Friday Forward

Over the past few weeks, the World Cup has offered remarkable displays of talent and, for the fans who traveled here, many heart-warming cultural exchanges. But for all the extraordinary feats on the field this past month, the most impressive part of the tournament, for me, had nothing to do with soccer and everything to do with character.

As the saying goes, the first step to solving a problem is admitting we have one. Recently, Keir Starmer announced he would resign as Britain’s prime minister. I follow British politics only from a distance, so many people can speak to the particulars far better than I can. But one pattern stood out so much it was visible to me from across the pond.

Last month I wrote a Friday Forward on the unspoken rules in life. This included some obvious ones most of us know: If you’ve ordered the most expensive meal at the table, don’t be the one to suggest that you split the check evenly. If you borrow a car, return it clean and fill the gas. You should repay a debt/loan before someone has to ask. A few readers replied that there are just as many, if not more, unspoken rules at work.

On the night of June 14, a bagpipe playing, kilt-wearing parade of roughly five thousand Scottish soccer fans marched through Boston. Scotland had just won its first World Cup match in nearly thirty years, and they were celebrating with special Scotland themed Red Sox game at the legendary Fenway Park. The Red Sox printed special jerseys, taught the organist Scottish songs, and put a kilt on the mascot. Boston was hardly prepared for the celebration the Scots brought.

Two weeks ago, Elon Musk became the world’s first trillionaire on paper after SpaceX issued its initial public offering (IPO). The response from many was predictable. The very next day, I saw a CNN panel where a politician held up Musk’s net worth in contrast to the need for more resources and better public infrastructure for constituents in his district.

What’s the ideal number of meetings for an organization each week? At least one prominent leader believes it’s almost zero. Jason Fried, CEO of the tech company 37signals and a New York Times bestselling author on work and productivity, urges his team to schedule as few meetings as possible.

A famous Friends episode captures a scenario most of us have lived through. The group goes to an upscale restaurant to celebrate Monica’s promotion. Ross, Monica, and Chandler order expensive entrees and appetizers. Joey orders a small pizza, Phoebe gets cucumber soup and Rachel, short on money, just orders a side salad. When the bill arrives, Ross pulls out a calculator and divides the total evenly. However, Phoebe refuses to pay, pointing out she should not have to pay $30 for a bowl of soup.

One piece of advice has survived more than two thousand years: don’t kill the messenger. This saying dates to ancient Greece, where envoys carrying unwelcome news often paid with their lives. Last month, a modern transformation of this played out at Yankee Stadium. Jonathan Haidt, a longtime New York University professor, was selected to deliver NYU’s commencement address. It’s easy to see why. His latest book, The Anxious Generation, has spent two years on the bestseller list.

Throughout our careers, many of us have heard the colloquial term “A Player” used regularly to describe a company’s top performers. However, this term can be quite divisive, because the assumption is that an A Player is something you either are or aren’t. This is far from the truth. The reality is performance and behavior are much more situational than permanent. To that point, I once saw a child psychologist claim that a parent should never tell their kid they are smart or not smart.

I never would’ve expected a jog across a parking lot to be so painful. Six weeks earlier, I had severely pulled an adductor and groin muscle while playing tennis. The injury was bad enough that for a few days I couldn’t get out of bed or walk normally without pain. And the recovery was hardly linear. First, I tried to rest which is not my strong suit but seemed appropriate.