Risch Group Nominated For Best Search Firm By Private Equity Wire For Second Consecutive Year

We are pleased to announce that for the second year in row that  Private Equity Wire has nominated The Risch Group as best recruitment firm. We are quite honored to be recognized again, after working diligently for 35 years serving our global clients in alts. Here is the link to vote for us in the recruitment category. https://www.research.net/r/Private-Equity-Wire-US-Emerging-Manager-Awards

Top Three Community Banking Trends for 2022- Gabe Krajicek, Kasasa

Competition in the banking sector has heated up over the past year as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic accelerating the shift to digital services.  But, as businesses and local communities re-engage with more in-person interactions, community financial institutions (CFIs) could be set for a period of growth. As financial services and banking technology providers plan for the rest of the year and into 2022 amid mixed pandemic recovery and uncertainty, these are the top trends in community banking that leaders should look out for.

Keep competitive with partnerships

he recent health crisis forced all financial institutions, big and small, to rethink their digital customer experience. Digital banking is not going to retract after the pandemic – this trend is even more important for community financial institutions (CFIs) who have traditionally relied on in-person services.

According to a 2021 eMarketer survey, 89% of US consumers say they use mobile banking channels, and 70% say mobile banking has become the primary way to access their accounts. Consumers will continue using digital banking solutions, as they now have plenty of familiarity and flexibility with digital banking.

In the past year, CFIs have increasingly partnered up with fintech service companies to build digital banking services without sacrificing the community investment benefits of local banking.

These partnerships were key to helping local businesses apply for Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans – more than 80% of businesses filed applications digitally with their banks. CFIs that were prepared for this digital shift with partnerships saw success in obtaining PPP loans for their customers.

We are sure to see future success from local banks and credit unions leveraging the digital power of fintech and pushing more capital towards product advancements through these partnerships.

CFIs that want to stay on top in the next 5 years should not plan to slow or stop these partnerships – they will be essential to stay competitive with the bigger digital brand power of larger banks.

Personal equals power

One aspect of banking where CFIs have looked to outshine the competition is customer service. Studies show consumers crave a personal connection with the brands they trust, and nowhere is trust more important than banking.

CFIs need to double down on reinforcing their personalised services over the next several years, reminding consumers that local branch experts can help much more quickly than bigger banks.

Accountholders should understand that they won’t forego modern digital capabilities when working with a community bank, as they have impressive digital experiences in addition to offering personalised, attentive customer service.

The good news is that consumer attitudes are open to shift after the pandemic – CFIs should be ready to gain ground.

Give back to the community after COVID

Banking local makes a huge economic impact on the community – when consumers keep their money local, community banks and credit unions can make more loans to the community, and in turn enable more job creation.

In fact, community banks fund 60% of small business loans nationwide. That’s despite holding only 15% of the assets across the country.

Local banks and credit unions are heavily invested in their local community – think about small businesses who sponsor the local youth sports leagues in your own community.

The local connection that CFIs have is similar, as they provide community resources that are deeply integrated into the community, such as financial literary classes.

As communities rebuild coming out of the pandemic, local financial institutions will be increasing their community outreach efforts and will look for more ways to invest in community growth.

We will see CFIs focus on making an impact with businesses and services that have struggled since the pandemic and re-committing to the transparency and accessibility that local community members trust CFIs to provide when banking.

On the community level, as people return to a more bustling pre-pandemic lifestyle, there is optimism for new opportunities and growth for CFIs, which have been bolstered by the digital tech inroads of the past 18 months.

Community financial institutions are now amply prepared to strike the right balance between personalisation and digitisation that consumers crave. For the sake of a diverse economy, it’s about time.

 

Tips From the Best Traders

If you have done even a little bit of research into the world of trading, you will know that there are many books on how to become a better trader. One book that gets mentioned time and again as a trading classic is “Market Wizards: Interviews with Top Traders” by Jack Schwager. First published in 1989, it’s a collection of conversations with some of America’s legendary traders, who made millions from the financial markets. It’s well worth having on your bookshelf.

Here are tips from some of the world’s best traders featured in a book that really stands the test of time:

Find your trading methodology

Traders have different approaches, timescales and can trade across various markets. All successful traders have a methodology to analyse the markets that works for them – from short-term changes in price during the day to looking to catch major trends over months and sometimes even years. It is important to find an approach that fits your own “trading personality”. If you do not feel comfortable with a strategy then chances are that it will not be successful for you.

 

Have a sensible risk management strategy

All the traders mentioned the importance of risk control. There are a couple of elements to this. It is important to trade at a size that does not have a material effect on your account if you are wrong. It is also good practice to have a level in mind (or a stop loss placed on your trade). If this level is hit or stop loss triggered, you admit you are wrong and take the loss. Once again, it’s that familiar trait, or discipline, that played a major part in their success over the years.

 

Accept your trading losses

Linked to the risk control aspect is the acceptance of losses. Experienced traders know that taking manageable losses is part of the business of trading, but it is something that many of us struggle with in the beginning. A series of winning trades can easily be wiped out by one loss if you let it go on for too long. The traders interviewed had confidence in their approach of winning over the long term, so did not have a problem with admitting they were wrong and taking losses along the way.

 

Spend time understanding and analysing the markets

The traders took their market analysis and time devoted to executing and managing trades very seriously, often devoting large chunks of their waking hours to their work on the markets. They weren’t just having a punt now and again or trading on a hunch. There are no shortcuts when it comes to trading success, but the effort they put in was clear from their results.

 

Waiting for the right trade

Many of the traders interviewed said that patience played a big part – waiting for the right opportunity to come along. This ties in with a quote from another classic trading book: “Reminiscences of a Stock Operator”, written about a legendary trader called Jesse Livermore who was active in the 1920s. He said that it wasn’t his doing that made money, but his sitting on his hands. This applies to waiting for the right opportunity, and then holding the trade to maximise profits. Nearly 100 years later, it’s an approach still used by successful traders and one echoed by the many interviewees in Schwager’s book.

