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Good morning to all new and old readers! Here is your Wednesday edition of Faster Than Normal, exploring one short story about a person, a company, a high-performance tool, a trend I’m watching closely, and curated media to help you build businesses, wealth, and the most important asset of all: yourself. 

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Today’s edition:

Cheers,
Alex

P.S. Send me feedback on how we can improve. I respond to every email.

Stories of Excellence

Person: Margaret Thatcher

Margaret Thatcher, Britain's first female Prime Minister, was a polarizing figure who transformed the UK's political landscape. Born in 1925 to a grocer, she rose through the Conservative Party ranks to become leader in 1975. Her tenure as PM from 1979 to 1990 was marked by economic reforms, privatization, and a tough stance on trade unions. "The Iron Lady," as she was dubbed, famously declared, "The lady's not for turning." Thatcher's policies, known as Thatcherism, reshaped Britain's economy but also led to social unrest. She survived an IRA assassination attempt in 1984. After leaving office, she remained influential in conservative circles until her death in 2013.

Key Lessons from Margaret Thatcher:

• On conviction: "I am not a consensus politician. I'm a conviction politician." On resilience: "You may have to fight a battle more than once to win it."

• On leadership: "Being powerful is like being a lady. If you have to tell people you are, you aren't."

• On success: "I do not know anyone who has got to the top without hard work. That is the recipe. It will not always get you to the top, but should get you pretty near."

Read More.

Company: DuPont

DuPont was founded in 1802 by Éleuthère Irénée du Pont, a French-American chemist and industrialist. The company began as a gunpowder manufacturer near Wilmington, Delaware. Du Pont's expertise in explosives, gained from his apprenticeship at France's royal gunpowder works, proved crucial. The company expanded rapidly, supplying gunpowder during the War of 1812 and the American Civil War. By the early 20th century, DuPont diversified into chemicals, materials, and plastics. Notable innovations include nylon, Teflon, and Kevlar. Today, DuPont is a global conglomerate with a focus on agriculture, electronics, and industrial biosciences. In 2021, the company reported net sales of $16.7 billion.

Key Lessons from DuPont:

• On talent: Hire the best, even if they're expensive. DuPont aggressively recruited top scientists and gave them resources to work on ambitious projects. This brain trust became their competitive advantage.

• On adaptation: Be willing to cannibalize your own products. DuPont often developed new materials that made their existing products obsolete. But they pushed forward anyway, knowing it was better to disrupt themselves than be disrupted by others.

Read More.

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Accelerants

High-performance tool

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Necessity & Sufficiency

A necessity is something you must have to achieve an outcome.

Sufficiency is what you actually need to achieve the outcome.

Necessary conditions must be present, but on their own, aren’t enough for achievement.

Insights

Tactical reads

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> When implementing practical productivity strategies
HOWTO: Be more productive (Read it here)

> When developing techniques to stop procrastinating
How to Beat Procrastination (Read it here)

1 question

That’s all for today, folks. As always, please give me your feedback. Which section is your favourite? What do you want to see more or less of? Other suggestions? Please let me know.

Have a wonderful rest of week, all.

Recommendation Zone

⎯

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Alex Brogan

Find me on X, LinkedIn, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok

Offshore Talent: Where to find the best offshore talent. Powered by Athyna.

Why Faster Than Normal? Our mission is to be a friend to the ambitious, a mentor to the becoming, and a partner to the bold. We achieve this by sharing the stories, ideas, and frameworks of the world's most prolific people and companies—and how you can apply them to build businesses, wealth, and the most important asset of all: yourself.

Faster Than Normal is a ‘state' of being’ rather than an outcome. Outlier performance requires continuous, compounded improvement. We’re your partner on this journey.

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