Enjoyable Learning

We’ve all heard the adage, “experience is the best teacher.”  While I’ve certainly learned from my own experience, I find it quite helpful to learn from the successes and failures of others. That‘s one reason I love to read biographies. Inside each life story are lessons. How did this person succeed?  Where and why did they fail?

I’ve just finished a new book, “Who Knew” by Barry Diller, who is well-known in the Entertainment industry. Early in his career Diller was assigned a menial task in the basement of the MCA building. There he discovered a treasure trove of files, detailing in letters and other documents, the history of the entertainment industry, including the careers of many Hollywood stars. When Barry was hired as the assistant to the head of ABC, he already carried in his head pertinent information about many of the executives and actors with whom he would interact.

His life demonstrates that when you are both consistent and persistent you will likely prevail, especially if you enjoy your work. This has proven to be true for me as well, although in one notable respect, my style of working is very different. Barry is known for his loud, combative management, and he is notorious for shouting at his staff. I’m more than a little allergic to shouting. I prefer the opposite, a conversation based on mutual regard and a respectful discussion.

My favorite modern biographer is Walter Isaacson. I strongly recommend all his books. His Lyndon Johnson series is spectacular, and I’m now about one-third of my way through his biography of Einstein. I don’t understand much of the science, but I definitely resonate to Einstein’s challenges with both relationships and money early in his life.

I recently finished a biography of Aimee Semple McPherson, who founded a temple adjacent to Echo Park where, on Saturday mornings years ago, my mom use to take me to fish.

The subject of most biographies is almost always famous (or notorious), and I have concluded that, for me, I prefer a cloak of invisibility.

So please don’t tell anyone who the author is behind this wonderful blog. They might try to write a biography about me.

XXX