 

 

CISO Certifications That Can Boost Your Career

As the frequency and sophistication of cyberattacks continue to rise, the need for skilled security professionals and talented Chief Information Security Officers (CISO) becomes more clear. Today, 60.8% of enterprises have a CISO, and this role has become so strategic to organizational success that the CISO reports directly to the CEO at 32% of companies. Becoming a CISO is complicated, and often unpredictable. There is no single recipe.

However, there are some common paths people take to this position. CISOs possess a different mentality towards security than most practitioners. They not only protect corporate data, but they also manage individuals and develop comprehensive and holistic risk management and security policies and controls that meet business goals. Today’s CISO spends as much time in executive meetings discussing sales, finance, and operations as they do in their corporate security operations center.

CISOs understand how to convey executive-level security information to the organization while also delivering a combination of technical knowledge and leadership competency. They possess superior business intelligence and technical brilliance. CISOs understand how to convey executive-level security information to the organization while also delivering a combination of technical knowledge and leadership competency. They possess superior business intelligence and technical brilliance.

Education, certifications, and experience

Becoming a CISO is a marathon. It usually starts with an undergraduate degree that focuses in the field of computer science or information technology. Armed with a bachelor’s degree, there are couple options to consider: 1) get a job as a general IT specialist and gain experience or 2) start by getting an IT security certification. Most aspiring CISOs augment their certifications with a Masters in Business Administration degree down the road. As one of the most sought after degrees, an MBA further validates one’s executive capabilities. Regardless of which path is taken, security certifications are almost always a must.

There are several certifications that one can get on the path to becoming a CISO, such as CISA certification and understanding IT audit, CFE fraud examination, and OCSP offensive security. Below are two of the most important certifications available.

These two certifications are the most recognized worldwide. The exams for them are fairly difficult, requiring a breadth of knowledge gained from years of cybersecurity experience.

Why Certify? According to a recent Cloud Security Alliance (CSA) survey report, the biggest barrier to effectively detecting and stopping data loss in the cloud is a lack of skilled security professionals to maximize full value of new technologies. The cybersecurity job market has never looked hotter, and certified security professionals also earn more than their non-certified counterparts.

Benefits of CISSP:

  • Validates the security aptitude grown from a combination of experience and scholastic
  • Proves in depth expertise in building a security stack that meets global standards
  • Provides a separation from other security professionals seeking competing job openings
  • Confirms the obligation to continually self-educate and maintain up-to-date knowledge of latest trends
    and best practices

CISPP certified professionals can:

  •  Provide continuous protection against cyberattacks
  •  Offer up-to-date expertise on known and emerging risks, technologies, standards and best practices
  • Build a common language around cybersecurity, avoiding uncertainty around accepted terms and practices
  • Legitimize organization’s cybersecurity capabilities in the eyes of clients and partners

Benefits of CISM:

  • Confirms that the certified professional understands how and where information security meets broader
    business goals
  •  Proves that the professional possesses both the managerial skills needed to build security programs and
    technical expertise required to execute them
  • Opens up networking opportunities among skilled security professionals
  •  Ensures steady personal growth and career advancement expected at large enterprises

CISM certified professionals can:

  •  Address security issues by designing and manage programs at a conceptual level
  • Convey trustworthiness to the company of employment
  • Maintain a big picture view by evaluating, crafting and overseeing the company’s IT security
  • Align the company’s business goals with security practices

CISSP vs CISM?

  • In many ways, CISM certification can be considered a natural progression after one’s been CISSP certified. You’re not required to get them both, but they complement each other, and can accelerate the path towards becoming a CISO.
  • CISSP is for the tactical practitioners of cybersecurity. It tests in-depth technical knowledge of day-to-day security tasks including security and risk management, security engineering, network security, identity and access security, and application development security among other things.
  • CISM is a certification that puts greater weight on creating and managing security programs. CISM-certified professionals tend to maintain a high-level view of IT security, and work towards aligning the company’s business goals with the security systems needed to support those goals. CISM certification focuses on risk management, and is meant for management-level professionals who want to continue their managerial career development in the field of cybersecurity.
  • Regardless of which certifications are acquired, a CISO’s most important qualifier is usually the experience they bring to the organization. CISOs are required to be forward looking, make forecasts, develop teams, acquire budget and stay within that budget. These skills are usually built over time. As they develop their security skills, they must also improve their communication, organization, and leadership skills.
  • Most aspiring CISOs augment their certifications with a Masters in Business Administration degree. As one of the most sought after degree, an MBA is a versatile degree that further validates one’s executive capabilities.

Developing Warrior Like Mental Toughness — 11 Easy Steps: Guest Article by Tim Denning

Success in any pursuit requires a mentally tough mind. You can have all the resources, but if your mind is a mess, you will fail. I’ve become obsessed with the mind and have tried everything to stack the odds in my favor.
I’ve spent four years training my brain every day to make it see what I want it to see. What do I want my brain to see and hopefully yours too? All the abundance, positivity, and happiness in this world. I want to have less negative thoughts and be driven by my higher self rather than by fear.

No longer do I want the traditional media outlets to poison my brain with their bad news dopamine hits. I’ve made a pact never to be defeated by any event in my life no matter how tragic or horrible it may seem. Deep down, you want the same thing as me, and that requires mental toughness.
It’s time to become like an ancient warrior. It’s time to build resilience that will help you get through even the coldest winter. It’s time to take the game of life to the next level and learn the hidden superpower that is a warrior like mental toughness. Are you with me soldier?

***It’s all about discipline
Mental toughness boils down to one thing: discipline. You can make any change you want to your mindset and the way you think, with discipline. Discipline is about not letting the small stuff topple over your tower of happiness.
To have an abundance of mental toughness you have to make a decision. That decision is that you have to decide to be in control. That means not letting events control you but making sure that you decide what those events mean for yourself.

