Graham Mann’s Personal Podcast

What's the point of work, if not to have fun, build cool things, and provide value for other people?

I chose to study engineering because I wanted to build things. It's why I went into tech and entrepreneurship too. Today, not much has changed.

Should you be a specialist, or a generalist? The answer is different for different people. I don't have the patience to be a specialist. But there is a middle ground that appeals to me.

The modern work day wasn't built for knowledge work. There's a better way, and it's the way I prefer.

The most important part of work isn't the work itself. It's the people.

I don't love giving up my Saturdays, of course. But there's a reason I'm more productive when I do.

We like certainty in our lives. We like to think we know what will happen. But the reality? We can't.

I spent a long time optimizing my productivity.

Task management systems, pomodoro timers, software—I tried it all.

Some of it helped. Most of it didn’t.

Dating and sales are the same skills: the only difference is what you’re selling.

Ray Dalio cites this as his most fundamental principle:

“Truth —more precisely, an accurate understanding of reality— is the essential foundation for producing good outcomes.”

It's not hard to see why.

The best way to come up with good ideas: don’t get stuck on other ideas first.

As humans, we like the world in black and white. But there's no such thing.

As humans, we love certainty. We love telling stories to explain things. The problem is, almost nothing is certain.

My post-university years turned out to be a whirlwind education on what it takes to build startups.

It's hard to know what excellence looks like until you see it in action. My university summer job taught me what it means to be a professional.

There were multiple factors, of course. But there was one book which pushed me into the world of business and entrepreneurship.

I got the broad things right with university: where I wanted to go, and what I wanted to study. But I'd do a few things differently another time around.

I knew one thing when I graduated high school: I wanted to build things.

I remember very few specific lessons from school. But there is one exercise I remember from history, which continues to influence my writing today.

I grew up right next to the ocean. It played a big part in my childhood, and it continues to hold a special place for me today.

I grew up in a beautiful place, but it lacked diversity. 

Travel gave me the opportunity to see a little further.

The smart move in school was to keep your head down and do your work, even if you enjoyed learning.

Grade 7 science fair would open my eyes to the world of those who loved learning.

Another lesson from sports: passion often comes from competence. 

I never wanted to choose one sport growing up. I enjoyed all kinds, and I enjoyed changing throughout the year. 

While that love of variety probably hurt me then, I've realized that in professional life, it's become a strength.

I learned a lot of lessons from sports growing up. This one has been invaluable in my professional life.

I played all the sports I could growing up. I liked team sports the most. And there was one particular lesson I learned that has helped me throughout my life.

Where I grew up, in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, Canada, taught me the value of humility and hard work.

The intro episode for this series, I explain what a Personal Podcast is, and what topics I'll be covering in future episodes.