Invest Like The Best
Episode 409 Graham Duncan: Talent Whisperer
Invest Like The Best

Episode 409: Graham Duncan: Talent Whisperer

Invest Like The Best

Episode 409

Graham Duncan: Talent Whisperer

Graham Duncan is the co-founder of East Rock Capital. We cover the pivotal moments of ignition in his career, his frameworks for pricing talent and matching the perfect person to a role, and how mindset and intensity separate masters from professionals in any field.

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Show Notes:

(00:00:00) Learn about Ramp, Ridgeline, & AlphaSense

(00:05:12) Intro to Graham

(00:05:54) Launching Colossus Review

(00:08:05) The Principal-Agent Dynamic

(00:10:47) Navigating Financial Crises

(00:13:22) The Right Grip in Investing

(00:17:32) Seeding and Investment Strategies

(00:21:37) Defining 'Commercial' and Its Implications

(00:26:31) The Role of Laziness and Prolific Output

(00:28:20) Finding the Right People and Positive Feedback Loops

(00:37:21) Navigating Career Transitions and Motivations

(00:43:05) Understanding Source Dynamics

(00:50:07) Key Criteria for a Great CIO

(00:59:43) Structuring Relationships with CIOs

(01:03:40) Managing Ambiguity and Protecting Mental Clarity

(01:15:09) The Importance of Source in Business

(01:17:49) Designing Physical Spaces for Success

(01:22:46) Launching a Restaurant: A Casting Exercise

(01:30:17) Taking Over and Transforming Existing Ventures

(01:33:08) Macro Investing and Adaptability

(01:36:06) Hierarchy of Investment Mastery

(01:44:10) The Art of Referencing

(01:52:08) Formative Experiences and Personal Growth

(02:00:12) Building a Business and Taking Risks

(02:07:46) The Origin of East Rock

Graham Duncan: Talent Whisperer

Introduction

Patrick
Today's conversation is going to make you think about your life in a variety of new ways. You should listen to it in its entirety.

I first met Graham Duncan in 2017 in the offices of East Rock Capital. We had lunch inside of his beautiful library. The food was insanely good, and I remember thinking, this person is extraordinarily special. I'd been a little bit nervous to meet him because his reputation was as the most discerning people picker on Wall Street.

In the years since, I've been lucky to grow close to Graham and there are not many people that have impacted my life and thinking more than he has. He's one of the most generous people I've encountered who has genuinely made me appreciate life in many new ways. His profile on X reads “compulsively seeking new ways of seeing reality,” and that is an understatement. Among the dozens of lessons he's taught me, one stands out as having been the most impactful.

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