Angela Duckworth on grit, Steve Jobs on focus, and Notion's founder on product positioning

Welcome back to the Z Fellows newsletter! Every Monday we share 3 ideas - to help you build companies, ship products, and create your life's work.

1: Angela Duckworth on grit

“Why were the highly accomplished so dogged in their pursuits? For most, there was no realistic expectation of ever catching up to their ambitions. In their own eyes, they were never good enough. They were the opposite of complacent. And yet, in a very real sense, they were satisfied being unsatisfied. Each was chasing something of unparalleled interest and importance, and it was the chase—as much as the capture—that was gratifying.

Even if some of the things they had to do were boring, or frustrating, or even painful, they wouldn’t dream of giving up. Their passion was enduring.

The highly successful had a kind of ferocious determination that played out in two ways. First, these exemplars were unusually resilient and hardworking. Second, they knew in a very, very deep way what it was they wanted. They not only had determination, they had direction.It was this combination of passion and perseverance that made high achievers special. In a word, they had grit.”

Source: Grit by Angela Duckworth

2: Steve Jobs on focus

“Apple is a $30 billion company, yet we’ve got less than 30 major products. I don’t know if that’s ever been done before.

Certainly the great consumer electronics companies of the past had thousands of products. We tend to focus much more. People think focus means saying yes to the thing you’ve got to focus on. But that’s not what it means at all. It means saying no to the hundred other good ideas that there are. 

You have to pick carefully.“

Source: Steve Jobs speaks out, a 2008 interview with Fortune

3: Ivan Zhao, founder of Notion, on how to position your product

Best of The Week

See you next Monday,

- The Z Fellows Team

New here?

Subscribe here to get our email every Monday.