Over the break I read two book’s by Scott Galloway: Post Corona: From Crisis to Opportunity and The Algebra of Happiness: Notes on the Pursuit of Success, Love, and Meaning. For starters I highly recommend both books. Last May, I wrote about an article that Galloway wrote. A number of people have recommended that I read more from him. So ultimately that is what got me to read two of his books.

While Scott Galloway is rough around the edges for an academic, he has a good message. (I would hate to be his chair or dean.) His message is very similar to the one I have been peddling for the last few years. There are some interesting subtle differences, I think it is interesting to point out. For example, I agree with his Post Corona book, but feel that it is missing a final chapter that puts it all together. More on that later this week. It is really interesting that he basically chose a book on happiness as his second book. As one reads his books, one gets the feeling that he is more of a mentor than an author. I can dig that.

I enjoyed Galloway’s in your face approach to writing. It was simple, straightforward, and there was no doubt where he stood on various issues. I am reading another two books right now by college professors and get the exact opposite. There is so much crap to wade through before you get to the point. Something I have personally struggled with in writing for an academic audience.

Another seemly interesting parallel between Galloway and myself is that he worked both in the business world and as a professor. (Though, I think this does happen more in the business schools that in physics departments.) Of course he was wildly successful both in business and in higher education. I wouldn’t qualify to be a pimple on his cousin’s pet’s flees. I do connect with his writing more often than I don’t though. And of course since he says a lot of the same things I say, he is of course nearly perfect. He is not. Neither am I. 🙁

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The first message of Scott’s that I would like to amplify is his message of community. One of the things that he discusses a lot is the power of taking an interest in a kid other than your own. Which was kind of a curve ball for someone who is startup master and a business school professor.

When my daughter was playing basketball regularly, pre-Covid, I found it was odd that the league struggled to find coaches. I decided to coach. It was an interesting experience. It was a wonderful opportunity to get to know other kids and to help them – even though my basketball strategy is similar to Charles Barkley’s approach: “beat everyone up and the shoot the ball.” I was a terrible basketball coach in terms of skills, strategy, etc. The referee would literally be coaching me on the appropriate times to call a time out. But the experience was rewarding for me and hopefully the girls. And I gave an insane amount of positive reinforcement to the girls I coached. Always clapping! Always cheering! Making sure everyone played. While I would much rather have had a coach for my daughter that knew basketball, I did what I could when there was no one else to do it.

Galloway talks about the pride of being able to help people. For me, its about education. I tend to think that other people view the world through my eyes. Most of the people who know me, know that my ideas tend to be strange and out there. No one sees the world through my eyes, except me. There are real problems out in the community: abusive families, folks without money, etc etc. In my nearly perfect world in the ivory tower I sometimes view the suffering that people are going through too abstractly (e.g., what’s the unemployment rate?). This has only been amplified by 100 times with COVID and how we closed in on our families even more.

Working with kids (not your own) is a way to help and a way to re-learn what is going on out there in the world outside my house. Adults are different. They hold everything in. They have pride and don’t tell you the full truth. Children just let it fly. Then once you know the truth, its hard not to do something about it. Its hard not to help. You have to. Building a community full of people who are caring and have opportunity is good for everyone. Its good for you and your kids. We need to do more of this as a society.

Galloway often discusses his life being a child of a single parent as a reference. He shared stories about how mentorship he received by non-parental adults was instrumental his is development. As someone who grew up in a household with a single parent (its more complicated than that), I agree whole heartily. There are about ten or so people that really helped to shape me into the person I am today: coaches, friend’s parents, teachers, etc. Be a mentor and build a community.