Part II Life Principles is Ray Dalio’s take on attaining the pure and enlightened business mind. Ray explains two undercurrents of evolution: 1) processing the pain that will lead one to solutions to a problem and 2) one should make the best of struggles which if handled correctly can produce creativity and character. By developing the discipline of transparency, being open-minded and understanding of how the mind works, and utilizing proper thought processes can turn your problem solving skills into superior ways to handle your business.
Life Principles II is a personal challenge to any businessman or businesswoman. As Dalio provides explanations on the way our brain operates, as well as the psychology behind who we are. It takes a lot of thought, reflection and effort for your mind to operate at a high level. Research has shown that merely holding certain thoughts and reading virtuous words can yield a surprising productivity boost. There is no way you can read his book without getting something out of it.
As a manager, if you want to go deeper into specifics of training yourself toward achieving higher standards, then you will take notice of Dalio’s theories on radical open-mindedness and take inventory of workplace practices. This type of thinking has given rise to many employment trends, such as the “360 degree review” and fully visible glass conference rooms. These practices and features aim to bring a feeling of transparency, feedback and openness.
Yet, if those things come easily to you Dalio suggests that the experienced manager with considerable self knowledge should practice putting their or his principles into action. Put them into proper effect by triangulating or converting principles into the computer language of algorithms. Dalio provides charts, systems and software to execute on these principles in a more passive, automated way.
Due to the highly sophisticated nature of Ray Dalio’s princlples, he can be difficult to understand. However, one bright light he brings is: We all have weaknesses but do not dismay because it only takes one solution that you have to find for each step in order to progress and attain your goal. In addition, while hard work is good work, effective work can bring even greater rewards. * (five stars for Part II) Part III, Work Principles will be reviewed going forward.
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