Apart from a decision, mental toughness is about practice. It’s about becoming conscious of your thoughts and then getting the best out of them.
“Fear is our default programming, so if we don’t use discipline to stay in control, then we will fall to the lowest common denominator: negative thoughts, fuelled by either anxiety or depression”
Discipline is about no longer settling for second best. It’s about choosing to make the right decisions which you already intuitively know the answer to. You know you should work before play, eat healthy, exercise, do what you love, and treat people with love and kindness.
You know all of these things, yet you don’t do them when you lack discipline. The best way to always come from a state of discipline is to tie it to your purpose. You need to have a life quest that is more important than anything else in your life.
Then, when you have a decision to make that requires discipline, remind yourself of your purpose, and tell your brain that you will fail at your purpose if you are not disciplined.
By linking the outcome of your purpose to discipline, you rewire your brain to make the best decisions for you. It gives you leverage over your brain to rig the game in your favor.

Here are the 11 easy steps to develop mental toughness:
1. Go one step further
Mental toughness can be developed by going one step further than you believe is possible. If you can currently do 10 chin-ups, try next time for eleven.
If you currently drink two liters of water a day try two and a half tomorrow. If you are doing 8000 steps a day, try 8500 tomorrow. The secret is to go one small step beyond what you mentally believe you can do.
Each day, keep taking another small step, and before you know it, you’ll be progressing further towards your goals that you ever have before.

2. Convince yourself things will go wrong
If you need to prepare for a big goal or event, then you can become mentally tough by telling yourself right from the start that stuff will go wrong. Instead of hoping for everything to be perfect, hope for everything to be mostly good and know that at least one thing will go wrong.
Perfection is a quick way to destroy your mental toughness because nothing is ever exactly how we want it to be. Perfection is how we sabotage our success and veer off track from our goals. Expect a bit of failure in everything you do and then if you get none, you’ll be even happier with yourself.

3. Sleep on negative emotions
So everything goes to hell and hits the fan. That’s cool. As the negative emotions build up in your mind, tell yourself you are going to let them all out except with one catch: sleep on them and commit to doing it tomorrow.
This little hack allows you to become mentally tough because it delays your negative emotional reaction to any circumstance in your life. Rather than getting caught up in the moment, you delay reacting till later. Chances are, if you’re like me, by the time you wake up the next day, the impact of those negative emotions has subsided.

4. Always see Mr. Brightside
When tragedy strikes (and it will), commit to finding at least one thing that’s good about it. Before spending even a second on the negative side, I want you to find at least one positive thought about the situation. It can be as small as you like as long as it’s positive.

By starting with the positive, you develop the mental toughness to find our friend Mr. Brightside in everything that happens. Prioritize positive thoughts, and do your best to make negative thoughts secondary in terms of priority. You won’t always win at this game, but that’s okay. We’re not looking for perfection remember?

5. Focus on a goal, not a dream
One of the attributes of mental toughness is focus. It’s diverting all your mental energy towards one thing and being tough enough not to give up. What I learned from Tim Ferris’s podcast is that if you want to be mentally tough at something, you must make this task a goal, not a dream.
A goal is clearly articulated, has planning involved, comes with a deadline, and typically has some accountability from someone other than you. A dream is a nice to have, but it’s much vaguer. The brain needs things to be told to it in a clear manner and for it to be very specific in order to enable your mental toughness, focus your thoughts, and force you never to give up and execute on your plan.

6. Are you okay with pain?
You can’t be mentally tough without experiencing pain full stop. Pain is guaranteed if you want to be mentally tough; whether you suffer from that pain is your choice.
If you’re going to stay in your womb of a comfort zone and refuse to have any pain, then pal, you’re not going to be mentally tough, successful, wealthy and probably happy either. Being mentally tough is your choice!

7. Break the comfort zone regularly
I live in freezing cold Melbourne, Australia. There’s nothing better than having a nice warm shower every morning to wake me up and make me feel comfortable. WRONG!
To develop my mental toughness I’ve decided to start taking cold showers. That’s right, I blast myself with freezing cold water every day to program my mind to be uncomfortable at least once a day. Slowly but surely, my mind and my body are starting to get used to the discomfort.
It’s these small habits of discomfort that give you the warrior-like way of thinking that can help you succeed in even the most impossible endeavors.

8. The brain only has no much fuel
What sabotages our mental toughness is our brains mental energy. Just like a car, we only have so much fuel before we’re running on empty. The quickest way to lose your mental toughness is to waste your brains fuel on problems that you can’t solve, or negative thoughts that don’t serve you.
Negative thoughts consume twice the brain fuel and give you zero progress towards your goals. Every time you react to a situation, you’re also wasting mental fuel. If that situation doesn’t serve you (like beeping your horn at a motorist), then do what is hard at the start and become more disciplined.
Use your mental energy to inspire you and propel you forward. You’re not stupid, and you know what thoughts serve you, and what thoughts do not. If you find yourself always drowning in negative thoughts and running on empty then maybe it’s the people around you.
Recalibrate your mind, refuel your mind, and practice some personal development. Feed your mind through books and seminars. Give your mind the nutrients it needs through fresh fruit and vegetables or my favorite, a green juice.

9. Prepare the mind
Practicing your craft allows you to be mentally tough in the moment. When you’ve done the same thing over and over, you’re less likely to fail (this is so obvious I shouldn’t even have to say it).
When I’m preparing for a speech, I read it dozens of times. By the time speech day comes, I feel mentally tough because my mind is prepared and knows what it has to do.
The mind becomes weak when it’s required to perform at an extraordinary level and has never had to endure this type of struggle before. Think of it like this: you’d build the muscle first before you entered a weightlifting competition wouldn’t you? The mind is no different.

10. Limit distractions
The quickest way to lose your mental toughness is to become at the mercy of distractions. I’m talking about technology. You can’t be mentally tough when your phone keeps ringing, buzzing, or flashing. Turn the freaking social media notifications off, and sit down and work on your craft in a focused, mindful, silence.
11. Believe you can win
Mentally tough champions think slightly different; they show up to any competition or task with the belief that they can win. You can have all the positive thoughts in the world, but if you don’t believe you have it in you to win, then you’re going to flunk out of the race.

