#322: Adam Robinson — Outflanking and Outsmarting the Competition
The Tim Ferriss Show
Kipling and Erhart Almost Capture the Secret to Achievement
Kipling and Erhart's theories on achievement have limitations, as they can lead to stubborn persistence and ignore the emotional aspect. To address this, I propose my own quote: "If you're not getting the results you want, change what you're doing." Many people fail to do so and instead double down on their efforts. To initiate change, take a step in the opposite direction.
Welcome to another episode of The Tim Ferriss Show, where I share the habits, tools and patterns of world-class performers. This special short episode features insights from Adam Robinson (@IAmAdamRobinson). His answers to my questions were highlighted in my most recent book, Tribe of Mentors.
For those of you not familiar with Adam, he has made a lifelong study of outflanking and outsmarting the competition. He is a rated chess master who was awarded a Life Title by the United States Chess Federation. As a teenager, he was personally mentored by Bobby Fischer in the 18 months leading up to his winning the world championship.
Then, in his first career, he developed a revolutionary approach to taking standardized tests as one of the two original co-founders of The Princeton Review. His paradigm-breaking — or “category killing,” as they say in publishing — test-prep book, The SAT: Cracking the System, is the only test-prep book ever to have become a New York Times bestseller. After selling his interest in The Princeton Review, Adam turned his attention in the early ’90s to the then-emerging field of artificial intelligence, developing a program that could analyze text and provide human-like commentary. He was later invited to join a well-known quant fund to develop statistical trading models, and since, he has established himself as an independent global macro advisor to the chief investment officers of a select group of the world’s most successful hedge funds and family offices.
Adam has also been one of this show's most popular guests, and you can check out his first appearance here, and his second here.
Enjoy!
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