Good morning, friends!

Happy Father’s Day to all the dads, step-dads, uncles, grandfathers, and father figures who have made us into the people we are today.

Today, I want to re-share the article I wrote last year about the best advice my dad gave me about life, work, and relationships.

—

My dad was 24 years old when I was born.

He told me that he remembers looking at me as a newborn wondering, "You are so little. What will you go on to do in this world?" (I'm sure that writing a weekly email newsletter wasn't exactly on his radar in 1991, but here we are.)

Over the years, he's taught me a lesson that I only recently internalized: Recognize the difference between well-meaning but inadequate actions and straight-up malicious intent.

When he was teaching me to ride a bike, he would hold my seat. When he saw I was getting the hang of it, he let go, so I panicked and crashed it into a parked truck. I got mad at him because I assumed it was his fault that I crashed.

When he was teaching me to drive a car, he sat in the passenger seat telling me about the importance of being an alert driver when I saw a massive bee on the windshield. I got distracted, panicked, pressed the gas going downhill, and crashed his car straight into a tree. He didn't get mad at me because he knew that even though it was my fault we crashed, I (obviously) didn't do it on purpose.

My dad probably wasn't aware of it at the time, but he was teaching me a mental model known as “Hanlon’s Razor.” It goes like this: “Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by neglect or ignorance.” In other words, when someone makes a mistake, it’s possible they’re simply clumsy, careless, inarticulate, or, well, they happened to see an abnormally large bee on the windshield. "Malicious intent," on the other hand, implies the person willfully or intentionally wanted to inflict harm. (Read more about Hanlon's Razor here.)

I used to take things very personally, over-think, over-analyze, and get upset over the tiniest of comments that I could interpret as offensive. As I've gotten older, I've learned that many of us see the world through a distorted lens of insecurity. If you're worried about losing your job, every offhand remark your co-worker makes in front of your boss will make you think he's trying to get you fired. Is he actually an evil person with a hidden agenda or have you written him that way into your personal narrative?

If you assume people around you are acting out of malice, it can shut down all possible communication. "People are quick to accuse corporations, politicians, their bosses, employees, coffee shop workers and even family of trying to derail them," writes Shane Parrish. "When someone messes up around us, we forget how many times we, too, have done the same." In other words, you obsess over the time your dad let go of the bike seat, but forget about the time you crashed his car because you weren't paying attention.

The best advice my dad has ever given me is to approach my life, my work, and my relationships with good intent. It's changed my life in that I've shifted my mindset from blaming others to focusing on my own actions. Malicious or not, I no longer internalize other people's actions nor do I judge how they choose to lead their lives.

In honor of Father's Day, I wanted to thank my dad for never telling me what to think, but instead, teaching me how to think. Whenever I asked him a question, he didn't give me a solution, but asked me questions to help sharpen and clarify my thinking. Thanks to him, I'm able to trust myself and have confidence in my own decision-making, and that's one of the most important things that a parent can do for their child.

Cheers to all the dads, step-dads, uncles, grandfathers, and father figures who, for better or worse, have made us into the people we are today.

—

GIVE THE GIFT OF THE PROFILE: If you’re looking for a last-minute Father's Day gift for a dad who loves learning, why not give the gift of a Profile subscription? Gift a subscription here.

THE PROFILE DOSSIER: On Wednesday, premium members received The Profile Dossier, a comprehensive deep-dive on a prominent individual. It featured Joan Benoit Samuelson, the marathoner who made Olympic history. Become a premium member and read it below.

The Profile

The Profile Dossier: Joan Benoit Samuelson, the Marathoner Who Made Olympic History

Joan Benoit Samuelson has been a running champion since the late 1970s. She won the Boston Marathon twice — once in 1979 and again in 1983. But it wasn’t until the inaugural women’s Olympic Marathon in Los Angeles that she became a legend. On Aug. 5, 1984, Samuelson won the first-ever women’s Olympic marathon with a time of 2:24:52. It was a celebratory m…

Read more

4 days ago · 3 likes · Polina Pompliano

—

✨A WORD FROM OUR PARTNER ✨: If you lead a fast-growing company, surrounding yourself with exceptional founders who are going through the same thing is the best way to solve for common scaling challenges. On Deck Scale (ODS) is an exclusive community for venture-scale founders who want to work through high-impact decisions with trusted peers, build lasting relationships, and uplevel as a leader to scale from seed-stage to IPO. Apply to join On Deck Scale here.

—

PROFILES.

— The Netflix CEO leading through a storm [**HIGHLY RECOMMEND**]
— The lord of Lanai
— The prison consultant
— The Musk of steamy romance
— The asset manager turning veterans into VCs
— The newspaper attracting drama

PEOPLE TO KNOW.

