Great Mental Models Vol 2 - Shane Parrish

Currently reading, but here are my notes so far:

1. Relativity

   1. Two events can happen simultaneously from one observer's perspective and at different times from another observer's perspective. Both are right.

   2. Imagine you are watching a train go by. Lightning strikes each end just as the train's midpoint is passing you. The lightning strikes are each the same distance from you, so you correctly conclude that the two bolts of lightning hit the train at exactly the same time.

   3. But your friend says the front of the train got hit by lightning first.

   4. She was sitting at the midpoint of the train. If the train had been stationary, she would have observed the two lightning strikes being simultaneous like you did. However; because the train was moving, the light from the rear strike had farther to travel to reach her. She perceived the light from the strike at the front first. So, she correctly concluded that the lightning strikes were not simultaneous; the one in front happened first.

   5. These are two valid interpretations of the same event. Both are correct. The difference arises because of the perspective of each person.

   6. When someone gives you something-an opin-ion, a report, an article, a plan-consider how it is framed. Who is involved in this information, and what do you know about their vantage point? Knowing the factors that influence how a person frames issues helps you understand their perspective and how you can use it to augment your own.

2. Reciprocity

   1. Newton - For every action there is an opposite and equal reaction.

   2. Norman Bethune practiced medicine in Canada. He was amazing at what he did, and always gave back to the community. He provided free medical services to the poor and established a free clinic.

   3. During the 1930s, he also became a supporter of communism and joined the Communist Party, mostly on account of what he saw of the benefits of the Soviet socialized health-care system.

   4. He helped Spanish significantly during the Spanish civil war. He later became China's head of medical forces as well. He helped them so much that he was regarded a hero in the country, and his significance is still taught to primary students in China today.

   5. North America struggled for decades to appreciate him as the dedicated medical innovator he was on account of his political views, China continues to go all out in its appreciation of his contributions to their country.

3. Inertia

   1. Inertia refers to the resistance a physical object has to a change in its state of motion. Things at rest don't start moving on their own.

   2. Inertia is a useful model to try to understand some elements of our behavior, including our thinking patterns and habits. Our natural inclination to reject the new is in part normal resistance to the effort required to change. Keeping things as they are requires almost no effort and involves little uncertainty. We need force to effect change, and force requires effort.

   3. Inertia is the reason that starting something is harder than con-tinuing. At a basic level, many brain studies have shown that the idea of multitasking is a myth. When we shift our focus from one input to another, we exert more energy and use more time to finish everything than if we would have completed one task before starting another.

   4. About 2000 years ago, Mareus Vitruvius Pollio wrote about the harmful effects of lead. But no one listened to his advice. Over the next millennia, lead was added to makeup, gasoline, and paint, and it was part of many manufacturing processes, such as printing.

   5. Even after extensive research and many casualties, fuel laced with lead wasn't banned in the USA until the 1980s. This shows that it was so integrated in the system, which is why it took so long to get rid of.

4. Friction

   1. Friction is a force that must be overcome to achieve an outcome. There is always something getting in the way and trying to slow us down.

   2. Friction is can be used in to improve organizational effectiveness. The forces that influence innovation are different for the executive team and the frontline worker. So if the goal is to encourage more innovation on the front lines, then you need to pay attention to what encourages and limits movement in that environment, not in the C-suite.

   3. Toyota wanted to optimize their production. Mass production generated a lot of waste, and was inefficient because it deferred the addressing of mistakes to the end of the line, where they were most costly to fix. So they focused on the environment of the frontline worker. They saw that output could be significantly improved by reducing the friction that occurred at that level.

5. Ecosystems

   1. In 1979, Bill Walsh became the manager and head coach of the worst team in the NFL. In the next 10 years, he won 3 super bowls. How? he created a culture in the SF 49ers' organization.

   2. He relied on one concept: All components of the 49ers' structure had to be all pointed towards the same direction, generating the same energy, interdependent in the goal of creating a great team, from the janitors on up.

   3. Everyone knew their requirements and strategy. It's not the coach or individual player who wins. It's the team. He spent a lot of time understanding everyone personally so he could push them in their unique ways.

   4. In an ecosystem, the whole is always more than the sum of its parts.