“Leaders aren’t born, they are made” — that’s the phrase made famous by Hall-of-Fame coach Vince Lombardi, and in today’s business world, it seems to ring true. One such business leader is Ray Dalio, American investment master and Founder of Bridgewater Associates, one of the world’s most successful hedge funds in history. In 2017, Dalio wrote the best-seller Principles: Life and Work, an expansion on his previous thoughts on success and failure originally published online. Since then, he has continued to espouse his philosophy via his Twitter account, where he shares his Principles with the world. According to Dalio, the quickest path to success is identifying personal weaknesses and improving them from the top down.
He recommends contemplating one’s biggest challenge, the primary roadblock standing between them and next-level success. Only by candidly confronting our weaknesses can we identify how our strengths can empower positive change. Dalio’s lessons come from a career filled with great success and massive failure, both of which forced him to adapt in order to survive. Humility can balance an abundance of self-confidence and aggression, providing the much-needed perspective that enables change. Without experiencing failure or facing weaknesses with brutal honesty, a leader’s full formation is incomplete.
