A few simple ideas

I try to use a few simple ideas over and over. This creative laziness saves time. This way, I don't have to think as hard about certain decisions, so I can focus on other decisions. Here are my simple ideas:

• Avoid assets. Assets are liabilities. Owning something is a last resort. Leasing is better, renting is better still, and finding a way to do just as well without the something is best of all. Take telecom. Why buy a phone system in a world with Skype and cell phones? All that wire you put in the walls isn't coming with you when you move.
  
• Failure is always an option. If you never fail, you don't try very hard. You need to try risky things, but be able to pick up the pieces and move on if they don't work. If you're afraid to fail, you don't belong in a position of of responsibility. A good strategist almost always has a Plan B in reserve in case Plan A doesn't work out. To devise a realistic Plan B, you have to consider the ways in which Plan A may not work out.
  
• Try to be the dumbest guy in the room. If you're the smartest guy in the room, you're probably in the wrong room.