The Netflix CEO leading through a storm: Things haven’t been easy for Netflix chief executive Ted Sarandos. His company Netflix lost $54 billion in the blink of an eye on a single bad stock-market day in April. In this profile, he discusses the stock drop, the controversy around backing Dave Chapelle, and leading through crisis. (The New York Times)

“We make decisions based on the best information we have at the time.”

The lord of Lanai: Oracle billionaire Larry Ellison is known as “the lord of Lanai,” a Hawaiian island of about 3,000 people. In 2012, he bought the whole thing for a whopping $300 million. The purchase came with 98% of Lanai’s 90,000 acres, plus the two Four Seasons resorts that provide most of its jobs, a significant chunk of its homes, and practically all its commercial properties. Overnight, Ellison became almost everyone’s boss, landlord, or both. But now, things are getting complicated as his business dealings have begun pushing out families that have been there for generations. (Bloomberg; reply to this email if you can’t access this article)

“He has the right to do whatever the hell he wants with what he owns.”

The prison consultant: Justin Paperny leads White Collar Advice, a firm of 12 convicted felons, each with their own consulting specialty based on where they served time and their own sentencing experiences. For a price, Paperny teaches convicts how to reduce their sentence, get placed in a better facility — and make the most of their months behind bars. (The New York Times)

“This is a chance for you to change the narrative.”

The Musk of steamy romance: You know Elon and Kimbal Musk, but have you heard of Tosca Musk? She’s the third Musk sibling who is also an entrepreneur. In 2017, she co-founded Passionflix, a Netflix-esque streaming platform and production company that specializes in erotic, softcore adaptations of romance novels. Here’s how Tosca Musk has tapped into one of the largest, most rabid and opinionated fan bases in the film industry. (The New York Times)

“Romance is about validating emotions. It’s about removing shame from sexuality. It’s about uplifting stories.”

COMPANIES TO WATCH.

The asset manager turning veterans into VCs: J.P. Morgan Asset Management wants to help veterans break into one of the toughest sectors — venture capital. J.P. Morgan’s asset management division said it will commit $25 million to five or more veteran-owned venture capital funds as part of its Project Spark program. Started in 2021, the program supports diverse-owned emerging managers in alternative investments. Here’s why J.P. Morgan is investing in the bank’s effort to offer career opportunities for veteran candidates. (Institutional Investor)

“The ecosystem for fund managers and the alternative space is not huge [for veterans].”

The newspaper attracting drama: The Washington Post has undergone a social media meltdown during which several reporters were let go. After two Twitter-fueled controversies played out simultaneously, they emphasized the extent to which social media policy, or lack thereof, has become a headache for large papers like The Washington Post. Here’s how The Post responded to it all. (Vanity Fair)

“The paper has put optics and politics before ethics and fairness.”

✨ This installment of The Profile is free for everyone. If you would like to get full access to all of the recommendations, including today’s audio and video sections, sign up below.

AUDIO TO HEAR.

Jon Arnold on giving it all away: Jon Arnold started his hedge fund at the ripe age of 27 and grew it to $6 billion in six years. And in 2007, he was named the youngest billionaire in the U.S. Then, 10 years later, Arnold walked away from it all to become a philanthropist, donating as much as $500 million annually to charity. Why? (Link available to premium members.)

Tracy Dennis-Tiwary on combating anxiety: As humans, we often convince ourselves that our emotions will last forever — especially the negative ones. This begs the question: “How can you hope to beat something if you cannot explain it?” In this episode, neuroscience and psychology professor Tracy Dennis-Tiwary demystifies anxiety and the role it plays in mental anguish. It's a must-listen if you're a natural-born worrier. (Link available to premium members.)

VIDEOS TO SEE.

Arnold Schwarzenegger on playing the long game: The name Arnold Schwarzenegger triggers an image of an insanely muscular actor often in scenes of exploding cars and daredevil stunts. And while Arnold certainly gained more notoriety by breaking the Hollywood playboy stereotype and becoming California's governor, few people know he studied business in college—and even fewer are aware of his business acumen. In this interview, we learn about Arnold's 40-year investment strategy that's resulted in a 9-figure portfolio. (Link available to premium members.)

Katie Taylor on the making of a champion: How did Katie Taylor become boxing’s undisputed lightweight champion of the world? In this short documentary, she shows us where she grew up in Ireland, the simplicity of her home gym, and how she aims to inspire kids with a love for boxing. (Link available to premium members.)

🎁  The Profile is the perfect gift for any occasion! Give a gift subscription to a loved one through the link below:

Give a gift subscription