Bloomberg Businessweek published a “how-to” series and one of the articles covered Alex Rodriguez’s thoughts on maturing as an investor. I was particularly fond of the parallels between his professional career as an athlete and now as an investor.
As a professional athlete, you learn to go narrow and deep. You train to be perfect—or at least try. You learn from your coaches. It’s the same as an investor. You adopt attributes from mentors. I’ve learned that we can be good at a lot of things but can’t be great at everything. Narrow and deeper plays, where we invest our energy and interests, are the most worthwhile. By investing with that philosophy, others begin to learn what you like, and we’re presented with better opportunities.
To ensure we’re allocating resources where it makes sense, we like to move quickly and say no to deals that don’t fit. People appreciate clear communication, and even if that first deal doesn’t work out, it can be the beginning of a relationship. Declining certain deals properly and responsibly often creates future opportunities.