“Believing you can win is more crucial than how you perform on the day”

It’s your mentally strong mind that can push through the inevitable pain to get you where you want to go. If every other part of you is prepared to achieve the impossible and your mind isn’t, again, you will fail at your goal. How do you practice becoming a mentally tough startup/company?????

Guest Article by Benjamin Hardy: 21 Behaviors That Will Make You Brilliant at Creativity & Relationships

When you see things from multiple perspectives, you realize you can achieve almost anything you want in far less time than you imagined.

Yet most people have fixed and limited views about themselves and what they can accomplish.

They have fixed and limited views about the resources available to them.

They have fixed and limited views about time, and how long things must take to accomplish.

In this article, I squash all of those limiting perspectives and provide concrete strategies you can use to achieve your goals. There are no fixed limits.

Here’s how it works:


Core Principles

1. Set absurdly ambitious goals

“When 10x is your measuring stick, you immediately see how you can bypass what everyone else is doing.” — Dan Sullivan

Goals are most likely to be accomplished when:

  • They are intrinsically motivating. As Napoleon Hill explained in Think and Grow Rich“Desire is the starting point of all achievement, not a hope, not a wish, but a keen pulsating desire which transcends everything.”
  • They must be difficult, or else they won’t be motivating.
  • They must be time-bound, to create a sense of urgency. Shorter timelines are one way to go 10x, since they force you to shed artificial constraints and think more creatively. As billionaire Peter Thiel is known to ask: “How can you achieve your ten-year plan in the next six months?”

As with all things in life, you get what you want. If you prefer to make excuses and justifications for a lack of progress, then just admit you prefer your current station in life. Self-acceptance can be a beautiful thing.

However, once you desire progress more than convenience, obstacles no longer stop but propel you. As the Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius is famous for saying, “The impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way.”

2. Reframe subconscious patterns and get bold insights via auto-suggestion

“What is impressed in the subconscious is expressed.” — Dr. Joseph Murphy in The Power of Your Subconscious Mind

While awake, your conscious and subconscious mind are often at odds with each other. For example, you’re trying to be positive, but your subconscious patterns simply won’t let you.

Yet, while transitioning from being awake to being asleep, your brain waves move from the active Beta state into Alpha and then Theta before eventually dropping into Delta as we sleep. It is during the Theta window that your mind is most receptive to reshaping your subconscious patterns. Hence, Thomas Edison is known for having said, “Never go to sleep without a request to your subconscious.”

As a result, just before you fall asleep, it is key to visualize and even vocally state what you are trying to accomplish. When you repeatedly state a desired goal, visualization is key because you want to have as emotional an experience as possible. You need to feel what it would be like to have what you seek.

You can absolutely trust that by planting these subconscious seeds, thoughts will pop up at you, often at random intervals. You need to record these thoughts throughout your day. The bigger the goal, the bolder will be the required action to attain it. The clearer your why, the more inspired will be your how.

If you’re serious, you’ll need to act immediately upon the impressions your subconscious is transmitting to your conscious mind. If you brush off these insights, you’ll get less and less of them. You’ll demonstrate to yourself and the source of your inspiration that you don’t really want the changes you claim to desire.

3. Learn and work in counterintuitive environments

1905 was Albert Einstein’s break-through year where he published four research articles, known as the Annus Mirabilis papers, which went on to substantially alter the foundation of modern physics and changed views on space, time, and matter.

Interestingly, when Einstein published these papers, he was not working in an academic setting, but rather at the Swiss Patent Office. His work in this counterintuitive work environment allowed him different reflective angles and questions than a typical physics lab.

As Elon Musk’s wife, Justine, has said:

“Choose one thing and become a master of it. Choose a second thing and become a master of that. When you become a master of two worlds (say, engineering and business), you can bring them together in a way that will a) introduce hot ideas to each other, so they can have idea sex and make idea babies that no one has seen before and b) create a competitive advantage because you can move between worlds, speak both languages, connect the tribes, mash the elements to spark fresh creative insight until you wake up with the epiphany that changes your life.”

When you work in a different context from the majority of people in your field, you can make distinct and unique connections. You can integrate and cross-pollinate different ideas. You can avoid dogmatic thinking and expectations. You can learn to integrate ideas from seemingly dissimilar fields.

4. Learn from counterintuitive resources

“What does following in the footsteps of everyone else get you? It gets you to exactly the same conclusions as everyone else.” — Ryan Holiday

As Holiday explains, if you read what everyone else is reading, you’ll think like everyone else thinks. If you think like everyone else thinks, you won’t be able to come up with anything unique.

Follow your curiosity. Chase down obscure leads. Find stuff that no one else has found. In this way, your work will be truly valuable to others.

5. Focus on the process (not results) of those who are succeeding big

“Success leaves clues.” — Jim Rohn

Focusing exclusively on results is one of the primary reasons the current academic system is broken. Kids are being taught to train for the test, rather than seeking novel and unique ways of doing things. No two kids are wired the same, nor should their contribution, creativity, and talent be viewed from the same standard.

When you want to develop expertise at something, rather than focusing on the results of those at the top of your field, study and emulate their process.

What are they doing?

Once you get process-oriented, as opposed to results-oriented, you realize you too can achieve amazing results. The process, or your behavior, is completely within your control. Conversely, when you focus solely on other people’s results, you can quickly become overwhelmed and give up.

6. Ignore what almost everyone else is doing

In the book Relentless: From Good to Great to Unstoppable, Tim Grover explains that the world’s elite don’t compete with other people. Rather, they make others compete with them. They set the tone and make others react to their environment.

Most people are competing with other people. They continuously check in to see what others in their space (their “competition”) are doing. As a result, they mimic and copy what’s “working.”

Rather than worrying about what others are doing, live your values. Put first things first. Spend more time with your loved ones and away from work. While working, follow your own curiosity, not what others are doing.

