The Twenty Percenter
Weekly advice for top business professionals.
The Courage to Cut (2 Min Read) | Vol. 210 July 3, 2026 “I have made this longer than usual because I have not had time to make it shorter.” – Blaise Pascal The Courage to Cut In the summer of 1776, Thomas Jefferson sat in a hot Philadelphia room and watched his work get …
Seven Lessons I’ve Learned as a Dog Dad (3 Min Read) | Vol. 209 June 26, 2026 “God… sat down for a moment when the dog was finished in order to watch it… and to know that it was good, that nothing was lacking, that it could not have been made better.” — Rilke Seven …
14 Lines for 4 Years (2 Min Read) | Vol. 208 June 19, 2026 “I love quotations because it is a joy to find thoughts one might have, beautifully expressed with much authority by someone recognized wiser than oneself.” — Marlene Dietrich 14 Lines for 4 Years Four years ago, I hit send on the …
It Is Mine Alone (2 Min Read) | Vol. 207 June 12, 2026 “Always be quick to give credit and to take blame.” — Kevin Kelly It Is Mine Alone On June 6, 1944, more than 156,000 Allied troops landed on the beaches of Normandy. Over 10,000 were wounded or killed. It is widely considered …
Never Mistake Lucky for Smart (2 Min Read) | Vol. 206 June 5, 2026 “You never know what worse luck your bad luck has saved you from.” — Cormac McCarthy Never Mistake Lucky for Smart You’re out cruising yard sales with a friend, hoping to score a velvet Elvis or the perfect garden gnome. You …
PSA – Skin Checks and Self-Compassion (2 Min Read) | Vol. 205 May 29, 2026 “We are products of our past, but we don’t have to be prisoners of it.” – Rick Warren PSA – Skin Checks and Self-Compassion The anxiety I have about skin cancer is thanks to a ‘70s childhood. In my youth, …
What a Writer’s Trick Taught Me About Focus (2 Min Read) | Vol. 204 May 22, 2026 “Ink it when you think it.” – Sam Horn What a Writer’s Trick Taught Me About Focus I got to meet Sam Horn at a recent dinner party. She’s an author, a speaker, and the founder of the …
Einstein’s Priceless Advice (2 Min Read) | Vol. 203 May 15, 2026 “A calm and modest life brings more happiness than the pursuit of success combined with constant restlessness.” – Albert Einstein Einstein’s Priceless Advice In 1921, Albert Einstein won the Nobel Prize. He didn’t go to Stockholm the next year to attend the award …
Eight Things I Learned on My Friendship Walk (4 Min Read) | Vol. 202 May 8, 2026 “You are allowed to step back, disconnect, and disappear for a while. The world will go on without you, but you will come back to yourself.” — Cory Allen Eight Things I Learned on My Friendship Walk In …
The Cost of Comfort (2 Min Read) | Vol. 201 May 1, 2026 “Tension is not conflict, and discomfort is not harm.” – Charlie Gilkey The Cost of Comfort The biggest tax on your business may be the conversations you’re avoiding. Addressing underperformance, chasing a late payment, delivering bad news, renegotiating a deal, or parting …
