3.8 AVERAGE

fjordic's profile picture

fjordic's review

3.0

There’s a lot of good information in this book. I appreciate how clearly it is structured, with a granular table of contents for each section and deep-level headings within chapters.

The book is written as an insight into what works for the author, as well as a sort of handbook for the author’s company, Bridgewater. It covers everything from the author’s personal principles, to the work principles that have served him well over the years.

I didn’t connect with this book. There weren’t really any “aha!” or “oh, wow, that’s neat!” moments while reading it. Most of what I read just made sense. There were a few interesting takeaways, like treating processes as machines and constantly evaluating them. I’m not sure if I am not at the right life/professional stage for this book – some of it could have been more interesting back when I was a consultant. Ultimately, I’ll probably treat this as a sort of handbook that I can refer to for breaking down problems and how to directly tackle issues.

As for who I’d recommend this to — I think anyone interested in strategy, management, but also those who are looking at being more direct with themselves.
informative inspiring reflective medium-paced
informative reflective slow-paced

2 stars if it had been 40-50% shorter: as is, it's stupefyingly boring.
There are some useful parts, but it's smothered with stuff one cannot (and perhaps shouldn't - "baseball cards") implement unless they run their own pedal-to-the-metal hedge fund.

The "baseball card" theory is mostly despicable and ripe for abuse: here's an illuminating article.
[...] Bridgewater became aware that Co-Chief Investment Officer Greg Jensen, then a co-C.E.O. of the firm, had engaged in a “months-long personal relationship with a female employee who was his junior and in his line of supervision,” [...] Dalio reportedly told people he couldn’t decide whether Jensen or the female employee was telling the truth about their relationship, but noted that Jensen—who had recently been accused of “groping [another female employee]’s buttocks”—had scored particularly high on Bridgewater’s “rating metrics” of “overall believability,” so his side of the story “carried extra credibility over hers.”

This is much more than a book about Principles and a large amount about how to operate a business and make decisions. Lots of great wisdom and examples with Bridgewater are included.
griedy's profile picture

griedy's review

3.5
informative slow-paced

The book had a lots of intereting parts. I enjoyed both the biography part and the work principles part. Important to be aware though is that even though Ray gives his principles about how to be a good manager - we all are managers of our lives and the same principles can be translated to apply to us outside of work.

Em um dos livros mais falados no meio dos negócios nos últimos anos, Ray Dalio, o fundador da Bridgewater Associates, demonstra quais os princípios que governam a sua vida e o seu trabalho e como estes foram essenciais em sua caminhada para a formação de um dos maiores hedge funds do planeta.

Entre os aprendizados de 'Principles', acredito que a compreensão do 'cinco passos' seja o que há de mais relevante, pois eles representam a sistematização do que Dalio aprendeu durante todos seus anos de experiência. Para ele, antes de tudo, é necessário saber para onde se está indo, ou seja, definir objetivos claros. Após isso, conforme você anda na direção de alcançá-los, você, certamente, encontrará problemas e é a sua atitude em relação ao diagnóstico, ao planejamento e a resolução desses problemas é que definirá se você terá algum sucesso nessa empreitada. Cada uma dessas 'paredes' em nossa jornada é esmiuçada por Dalio que compartilha quais foram as suas. Um olhar sistemático e muito interessante sobre a vida.

Para mim, 'Principles' é um livro importante, que partilha muito dos meus pensamentos sobre como podemos tomar controle sobre as nossas próprias vidas e atingir objetivos que nos são tão caros. No entanto, tenho algumas críticas: além de estarmos falando de lições que se aplicam somente a pessoas com um determinado nível de privilégio e que podem desfrutar do ideal meritocrático defendido pelo autor, eu também acredito que 'Principles' é um desses livros em que o conteúdo é melhor do que a obra como um todo. Para que fique mais claro, eu explico. Na minha opinião, a estrutura do livro o torna mais adequado à consulta do que a uma leitura fluida normal. Muito disso pela sua estrutura em tópicos e subtópicos que forçava pausas constantes. Críticas à parte, 'Principles' é um livro que pode mudar a forma como as pessoas pensam e, por isso, recebeu a aclamação que recebeu.
inspiring reflective

[DIDNT FINISH] I tried three times to read this book now, and it’s a bit of a memoir full of cheap philosophy dressed up as life lessons and I rather go to the greats. I’m sure the author had the best of intents, but some of it come across tone death from a perspective of someone that had all the money (which he does) and time in the world and unfortunately reality is much hardener and nuanced.