The Multidisciplinary Approach to Thinking | Peter D. Kaufman [Outliers]
1/13/202626 min
Peter D. Kaufman is the Chairman and CEO of GlenAir, the editor of Poor Charlie’s Almanack, and was a decades-long friend of Charlie Munger. In a talk that was never meant to be made public, one of the world's greatest business minds reveals the secrets to multidisciplinary thinking. Peter allowed the complete talk to be transcribed and posted on FS.
Approximate Timestamps: (00:00) Introduction (01:49) Why is Multidisciplinary Thinking Important? (07:27) How The World Works (18:39) The Biggest Blind Spots in Business (22:05) You Only Get One Life
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Transcript preview
First 90 secondsShane Parrish· Host0:00
[gentle music] "Go positive and go first, and be constant in doing it. There may be no better formula for living the best life you could possibly live." That's a quote from Peter Kaufman, and that's what we're gonna talk about today. Welcome to The Knowledge Project. I'm your host, Shane Parrish. This podcast is all about learning from others, mastering the best of what they've figured out, so you can use their lessons in your life. Peter Kaufman is someone you've probably never heard of, and that's by design. He's the chairman and CEO of Glenn Air, an aerospace company that he's led since 1977. Over that tenure, he's compiled one of the best track records in business history. Peter's also the editor of Poor Charlie's Almanac, the definitive collection of Charlie Munger's wisdom. He was one of Charlie's closest friends for decades. Peter is also a personal friend. I've learned more from him in the past decade than nearly anyone else in my life. Despite all of his wisdom, Peter rarely gives public talks or interviews. He prefers it that way. One of his favorite sayings is that, "The whale that surfaces gets harpooned." In 2018, he made an exception. He gave a speech that was never supposed to be recorded, but Peter believed the message was too important to keep private. As he put it, "It was critical for anyone interested in living a full, meaningful life with minimal regret." So he allowed that talk to be transcribed, and I'm so glad he did, because what he shared that day might be one of the most valuable frameworks