7. 80/20 Analysis of highest leverage activities

“Today everyone is a generalist, a deliberate move on the part of most as a reaction to the economic times.” — Leonard Smith

When studying the process of those you seek to emulate, don’t try to do it all. Everyone has their own strategy. Even those at the top of your field have imperfect strategies.

Find the patterns. What are the key things you must master? Master those.

Then innovate beyond those patterns when you’re ready, so your process comes to exceed the process of those you admire. Eventually, your results will exceed theirs as well.

8. Over-learn high leverage activities

Learning something new is all about memory and how you use it. At first, your prefrontal cortex — which stores your working (or short-term) memory — is really busy figuring out how the task is done.

But once you’re proficient, the prefrontal cortex gets a break. In fact, it’s freed up by as much as 90%. Once this happens, you can perform that skill automatically, leaving your conscious mind to focus on other things.

This level of performance is called automaticity, and reaching it depends on what psychologists call over-learning or over-training.

For example, if you want to quickly learn how to write viral articles, study several hundred headlines of viral articles. If you want to write a book, study just the table of contents of hundreds of books. These are your lay-ups.

Start with small sets of information, then expand from there. By over-learning a particular category of learning, you’ll be able to better understand how it relates to the whole. You’ll also quickly be able to apply what you learn. You’ll quickly see the patterns others miss. Time will slow down for you as your cognition expands.

9. Learn to apply, not to procrastinate “the work”

“The key secret to success is not excessive expertise, but the ability to use it. Knowledge is worthless unless it is applied.” — Max Lukominskyi

Learning is best done while you’re doing the activity. Public education has taught people they must first master theory, then attempt to transfer that theory into the real world. In a similar way, people’s love for information via the internet has led them to use “learning” as a form of procrastination.

A better approach is “context-based learning,” where you learn while doing.The key principles of context-based learning include:

  • Learn a concept in its simplest form.
  • Put your rudimentary knowledge to practice in a real-world scenario.
  • Get coaching and feedback (feedback often comes in the form of “failure”).
  • Apply the feedback through repetitious practice.
  • Get coaching and feedback.
  • Repeat until proficient (see #8 just above).

Interestingly, researchers examined the effects of role-playing on the self-concept of shy adolescents. One group of adolescents got traditional discussion-based training while another did role-play based training. The group that did role-plays experienced a significant positive change in their self-concept, which has a significant impact on their behaviors.

In our digital world, simulation training — based on role-playing real-world scenarios — is becoming increasingly popular.

Additionally, research has found that getting consistent feedback is essential to effective learning. You can use this. By making your work public, you get immediate feedback.

Getting immediate feedback has been found to be a flow trigger. It heightens performance. Especially when the feedback is real world, and there are real consequences for success and failure.

10. Focus on quantity in the beginning

“Plant a lot, harvest a few.” — Seth Godin

In the book Originals: How Non-Conformists Move the WorldAdam Grant explains that “originals” (i.e., people who create innovative work) are not reliable. In other words, not everything they produce is extraordinary.

For example, among the 50 greatest pieces of music ever created, six belong to Mozart, five are Beethoven’s, and three Bach’s. But in order to create those, Mozart wrote over 600 compositions, Beethoven 650, and Bach over 1,000.

Similarly, Picasso created thousands of pieces of art, and few are considered to be his “great works.” Edison had 1,900 patents, and only a handful we would recognize. Albert Einstein published 248 scientific articles, only a few of which are what got him on the map for his theory of relativity.

Quantity is the most likely path to quality. The more you produce, the more ideas you will have — some of which will be innovative and original. And you never know which ones will click. You just keep creating.

11. Track only a few things (ignore everything else)

“If you have more than three priorities, then you don’t have any.” — Jim Collins in Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap…And Others Don’t

If you want to improve at something, you need to quantify it. If you don’t quantify it, you don’t really know what’s happening. As Thomas Monson explains, “When performance is measured, performance improves. When performance is measured and reported, the rate of improvement accelerates.”

I can personally attest to this principle. When I started measuring a few metrics, such as each set in the gym, my income, and how much time I spend in “flow” while working, I dramatically improved in these areas. The reason is simple: tracking helped me become aware and objective about my weaknesses. Thus, I knew exactly where I should focus and could do it systematically.

12. Heighten expectation for what you can accomplish

“I think the ability of the average man could be doubled if it were demanded, if the situation demanded.” — William Durant

I started working out with my current workout partner about two months ago. He’s nearly 20 years older than me, and can lift substantially more weight than me.

One of the first things he told me was, “Most people never get stronger simply because they don’t put themselves under the weight.” As a result, our first several workouts involved me being heavily spotted while benching and squatting way more than I ever had before. The purpose was to feel the weight.

It hasn’t taken long at all to increase my strength while working out with my new partner. He’s raised my expectations. Yet I don’t let his expectations dictate what I can do. As will be shown in the following section on mentorships, the expectations of those around you create the context for your growth and potential.

But you don’t need to be bound by those expectations. For instance, just because many of my favorite writers publish twice per week, I decided to hold myself to a different standard when I started writing. In large measure, you get what you expect you will. According to Expectancy Theory, one of the core theories of motivation, motivation involves three components:

  • the value you place on your goal
  • your belief that specific behaviors will actually facilitate the outcomes you desire
  • your belief in your own ability to successfully execute the behaviors requisite to achieving your goals

Learn from the best. But don’t be bound by their standards. Run at your own pace, even if that pace is faster than those you aspire to be like.


Mentorships

13. Surround yourself with people with higher expectations than you have

According towhat psychologists call “The Pygmalion Effect,” other people’sexpectations of you heavily influence how well you do.

When you’re a child, the expectations of your parents “set the bar.” Interestingly, these expectations form an invisible barrier from which it becomes very difficult to exceed.

