The Warrior Poet

Stop taking things for granted and come up with ideas that matter. Sri offers up his "Time Warner Cable" framework for ideation and distinguishes between "positive" and "negative" approaches to asking "why." Plus, thoughts on another great Pixies song. This episode is a continuation from Episode #23 , though there's a good chance you can start here and...

What are you taking for granted in your business, life, and society? The answer is most likely virtually everything even though so many are merely protocols or products of inertia.  "Transformational vision comes from transformational ideas. Transformational ideas come from radical conceptions. Radical conceptions come from deep perception." -Sri notes Un Chien Andalou by Luis Buñuel (Yo...

Sri ponders irreverence on the playing field and in the office while confusing Martin Lawrence with Martin Short. Joey Pants stays amazing. EXPLICIT EPISODE: If you have kids in the car, we hope you’ll choose another. Connect with Sri on Instagram: @sri_the_warrior_poet + @sri_actually   notes The book Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick (Amazon) The book Infinite Jest by David...

"Investing in people" makes hiring and development sound lofty and idealistic. Sri thinks the reality is more like risk-averse speculation... in souls. Sri traded commodities derivatives on Wall Street and compares/contrasts that work with recruiting candidates into your company. Hiring is rife with inefficiencies and misplaced incentives. Sri highlights a number of opportunity areas for...

Are you "kinda tired of getting told to throw your hands up in the air?" Sri dissects the true definition of a team with the help of Lorde. We disambiguate miselading corporate terms like "partners" and "single-threaded leader." Team America: World Police share a touching moment. It seems like companies forget what the word "team" really means. It means some...

Ever feel like you're stuck in your career? What if your success or failure in a company were predestined? And what does Amway have to do with Jay Mohr? notes "All Is Not Lost - Keys n Krates Remix" by OK Go (Spotify) Predestination ( Wikipedia ) * The song “Shiny” from Moana by Jemaine Clement  “Adam’s not feeling well.” “It’s true.” — As promised, that full Amway scene from the mo...

Most leaders overlook operations as a part of leadership itself. Sri offers helpful tips on how to improve the operational side of your leadership via Method Man. How to write an Amazon white paper. Apocalypse Now returns. notes Principles by Ray Dalio -- controversial on some leadership topics but ultimately makes you think -- a lot! Strategy by Michael Butler Murray — completely sweeping book on...

Weak leaders are more dangerous than they seem. Sri helps understand weakness and opines on whether "indie pop" is an oxymoron. AJR assists. EXPLICIT EPISODE: If you have kids in the car, we hope you'll choose another. Connect with Sri on Instagram: @sri_the_warrior_poet and @sri_actually notes The Prince by Nicolo Machiavelli  Clip from Anchorman re: German pornography ( Youtube )...

Sri discusses the classic leadership essay "A Message to Garcia" and how to apply it in your work. And what stealing your mom's car has to do with Stranger Things . EXPLICIT EPISODE: If you have kids in the car, we hope you'll choose another. Connect with Sri on Instagram: @sri_the_warrior_poet notes Yes, Whole Foods does deliver Cherry Garcia ice cream from Ben & Jerry&apo...

Leadership is a skill, and it should not be assumed that career progress is measured based on whether someone leads others.  Sri discusses the origins of team leadership and promotion criteria.  📌 Want to crush 2026? Book a free clarity call with Sri to get your priorities in order and start getting unstuck.  📩 Get free elite performance tools weekly through the Warrior Poet newsletter 👉 join...

QOTSA's "If I Had a Tail" helps Sri discuss counterfactual thinking and its relevance to leadership, business, and society. Also, how SEALs conduct debriefs, thoughts on Coronavirus (COVID-19), and the start of World War I. notes "If I Had a Tail" by Queens of the Stone Age Spotify Drunk Josh Homme and crew live in concert ( Youtube )  Live on Jools Holland ( Youtube ) (pl...

When do stretch goals make sense? Staying humble with Kendrick Lamar and Tiny Meat Gang. Also: newborns, vanity metrics. *** notes More on how scammy Kickstarter stretch goals are ( Medium ) Also on Kickstarter: "One Million Stretch Goals" ( WTF ?) Who knew? Definition of 'meeple' ( Wiktionary )  Tiny Meat Gang: 'Short Kings Anthem' ( Youtube ) Follow sri_the_warrior_...

Sri introduces the "No-Future-Selves Fallacy," a tendency to overplan, with the help of British-American duo the Kills. notes 'Future Starts Slow' by the Kills ( official video on Youtube ) Chill cover of the Kills' 'Future Starts Slow' by Adam Blazer ( Youtube ) Intro and/or outro music to most episodes is by Paul Sridhar ( Spotify ).  📌 Want to crush 2026? Boo...

