Ferris, Chauvin and the Canvas Strategy
Tim Ferris may be a disliked figure in some quarters for books with questionable titles and claims that he has written, however, he certainly thinks differently. In this interview with GQ, he talks at length about backing research into psychedelics to explore if they could possibly provide solutions to depression, PTSD, and similar conditions. I am a reluctant patron for I do not understand this space deeply enough, however, I liked the interview for the openness about his own history with which Ferris delves into this topic. On the topic of what led to success of his podcast, Ferris believes that it’s because his interviews are deeply personal, i.e. he asks questions that he is genuinely curious about. “At least I know I have a guaranteed audience of one,” he says. Finally, I ended up adding a book by Anthony de Mello called Awareness — a book that Ferris highly recommends — to my list of books to read.
What I am reading about in more detail is Canvas Strategy. I first heard about it in Ferris’ podcast with Ryan Holiday two years back. But at that time, I didn’t pay much attention. It’s only last week that I came across this other essay by Holiday on the topic. What is this canvas strategy then? Briefly, it’s about putting ‘all your energy on finding, presenting, and facilitating opportunities that help other people inside the company succeed — particularly the people you directly report to’. Provide opportunities to others around you to become successful. Give them the means and opportunities to excel. If you do so, Holiday believes, you’ll become indispensable in the fields of your choice. Though this article appeared under the ‘advice for someone starting a new job’ series, I believe the advice holds true for anyone in any field.
And the final recommendation is this profile of Derek Chauvin, the police officer who killed George Floyd. Little is known about his background, but this piece in NYTimes is perhaps the most detailed profile that I have come across. Chauvin, it emerges, “was a quiet and rigid workaholic with poor people skills and a tendency to overreact — with intoxicated people, especially — when a less aggressive stance might have led to a better outcome”. He was always seeking action and whenever possible would do one of the hardest shift between 4 p.m. to 2 a.m patrolling the streets. The profile doesn’t answer all the questions one may have on this very controversial figure but a fuzzy portrait emerges of a man whose singular action brought swathes of people on the streets for the right reasons. Also, read this piece for how beautifully it’s written, a masterclass in profile writing. The last sentence, which I will not write here, has remained with me ever since I read it.
A quote that I came across last week:
The person who clears the path ultimately controls its direction, just as the canvas shapes the painting.