For instance, scientific experiments have been done on fleas, wherein they’ve been put in a glass jar. Without the lid on the jar, the fleas can easily jump out. However, the fleas can be trained to stay in the jar by putting a lid on it. After only three days, the lid can be removed and the fleas will be constrained by an invisible mental barrier.

Not surprisingly, the “next generation” of fleas is also constrained by this new and invisible barrier. The Pygmalion effect explains why: the next generation develops the same expectations for themselves as their parents have for them.

If, however, you were to take one of those fleas out of that jar and place them in a bigger jar, surrounded by fleas jumping much higher, mirror neurons would fire and that flea would soon be able to jump higher. Mental barriers would shatter, soon to be replaced by the mental barriers of those in the new jar.

When seeking mentorships, it’s important to realize that the expectations of your mentor reflect the flea’s jar, and invisible barrier, as opposed to your inherent ability. There is no fixed ability. Nothing, and nobody, has an “absolute” value. Everything is contextual.

Even still, by jumping into a much bigger jar, you’ll quickly grow. Actually, you may learn to jump much higher than you ever imaged with the help of a caring mentor. Thus, it is extremely important for you to surround yourself with those who have high expectations for you. It may be difficult, frustrating, and humbling to develop and grow. But if you stick to it, you’ll eventually reach a new invisible cap.

14. Expect to expand and adapt

Human beings are highly adaptive. For instance, Viktor Frankl reflected on his experience as a Nazi concentration camp victim and sleeping comfortably next to nine other people on small beds. Said Frankl in Man’s Search for Meaning, “Yes a person can get used to anything, just don’t ask us how.” Indeed, this was one of the most surprising aspects of living in a concentration camp, the rapidity at which the shock and horror became apathy and “normal.”

No matter how far-reaching and discontinuous the jump from one environment to the next, a person can and will adapt, whether that means going from zero kids to three (trust me), or from completely inactive to exercising with professional bodybuilders.

Take, for example, Collin Clark, a 20-year-old who lost 64 pounds and 30 percent body fat in six months. The process was simple; he went to the gym and began to emulate the bodybuilders who were there. Eventually, one particular bodybuilder took an interest in Collin, and became his mentor. By working out daily with a bodybuilder, Collin transformed. The example of Collin Clark is particularly notable, as he has down syndrome.

When you first enter a new and larger jar, you’ll feel excited and perhaps even intimidated by all the jumping room. However, like gas which spreads to fill the space it’s been given, you too will adapt. Thus, you won’t want to overstay your welcome. Remember, the jar is a reflection of other people’s expectations.

Hence, the next point:

15. Don’t get stuck with one mentor

“When the student is ready the teacher will appear. When the student is truly ready, the teacher will disappear.” — Lao Tzu

High quality friendships should last forever. High quality mentorships, on the other hand, should not last forever.

One mentor can only take you so far; they can only give you one “jar.” If you want to evolve beyond that jar, you’ll need a new mentor. And this is exactly what any true mentor would want for you as well. It’s not about “them.” They are investing in you. It is through your best work that they can live on forever.

16. The mentor sets the expectations, but the mentee sets the tone

Although the mentor’s expectations and abilities reflect the size of the jar, it is the mentee that sets the tone for the relationship and how well it will go.

I’ve been in mentoring relationships where I’ve been a good mentee and a bad mentee. In each case, it was not the mentor, but me, who determined how well the relationship went. No one cares more about your success than you do. It is up to you how far you go in life.

Darren Hardy, author of The Compound Effect, has said, “Never take advice from someone you wouldn’t trade places with.” Thus, you should be highly selective about the mentors you seek. If you aren’t intrinsically motivated to “set the tone” with you mentor, ask yourself: Do I really want to be like this person? If the answer is no, then they are the wrong mentor.

When you have the right mentor, you’ll know, because you’ll feel extremely lucky to have even a few moments of their time. You’ll do all you can to deepen the relationship, provide value, and learn. You’ll be willing to bend over backwards to help them. You’ll take on greater responsibility. You’ll make their life easier. You’ll make them look good.

17. Give credit where credit is due

Although you are responsible for your own success, you are not the sole cause of that success. Far from it. You are not independent of all the help you’ve received. More accurately, you are the product of all the help you’ve received.

You are standing on the shoulders of giants. Acknowledge them for that. And never forget where you came from. Also, never speak poorly about your mentors or those who have helped you along your journey. This does nothing for you. I’ve made this mistake and destroyed important relationships with people I deeply admire — people who invested lots of time and energy into me.

As Ryan Holiday explains in his book, Ego is the Enemyalways be a student. Remain humble. Don’t let ego take over, or it will lead to your inevitable demise.


Mental Models

In this final section, I will detail beliefs required for rapid growth.

18. Think astronomically

“You have nothing to lose and everything to gain.” — Robin Williams

There is some brilliant new research on the concept of Awewhich has been defined as a feeling that arises when you encounter something so strikingly vast (in time, scope, complexity, ability, or power) it provokes a need to update your mental schemas.

Awe, or having a peak experience, can happen during an optimal sports performance or even a deep spiritual experience. When you become mindful, you can experience awe even during mundane moments.

Research has found that experiencing awe can expand your perception of time, alter your decision making abilities, and enhance your well-being.

I can personally attest to these findings. I’ve experienced awe several times. I strive to experience it as often as possible, which for me provides a much richer and deeper perspective of life.

Awe alters your experience with time because it helps you see things more astronomically. From the perspective of light, for example, time stands still. Thus, this moment, from the perspective of light, is both an instant and an eternity. Time fades into the background of infinite possibility. Nothing becomes impossible. No distance too far.

Awe alters your ability to make decisions because you no longer fear trivial things such as other people’s perceptions, failure, or even death.

Lastly, awe alters your well-being because the mind and body are one. When you improve one aspect of your life, all others organically improve as well. Thus, when you experience a deeper connect with yourself and the universe, you live differently. You see yourself differently, and that perception has the power to alter your biology. Your emotional state also matures and becomes more healthy as well.

