Hey Reader,
Refusing to settle doesn’t mean you’re chasing more for the sake of it.
It means you’re committed to becoming the clearest, boldest, most aligned version of yourself, even when you’ve already achieved great success.
Because you know there’s more to unlock.
More potential, more clarity, more impact, and a far greater legacy.
So you’re willing to reinvent and stretch yourself to achieve your highest potential.
That’s great.
But some people struggle to achieve this because they haven’t built certain high-level qualities.
In today’s issue, we’ll look at three CEOs who’ve led with the mentality that refuses to plateau.
Let’s dive in.
🙂 Warren Buffett - the quality of being future proof
Buffett made billions by mastering trust in his conviction.
When everyone was chasing tech stocks during the dot-com bubble, Buffett famously stayed out.
Take his investment in Coca-Cola. He bought a massive stake in the late 1980s when no one was overly excited about it.
Others were chasing flashier, faster gains, but Buffett saw steady cash flow and a durable brand, so he held on for decades.
His patience and self-trust led him to one of the biggest wins in stock market history.
He once said, “The stock market is a device for transferring money from the impatient to the patient.”
That’s a great future-proof mindset.
As a capital allocator willing to reinvent and achieve greater wins, Buffett exemplifies the ability to say no to hot opportunities and say yes to what holds real, long-term value for you.
He knows that becoming greater also means mastering restraint.
And that sometimes, the smartest move is to sit tight and trust your conviction.
How much do you trust yourself?
💪 Lou Gerstner - a day in the life of a fearless leader
When Lou Gerstner took over IBM in 1993, the company was on the verge of collapse.
Stock was tanking, and most people expected him to double down on their legacy (hardware), or break the company into smaller pieces and just salvage what he could.
But he took a bold step.
Hardware was becoming a commodity, so he pushed IBM from selling products to delivering services and solutions, which was something completely outside its comfort zone.
At the time, it made no sense to most insiders. People resisted, but he pushed through anyway.
By 2002, IBM was back on top, with services driving 40% of revenue, and the company became one of the largest IT services companies today.
Gerstner shows that leaders looking to keep evolving don’t cling to what made them successful.
They are bold enough to make a bet no one else would make, different from the patterns they’ve held onto for so long.
With a bold, f*ck-fear mindset, deaf ears to what everyone else is saying, and the guts to move anyway.
Don’t be afraid to reinvent yourself.
💢 Mary Barra - face it head-on; no excuses
In 2014, Mary Barra stepped into the CEO role at General Motors.
Days later, a faulty ignition switch, linked to 124 deaths, sparked a $2 billion recall crisis.
Of course, the media were circling.
Some leaders would’ve pointed fingers in this very dicey situation.
But Mary owned the mistake, apologized to the world, and said, “This is on us.”
Then she got to work. She fired 15 executives, revamped safety protocols, and poured billions into electric vehicles.
While others mocked EVs as a fad, Barra bet big on the Chevy Bolt, launching it in 2016.
By 2020, GM’s EV push made it a market leader, with stock up 40%.
One great thing about being a leader is the readiness to be accountable and adaptable to whatever comes your way.
Change doesn’t just come in the form of inflation, customer needs, and all that.
It could be a messy situation you had no idea about, but you’ve got to face the mess head-on and figure out what’s next.
🎯 Who are you becoming now?
It’s so clear that you’re successful, but are you still becoming?
The exciting part of life is seeing yourself evolve in ways you never knew you could.
So what kind of leader are you now?
Are you evolving or settling?
Let Buffett remind you to trust yourself more than anything else.
Let Gerstner push you to reinvent yourself fearlessly.
Let Barra inspire you to be adaptable & choose accountability over giving up.
Every day, the goal is to show up more powerfully than ever before.
As Maya Angelou once said: “Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.”
Now you know better.
Go be the best version of yourself.
With appreciation,
Huw
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Huw Edwards
Founder & CEO, h3.xyz
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