In this segment, we look at business-themed documentaries, biopics, podcasts and TedTalks that are worth your time in the weekend.
Chennai:
From getting C- grades, Stephen Duneier “discovered” a method which ensured that he became a straight A student, till graduation. Making it to the Dean’s list or being on the President’s Honour Roll every semester was easy. And, the glory continued with Duneier deploying the same method earning him the same outcome. He passed out of one of the top grad programmes in the world for finance and economics.
For three decades he has applied cognitive science in investments, business and life. Duneier never thought he would become the former Head of Currency Option Trading at Bank of America and Emerging Markets at AIG International.
So, where did it all begin? During his junior year, he felt the innate need to make a change – a marginal adjustment that would turn him into an active participant rather than being a meek spectator. Duneier cites the example of tennis icon Novak Djokovic, who bettered each game to become the number one in 2011, jumping from 680th rank in 2004, when he took up the game as a profession. This was possible by raising his decision success rate, marginally each time, which meant from winning 49 per cent to 52 per cent to 55 per cent to reach the pinnacle.
Duneier’s roles include that of an exotic derivatives trader for Credit Suisse and delivering top tier returns as a global macro hedge fund manager for 12 years. He recalls in 2001, when he replicated the technique that fetched him outstanding results in school in his professional life.
A 45-minute walk each way while commuting from one end of Hyde Park to the other in London, confirmed this. Instead of “wasting time” – 30 hours a month and 360 hours a year, listening to iPod, he loaded it with 33 CDs of a German language programme, gaining proficiency in 10 months. So, when he spoke the “new” language, his wife and children, had a jaw-dropping experience.
Then on, it was no turning back for Duneier, who went on to master multiple skills, besides venturing into uncharted territories. Earning his auto racing license to learning to fly a helicopter, rock-climbing, skydiving, to shedding 25 pounds of weight, the mantra worked wonders.
He even went on to etch his name in the Guinness Book, by setting a world record for the largest crocheted granny square – an effort done over two years, seven months, 17 days – one stitch at a time!
BIO: Stephen Duneier’s diverse experience covers business, arts and more. A large scale installation artist, avid outdoorsman, professor, decision strategist, coach, business leader are some of the roles that he been playing at various points in time
QUOTEWORTHY: I’m still that C minus student. I’m still that kid who can’t settle down or focus for more than five or ten minutes at a time. And I remain a guy who possesses no special gift of talent or skill. All I do is take really big, ambitious projects that people seem to marvel at, break them down to their simplest form and then just make marginal improvements along the way to improve my odds of achieving them
For those who would like to experiment with upskilling, Duneier’s Ted Talk is a treasure that is priceless.
From getting C- grades, Stephen Duneier “discovered” a method which ensured that he became a straight A student, till graduation. Making it to the Dean’s list or being on the President’s Honour Roll every semester was easy. And, the glory continued with Duneier deploying the same method earning him the same outcome. He passed out of one of the top grad programmes in the world for finance and economics.
For three decades he has applied cognitive science in investments, business and life. Duneier never thought he would become the former Head of Currency Option Trading at Bank of America and Emerging Markets at AIG International.
So, where did it all begin? During his junior year, he felt the innate need to make a change – a marginal adjustment that would turn him into an active participant rather than being a meek spectator. Duneier cites the example of tennis icon Novak Djokovic, who bettered each game to become the number one in 2011, jumping from 680th rank in 2004, when he took up the game as a profession. This was possible by raising his decision success rate, marginally each time, which meant from winning 49 per cent to 52 per cent to 55 per cent to reach the pinnacle.
Duneier’s roles include that of an exotic derivatives trader for Credit Suisse and delivering top tier returns as a global macro hedge fund manager for 12 years. He recalls in 2001, when he replicated the technique that fetched him outstanding results in school in his professional life.
A 45-minute walk each way while commuting from one end of Hyde Park to the other in London, confirmed this. Instead of “wasting time” – 30 hours a month and 360 hours a year, listening to iPod, he loaded it with 33 CDs of a German language programme, gaining proficiency in 10 months. So, when he spoke the “new” language, his wife and children, had a jaw-dropping experience.
Then on, it was no turning back for Duneier, who went on to master multiple skills, besides venturing into uncharted territories. Earning his auto racing license to learning to fly a helicopter, rock-climbing, skydiving, to shedding 25 pounds of weight, the mantra worked wonders.
He even went on to etch his name in the Guinness Book, by setting a world record for the largest crocheted granny square – an effort done over two years, seven months, 17 days – one stitch at a time!
Ted talk corner
Title: How to Achieve Your Most Ambitious Goals by Stephen Duneier
source: youtube.com/watch?v=TQMbvJNRpLE
BIO: Stephen Duneier’s diverse experience covers business, arts and more. A large scale installation artist, avid outdoorsman, professor, decision strategist, coach, business leader are some of the roles that he been playing at various points in time
QUOTEWORTHY: I’m still that C minus student. I’m still that kid who can’t settle down or focus for more than five or ten minutes at a time. And I remain a guy who possesses no special gift of talent or skill. All I do is take really big, ambitious projects that people seem to marvel at, break them down to their simplest form and then just make marginal improvements along the way to improve my odds of achieving them