19. Think laterally

“Lateral thinking doesn’t replace hard work; it eliminates unnecessary cycles.” — Shane Snow in Smartcuts: How Hackers, Innovators, and Icons Accelerate Success

Most of the United States presidents spent less time in politics than the average congressman. Moreover, the best, and most popular presidents, generally spent the least amount of time in politics. Rather than spending decades climbing the tedious ladder with glass ceilings, they simply jumped laterally from a different, non-political ladder.

Ronald Reagan was an actor. Dwight Eisenhower laterally shifted from the military. Woodrow Wilson bounced over from academia. These men spent considerably little time in politics and became fabulous presidents. They reached the top by skipping the unnecessary “dues-paying” steps. Insanely productive people think the same way. Rather than climbing up ladders the traditional ways, they think of alternative routes. They skip unnecessary steps by pivoting and shifting.

Shane Snow himself used this tactic to get published on some of the biggest media outlets in the world within six months of blogging. How did he do it? He started by pitching articles to low level blogs with basically no bar of entry. After getting a few articles published on those, he leveraged his new position and pitched to slightly higher level blogs.

He did this by sending editors of the slightly “better” blogs an email reading something like: Hello, I’ve written at these blogs which reach similar audiences as your blog. Here’s an article I think would be a great fit for your audience.

Because the editors of those blogs knew about the blogs Snow had been published on, he was able to be published on theirs as well. He followed this pattern over and over until, within six months, his work was published at Fast Company, WIRED, and others.

20. Think more flexibly about “limits” on resources

One of the faultiest and most crippling mindsets people have is over-categorizing things, and then being bound by those categories. Psychologists call this having a “pre-mature cognitive commitment.”

When you see things from only a singular perspective, you’ll assume there is a limited supply of that thing.

Money, from most people’s perspective, is a limited resource. However, research has found that after basic needs are met, what people really want is a state of mind. Yet, that state of mind doesn’t have to be tightly bound within the cognitive category of money.

Consequently, from a mindful perspective, you can look at certain things, like money or even yourself, from multiple viewpoints. You don’t have to get stuck with fixed and rigid definitions. In nearly any case, you come to realize that what you want is always available to you, if you’ll simply alter your viewpoint. As Ellen Langer, Harvard psychologist has said, “If we examine what is behind our desires, we can usually get what we want without compromising.”

The most detrimental thing we can view from a limited standpoint is ourselves. Don’t let your own assumptions and categories determine what you are. You have no clue who you are or what you can become. Different angles and more flexible definitions allows for limitless possibilities.

21. Think more flexibly about “limits” on time

“It is utterly beyond our power to measure the changes of things by time.” —Ernst Mach in The Science of Mechanics: A Critical and Historical Account of Its Development

Time is an abstraction, which we conceive by the change of other things. For example, the changing of the seasons, or the aging of a child.

Many people have rigid notions, for example, about how long certain things must take.

You can’t finish high school until you’re 18 years old.

You can’t be successful until after you’ve paid your dues.

If you break your leg, it must take a few months to heal.

These fixed notions about time are constraining and limiting. Change can occur at different magnitudes and qualities depending on the context. For example, there is a concept called, “Spontaneous Remission,” wherein an illness or disease surprisingly and immediately changes.

When I started my writing career, I was told it would take me at least three to five years to get the amount of subscribers needed to get a literary agent and subsequent book contract. I was told this by a highly credible source, actually a literary agent herself. However, that was based on her assumptions of time and resources, which resources also included my abilities and motivations.

She had no clue of my context, desires, and abilities. Thus, her assumptions about how long it would take me were absurd. Yet, she was just going off what she had seen, which caused her to be mindless about the situation. Within months of the conversation with that literary agent, I was in the position she said would take several years.

Takeaway: Let go of your beliefs about fixed limits of time. Time is a unique concept, which few of us understand. It need not be linear nor lead to entropy. Again, many scholars are seeing that these are nothing more than assumptions, or fixed mindsets about how things work.


Conclusion

Achieving your goals is very doable. It need not take as long as you may have previously assumed.

2019 Private Markets Due Diligence Survey – Findings Report

Insights into the key factors influencing one of the most critical junctures between investors and fund managers—Released May 2019 by eVestment

 

Due diligence remains the foundation for investors looking to build quality portfolio and generate above market returns. It is arguably the point at which investors have greatest influence on the outcome of their commitments and an area we have observed an increased focus on in recent years. Consequently, due diligence is one of the most important junctures between investors and fund managers and a crucial part in forming and building successful, long-term relationships for both parties. This is why eVestment Private Markets conducts the only annual
industry survey specifically focused on the key elements of the due diligence process from the investor, consultant and fund manager
perspectives. This year, we’re pleased to present you with the fourth edition of our report in association with Nasdaq, the parent company of eVestment. With a renewed set of questions and topics explored for 2019, the survey continues to uncover the emerging factors impacting
fundraising, performance analytics and manager selection.

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Key Findings

Returns expected to decline, but respondents see some specific opportunities. Respondents’ greatest concerns for the future
of private markets were identified as having a generally negative impact on returns, with more than 40% of investors expecting a decline in
performance for both existing and prospective investments.

When investigated by sub-asset class, the weight of opinion was against private equity, venture capital and real estate. Real assets and infrastructure were strategies that investors were most bullish on. Competition for deals is the number one concern for both investors and fund managers. Investor and manager respondents both voiced their highest level of concern about competition for deals, with investors indicating a stronger level of concern. This topic was only rated the fourth highest concern in our 2018 survey, but climbed to top this year’s survey — potentially as investors and managers begin to realize the effect of record fundraising levels flooding the market with available capital and an ever-growing list of fund managers chasing the same assets.

