Walking With The Drunkards

Geoff Smith Portrait

BY Geoff Smith

POSTED ON MAY 12, 2014

I've been wondering a lot lately about uncertainty and (un)predictability. Not so much because I've become suddenly profound (no worry there), but because

So I've been doing some reading. 'The Drunkard's Walk' is a great book about randomness - I love that word - but it really amounts to a pretty entertaining

Then there is 'Thinking Fast And Slow', a terrific book about we often fail to understand the decisions we are making. Give it a read. But in my darker

But here is my serious question: Why do we need to know? Where's the big advantage in certainty? What are we all so afraid of? If you are confident in

Dealing with the obvious: Preparation, discipline, skills and also courage are key. In times of change, only the best companies get a shot. And it's crucial to

I'm suggesting that maybe the need for certainty is just fear. Not strength, but weakness.

Perhaps I'm overthinking the whole thing. Jim Collins keeps it much simpler. Chapter 7 of his 'Built To Last' book is titled 'Try A Lot Of Stuff And See What

Or just take my Dad's advice. I asked him a few years ago to write out his 'New Year's' advice for our employees, and one of his eight points was, I thought,

Maybe take the Drunkard's Walk. Your more sober rivals will never keep up.

Thanks for reading. Peace.