Second Level Thinking

Ideas to help you see things differently.

Every fortnight I share one idea from my own work and reading on leadership, decision-making and performance. Free, straight to your inbox.

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The Empire Trap

The Empire Trap

Published on: 23/07/2026

Issue 49: We’ve long measured executives by the size of the army they command. AI is breaking that proxy. Here’s what replaces it.

Elon’s Operating System

Elon’s Operating System

Published on: 01/05/2026

Issue 45: Two new books on Elon Musk reveal the five-step algorithm behind his companies, and how to apply it to your own business and life.

Building the Future By Thinking For Yourself

Building the Future By Thinking For Yourself

Published on: 26/02/2026

Issue 42: Lessons from Peter Thiel’s Zero to One on competition, definite optimism, secrets and the power law, and why thinking for yourself matters.

Stop Hiring “B” Players: The Radical Power of 50x Talent

Stop Hiring “B” Players: The Radical Power of 50x Talent

Published on: 23/10/2025

Issue 37: Your leadership is limited by the room you build. How to find, lead and leverage people who shatter the standard performance curve.

Growth is Vanity, Cash Flow is Sanity

Growth is Vanity, Cash Flow is Sanity

Published on: 10/09/2025

Issue 35: Navigating the tension between expansion and insolvency. How to master COGS, burn rate and runway, with simple tools to stay afloat.

How to Lower the Cost of Being Wrong

How to Lower the Cost of Being Wrong

Published on: 21/08/2025

Issue 34: Lessons from Steve Jobs’ signal-to-noise ratio. Why the best leaders protect the few tasks that matter and build systems that survive bad calls.

The Return to Agency: How to Reclaim Your Power

The Return to Agency: How to Reclaim Your Power

Published on: 30/07/2025

Issue 33: Why what really matters is the incremental improvement of your position. Stop letting the world happen to you and start shaping it.

The Stoic’s Guide to Essentialism

The Stoic’s Guide to Essentialism

Published on: 19/06/2025

Issue 31: How the four virtues of Stoicism provide the foundation for high performance. Why the best leaders focus on patterns rather than symptoms.

Thinking in Bets: The Art of Strategic Decision Making

Thinking in Bets: The Art of Strategic Decision Making

Published on: 20/03/2025

Issue 26: Navigating uncertainty without the fear of being wrong. Why great leadership is about sound process, not lucky breaks, according to Annie Duke.

Winning Tomorrow Starts with the Framework You Build Today

Winning Tomorrow Starts with the Framework You Build Today

Published on: 27/06/2024

Issue 11: Moving beyond corporate speak to create a mission, vision and values that scale, and how to spot where we are in the market cycle.