Close to two-thirds of investors and fund managers expect a market correction within the next two years. The prospect of a market correction was a top three concern for both investors and fund managers, and the majority of both groups reported it would be within the next two years. While investors indicated this would lead to an increased focus on monitoring their portfolio, fund managers saw the biggest impact on the timing of exits. Fund managers underestimate the importance of metrics and analytics during due diligence. In terms of specific elements of the due diligence process, it was clear that fund managers underestimate the importance investors place on key pieces of analysis such as loss ratios,

PME and the impact of fees. A new element uncovered this year was the growing importance of calculating horizon-based returns — perhaps
in an effort to better assess private market performance alongside other asset classes as allocations grow in size and the strategy evolves
from alternative to mainstream.

See full report:  https://www.evestment.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/eVestment-Private-Markets-Due-Diligence-Survey-2019.pdf

Updates From the Other Hedge Fund Conference This Past Week. Ideas From Sohn

Although lacking the glitz and pizzazz that SALT has, the Sohn Conference is an outstanding hedge fund event and takes second place to no one. It brings in some of the best trade ideas the industry’s elite has to offer, while supporting a great cause by raising funds to support research to eradicate pediatric cancer and other childhood diseases.

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Hedgie bigs there included Larry Robbins, Bihua Chen, Dan Sundheim, Jeff Gundlach, Scott Goodwin and a host of others.

Known for his insights into the turbulence of daily life, Gundlach told the Lincoln Center gathering, “Respect everyone. Know life is unfair. Take risk. Step up in the tough times. Face down bullies. Lift the downtrodden,” “And never, ever give up.”

Other hedge fund managers that spoke included David Einhorn who said he was wagering on AerCap while betting against GATX. Larry Robbins, quite literally an expert in trading health care stocks said he thought hospital systems were good investments as a whole. Cohen protegee, Gabe Plotkin said the environment for stocks was “pretty good”.

Have always felt the Sohn Conference attracted the best with the best ideas, no different this year.

The 3 Keys to Becoming Irresistible What the people I adore all have in common….Guest Article by John Gorman

There’s a routine question asked in job interviews, first dates, table games and so on: What is the most important thing you look for in other people?

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There’s variations on this format (i.e. “What’s the most attractive quality you look for in a potential partner?” Or, “What’s your greatest strength?” And so on) but, in general, the answer remains the same: The character trait you hold above all. When pressed, I’ve often stumbled and resorted to something trite and probably not true: honesty, humor, confidence, charisma, etc. Those are fine answers but they’re not in my estimation the correct ones.

And so one day I sat down on my pleather couch, brewed some holy basil tea, queued up some Anderson Paak on the Spotify and really, truly tried to whittle down the essence of what makes truly admirable, special people exactly that. I analyzed people I looked up to, people I was attracted to, and people I just couldn’t dream to be without. And I found that the answer could never be just one thing, and that many of the things I think I admire are manifestations of other, deeper things I admire more. Here are the three components that, when taken together, create a spellbinding supernova of a person — one who can command a room and control their destiny, one who can be both altruistic and intelligent. And so I give them to you and make a case for each.


Humility

This trait is the root of all growth, learning and kindness. It’s the belief that you are not yet so great that your mind cannot be opened, and it’s the presence of mind to remember that we are all interconnected equals, and that injustice against one is an injustice against all. It is, flatly, an absence of entitlement. People who exhibit humility let their work speak for itself, they remain stoic in the face of their own suffering, and they remind themselves — and others — that life is fragile and therefore valuable. Humility quells ignorance and cultivates grace. I want this in the people I hold dear.


Curiosity

Without curiosity, you cannot be enthralling or even engaging, nor — most rudimentary of all — successful. It is frankly impossible. Curiosity drives an insatiable quest for knowledge, culture, novelty, experience, beauty, art and connection. It is the bedrock upon which you can build a life filled with stories, memories, accomplishments and relationships. People who exhibit curiosity can become masters, or polymaths, or auteurs — but they must first always have an open mind. They first seek to listen, to absorb, to immerse, to traverse. The world is too large and their time on it too short to ever remain fully satisfied in their pursuit of whatever new ideas pass in front of them. I want people around me to remain curious, routinely examining the world through fresh eyes, and using their eyes to find fresh corners of the world.


Empathy

This trait is the miracle drug of humanity (and elephants, and dolphins). It is the simplest, sweetest attribute one can possess, and the most worthwhile one worth cultivating for social success. Empathy brings people closer, and makes others feel understood and less alone inside. And if there is one thing we’re all looking to become a little less of, it’s alone. When I see truly empathetic people, I see people who genuinely care, but also people who remind us that sometimes it’s okay to be still with someone else and not invade their space or encroach their boundaries. This unique ability to understand the world through others’ eyes and cut to the heart of what others are feeling and experiencing. Empathy breeds compassion, connection and love. It is an important precursor for honesty.


You may have noticed the three are closely related. This is no mere accident. In fact, when you stack humility, curiosity and empathy, you can easily see how they amplify each other.

Humility is the soul. Curiosity is the mind. Empathy is the heart.

Humility is how you value yourself. Curiosity is how you value your others. Empathy is how you value the bonds between yourself and others.

Humility is the soil of knowledge. Curiosity is the water that helps it grow. Empathy is the sunlight that shows us which way to bend.

And if you take any two without the third, you’re missing a crucial component: Humble, curious, apathetic people are slothful. Humble, disaffected, empathetic people are sensitive but not very interesting. Brash, curious, empathetic people are exhausting. But when you bring them all together, you create a benevolent triad.

These three traits are the key to becoming warm, smart and memorable. They’re irrepressible and irresistible. They’re my favorite qualities in others: the most attractive, the strongest, the most admirable. And whether I’m hiring them, dating them or learning from them, these are the qualities I look for above all others.

John Gorman, Amateur life coach & insightful writer. Read More by JOHN

Merida Capital Launches Third Fund Targeting Cannabis Space

Mitch Baruchowitz’s Merida continues to build positions in the cannabis space. The firm just launched its third fund that will look to invest $200m across the entire cannabis ecosystem. The PE firm is only two years old, but has already invested in several dozens players in the space.

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Merida also announced the opening of an office in Toronto, Canada to look at deals in a country where cannabis is entirely legal.