A lesson from Morgan Housel: ‘Ideas don’t matter if you don’t communicate them effectively’

We’re asking big names in business and tech to answer 5 burning questions. 

Today’s guest: Morgan Housel, partner at Collaborative Fund and author of the forthcoming The Psychology of Money: Timeless Lessons on Wealth, Greed, and Happiness.

What’s your favorite book that you’ve read in the last 12 months?

The Body by Bill Bryson. It’s just fascinating. It’s basically an anatomy textbook told by one of the great storytellers of our time.

What’s one thing you splurged on recently?

A good mattress. Next to picking a good spouse, picking a good mattress is one of life’s most important decisions.

Who’s the most interesting person you know?

He’s no longer with us, but I used to know a guy who was a paratrooper over Normandy on D-Day. I was in so much awe of him.

I can’t fathom what it would be like to be part of something so terrifying yet so important to world history and still think of himself as a normal, average Joe who no one would recognize.

Most celebrities have accomplished a small fraction of what a lot of average Joes like that man have. I think that’s fascinating to think about. The world is filled with quiet heroes.

What’s the best piece of advice someone ever gave you?

Measure your success in life by how many of the people you want to have love you actually do love you. That, and don’t read the comment section.

What’s one mistake you made in your career, and what did you learn from it?

The details don’t matter but I’ve done things that I genuinely thought were well-meaning and innocent that came off as greedy and self-serving to others. Ideas don’t matter if you don’t communicate them effectively.