What I’m thinking about: The single character trait I’m over-indexing on…both in myself and everyone I associate with.
Last week I wrote to you from poolside in Cancun, mid-mastermind with Coach T (Trevor McGregor), processing the sting of getting robbed blind on my Helium investment.
This week I want to shift from the personal gut punch…to one of the most practical frameworks that came out of that same mastermind.
Coach T’s ‘Infinite 8’ framework identifies the critical distinctions between high performers and average people. All eight principles start with the letter “S” (further elaboration in future newsletters), but the one I want to dig into today is the first one on the list…and the one I believe underpins everything else:
Self-leadership.
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For our purposes, self-leadership is the understanding that your decisions compound. That you are responsible for your thoughts, your actions, and your results. Period.
As I wrote last week, there is no cavalry coming to save you.
Self-leadership includes the consistent, habitual routines that most people know they should be doing but aren’t…whether that’s caring for your physical health, your mental health, or the operational needs of your business, as examples. At the root of this concept is the understanding that all time management decisions are value decisions.
And as a side effect of investing in self-leadership…it tends to reduce complaints significantly. Remember, no one will ever remember what you complained about, only that you complained. It’s a social and professional black mark if there ever was one.
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The Self-Leadership Litmus Test
IMO, the highest standard of self-leadership means you do the work to explore problems that are your responsibility and examine potential solutions before asking questions from your team, boss, mentors, or anyone else in your life.
Practically, this looks like:
- Thoroughly researching the ins and outs of a particular situation or problem
- Coming up with ~3 proposed solutions, each backed by a cost-benefit analysis
- Selecting your preferred solution and clearly articulating why
- Taking action down that route (pending your underlying decision-making authority and access to resources)
For reversible, low-cost decisions (from a time/capital perspective), the problem-to-solution process can be quicker and less robust. But for irreversible or high-cost time/capital decisions? Extremely regimented. No exceptions.
As an added bonus, I’d encourage you to actually write out the entire problem-to-solution process. Either by hand or, realistically, via AI transcription tools like Wispr Flow (which is how I wrote this article). I’m a huge proponent of the belief that we write in order to think.
The act of articulating a problem forces clarity that just rattling it around in your head never will (in our internal thoughts, we are all charismatic geniuses…the truth rarely favors our inflated egos).
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Remember the old “Let Me Google That For You” website? The passive-aggressive (yet humorous) response to needlessly simple questions that aren’t worth anyone’s breath to explain?
In the age of high-powered LLMs…this principle is amplified to an almost absurd degree. The default response to almost any question should be, “Let me AI that for you.“
The tools at our fingertips right now are staggering. Any human with an internet connection should have their baseline self-leadership capability immediately boosted. And the floor and ceiling for high performers should be (significantly) raised accordingly.
While I can’t speak for others, my patience is becoming vanishingly thin with those who don’t adapt and up their game in this area (obviously adjust to the age/stage of development of who you’re talking with…this approach would obviously be inappropriate with my 3 year old daughter, haha).
To be clear, I don’t hold onto grudges…I’m always willing to warmly embrace and encourage those who make change their tune and make positive strides to improve their self-leadership skills. Just like I would hope for in the reverse case, if and when I inevitably falter in my own evolution as a modern human.
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Ever-fleeting time is always at a premium…especially true at the higher levels of whatever game you’re playing. The goal for non-leisure (and I’d argue for many leisure) interpersonal interactions should aim for hyper-efficiency and relentless practicality.
As someone with a tendency to digress or provide expansive context, I try to remind myself of the BLUF (Bottom Line Up Front) communication framework from the U.S. military. Lead with the conclusion. Then support it.
There’s a memorable scene from the Lone Survivor movie about the doomed Operation Red Wings SEAL mission ~20 years ago. One of the team leaders calls into command to report lost contact with the primary four-man SEAL team. As he’s providing details, the general receiving the report cuts across him:
“Lieutenant, are you telling me there’s a f**ing problem?“
The lieutenant hesitates, and cautiously answers, “…No,” because he realizes he doesn’t have enough information to rapidly escalate the situation through the chain of command. There were still other levers he could pull within his own sphere of responsibility.
In hindsight, there obviously was a problem (and a series of unfortunate events led to an outright disaster), but the takeaway remains: come to the table with multiple potential answers and an action plan, not the unprocessed problem. It respects everyone’s time…including your own.
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Within our own SLC business, my business partner, Everett and I, have a standing meeting on Friday afternoons. Since I’m responsible for the overall daily operations of SLC, this meeting is effectively a board meeting.
Regardless of the longtime friendship that Everett and I share, this is the meeting I am, on average, the most nervous for (especially in a historically difficult and uncertain real estate market like we’re in right now, with disposition timelines dragging.)
My goal is to have considered every single angle on every asset we’re managing…and be taking appropriate action on everything reasonably within our power. So that when I present on a deal and ask Everett if he has any questions, the ideal response I receive is a simple “No.“
To be clear, that’s certainly not always the case…but I always breathe a sigh of relief when it happens.
This type of communication and preparation filters through to the rest of our operation and team culture. Self-leadership isn’t just personal…it’s contagious, and starts from the top.
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The bottom line: investing in self-leadership is the route to a higher standard of living, which invariably opens up greater opportunities for yourself and your team…and builds trust with those who are playing at a higher level than you.
Self-leadership is underwriting applied to your own life. The same way we refuse to cut corners on due diligence for a $50K (let alone $1M) land deal, you should refuse to cut corners on the process that drives your daily decisions, and associated pursuits.
If you’re a full-time land operator who wants to work with the most focused and resourceful capital partner in the industry, send us your best deals. We write checks from $50K to $1M+. We close 100% of deals we commit to. And we bring national underwriting experience to every transaction.
Let’s raise the standard together.
