Hi Everyone,

Happy Friday! Thanks for spending part of it reading The Lake Street Journal.

This week we’re talking about Gerald Ford’s unwavering support, how Walmart’s CEO encourages risk taking, and life lessons I learned playing golf. Let's get into it.

Something You Never Forget

When Donald Rumsfeld took the job as President Ford's Chief of Staff, he was underwater with work. He needed an assistant, and he had one in mind: Dick Cheney.

There was only one problem.

Cheney had skeletons in his closet. He had been kicked out of Yale and had two DWIs in his younger years.

Most presidents would pass on an aide with a record—not worth the potential headache—but Ford was a unique president.

Rumsfeld went to Ford with the facts. He had worked with Cheney for years and tested him a dozen different ways.

"I knew exactly what I was getting," said Rumsfeld. "I had seen him do all kinds of tough jobs and handle them with great skill and sensitivity. And the tougher the job was, the better he got."

Ford's reply?

"If he's good enough for you, he's good enough for me."

Shortly after Cheney started, Ford stopped by his desk to welcome him.

"When you get that kind of response from somebody," said Cheney, "When they are willing to stand up and take the heat during a controversy, rather than chuck you over the side and go with someone less controversial, you never forget that."

I learned two things from this story.

First, if you only hire excellent people—people you trust completely—you can give them free reign to make decisions. This takes a huge weight off your shoulders and also leads to outcomes you might not otherwise achieve. Ford trusted Rumsfeld completely. Rumsfeld hired Cheney. And Cheney succeeded Rumsfeld as Ford's Chief of Staff. A good outcome resulting from hiring an excellent person and letting him make decisions.

Second, if your people know you have their back, they'll do anything for you. If they know you're not second guessing every decision, they'll be more creative, take more risks, and create better outcomes for your company, team, party, whatever. As Cheney said, "When they're willing to stand up and take the heat during a controversy, you never forget that."

The Craft of Risk Taking

Speaking of supporting your people, the CEO of Walmart shared a similar sentiment in this interview.

The interviewer asked how he encourages his people to take risks.

I loved the response.

"When there's a failure that everybody can see, but you know that it was well thought out and well intentioned, and still didn't work, you have to praise people publicly for taking that risk. You have to get them up off the ground and get on with it."

Finding great people and supporting them unconditionally seems to be a great tactic for leaders.

Life Lessons Learned from Golf

I'm currently in Myrtle Beach for my annual golf trip, so I figured I'd share some of the things I learned playing golf that also apply to life. Turns out there are a bunch.

• The Asshole Principle - If you get paired with random people on a golf course, they're usually great. So why is every group ahead and every group behind filled with assholes? I answer that timeless question in this piece.

• Wealth of the Ignorant - You can have all the money in the world, but if nobody wants to be around you, you actually have nothing. This became super clear to me during a round of golf in Ohio when I was paired with one of those rare assholes. Read about this insane encounter here.

• Hitting From Divots - Sometimes we do everything right and still catch a bad break. Paul Casey gave a masterclass in how to make the best of a bad situation a few years ago at TPC Sawgrass. This is the story.

Workout of the Week

I liked this workout because it had a little bit of everything—cardio, bodyweight movements, and weight lifting. It was a great workout, but there was enough rest that it didn't destroy me.

"Just 4 Laps"

Every minute on the minute for 16 minutes (EMOM 16):

• Min 1 - 12 cal row

• Min 2 - 8 power cleans (115)

• Min 3 - 8 burpee pull-ups

• Min 4 - 8 back squats (135)

Complete the work each minute and rest in the remaining time. There's no score for this one, just a check of the box when it's done. Enjoy!

Quote of the Week

"A man's life is all a matter of mountains and caves—mountains we must climb, caves where we hide when we can't face our mountains." - J.R. Moehringer

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Talk soon,

Joe