Principles by Ray Dalio

Principles by Ray Dalio is about the life lessons and principles that Dalio learned as he started his company Bridgewater. The book is divided into two parts: Life Principles and Work Principles. Below is a list of the main ideas and my thoughts.

Life Principles:

1. Be open-minded

a. always assume that you are wrong

b. if you are in conflict, learn more

2. Evolution is key

a. always be ready to change

b. those who don't evolve get left behind

3. 5 steps in the learning process (see loop above)

a. design a plan to reach your goal

b. no amount of planning will get you there; put in the work

4. People are wired differently

a. different personalities

b. give people the responsibilities that they are wired to do

Work Principles:

1. Creating an idea meritocracy

a. every idea is important regardless of position

2. Hire the right people

a. hiring priority order: 1. values 2. abilities 3. skills

3. Managing correctly

a. good managers orchestrate but don't analyze every detail

b. keep everyone in sync

c. confront differences before they escalate

My thoughts:

1. Good principles. I agree with most of them.

2. Nothing particularly groundbreaking or original.

3. Covers a lot of things in just one book. Examples are very broad.

4. Hard to put some things into my own life as a high schooler.

I wouldn't recommend this book to any high schooler. It felt more like a feel-good book than something practical. I might skim through the book again if I start a business. However, it doesn't really seem worth the time.