotional pairs shape everything from investment decisions to organizational leadership. Let's jump in.

Today is our third podcast on the topic of decision-making prisons. For today, we are bringing up part of a podcast we did in 2020 with Rudy Karsen. Now, in the other two conversations in the past few weeks, we covered some of the organizational or the team elements or considerations that lead to decision-making prisons. In today's conversation, you'll hear more about how this applies at the individual level, and what we can do to consider our "gut" in decision making. Let's jump in.

Over the years many of our clients have transitioned from analyst to Portfolio Manager or consider working toward that goal. This entire podcast is dedicated to that transition: today we bring you a few of the "greatest hits" that come up that we hope might help you on that journey. Let's jump in.