Are you the 'angel of nuance' in your organization? Sri uses this loved and detested character from the Dan Le Batard Show on ESPN to inform the leader's approach to communicating strategy and solving complex problems. notes Angel of Nuance highlights ( Youtube ) 📌 Want to crush 2026? Book a free clarity call with Sri to get your priorities in order and start getting unstuck.  📩 G...

Sri questions whether you could be living a skinny-fat life. How would you know? Val Kilmer helps us think about cheat days. PS. "Skinny fat" is weakness masquerading as fitness. *** notes Thanks to guitarguy1985 for the great EKG sounds .  📌 Want to crush 2026? Book a free clarity call with Sri to get your priorities in order and start getting unstuck.  📩 Get free elite performance to...

Do you have trouble making sense of the Matrix? What if you approached everyone around you as if they were a computer player in the video game of life? Sri and System of a Down illuminate this and other subjects. *** show notes Mea culpa: I attributed a quote in the episode to Michael Jordan that actually belongs to Wayne Gretzky.  Toxicity by System of a Down ( Spotify ) Edo Notarloberti: classic...

Humans respond to imperfectly humanlike creations with varying degrees of horror, with an "uncanny valley" of human acceptance (i.e. a low point) in the middle of the spectrum of humanness. Roboticists and game designers are well acquainted with the concept, but many leaders are not (as witnessed by their uncanny behavior in the workplace). Sri and Judge Rheinhold teach leaders to be mor...

You know you do it. You think about what you would've told that person who cut you off. That coworker who showed you up at that meeting. The thousand ways to craft the argument that will vanquish the disbelievers of your light of truth.  Sri and Nicolas Cage discuss this unproductive behavior, which Sri calls "screenwriting," and how to avoid it.  *** The 48 Laws of Power by Robert...

In this second part of Sri's interview with Jay Hack, the two dive deeper on leadership lessons:  Dealing with leadership anxiety Tips for new leaders More on finding mentors  When someone is not onboard with your vision Being a fish out of water (e.g. new industry, different culture, etc) Plus, a detailed manual for screwing up an employee-of-the-month award Check out Part 1 of the interview...

Sri interviews West Point graduate and Operation Iraqi Freedom veteran Jay Hack about leadership based on Jay's four years leading Norwegian industrial workforces. (Jay is also a graduate of Harvard Business School.)  📌 Want to crush 2026? Book a free clarity call with Sri to get your priorities in order and start getting unstuck.  📩 Get free elite performance tools weekly through the Warri...

Do you have hypergraphia? Sri explores this mental disorder and related states with help from Amazon, Truman Capote, and "the Ballmer number."  *** Tower of Silence article on Wikipedia (Zoroastrian disposal of human remains)   Interesting commentary and history of Zoroastrianism ( The Guardian )   The Guardian account of hypergraphia referenced in the episode Ballmer number (err, "...

Sri tries to invent a new word and viddies a bourbon. His "Bizarro Method" helps you get out of a rut. *** notes:  Sri’s article on Medium: Intermittent Fasting and the Placebo Effect  Origins of Bizarro ( Youtube ) Superman Meets Bizarro ( Youtube )   Seinfeld clips referenced:  Jerry and Elaine: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IcjSDZNbOs0 The two worlds collide:  https://www.youtube.co...

Sri helps you get the most out of your people, applying Friedrich Hayek's concept of "local knowledge" to companies with the help of "that 'copacetic' song." The movie 'American Psycho' is discussed in the same breath as an articulation of why corporate promotions are a confidence game. Coincidence? Perhaps not. *** Select songs and music videos by Loca...

Sri uses infectious disease as a metaphor for dealing with colleagues of toxic people. Justin Timberlake and Home Depot do a collaboration. *** Show Notes Sexy back-Home Depot mashup 'In a World' trailer :  Home Depot video montage from Tik Tok  Intro music by Paul Sridhar ( Spotify ). 📌 Want to crush 2026? Book a free clarity call with Sri to get your priorities in order and start gett...

Humans have a visceral need to mold their environment, even if it means mindlessly mowing the lawn. Sri introduces the concept of Hobbit problems and wages an internal battle over strongly worded letters to the gym. Radiohead’s “Little By Little” serves as a warning to us all. Plus, Sri rants about fruit and Ross from Friends. *** So… who actually *is* Nestor Carbonell? Like Jeff Fahey, he played...