Ricardo Semler — The Seven-Day Weekend and How to Break the Rules
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“If you are giving back, it’s because you’ve taken too much.”
– Ricardo Semler
Ricardo Semler (@ricardosemler) is the former CEO of Semco Partners, a Brazilian company best known perhaps for its radical form of industrial democracy and corporate re-engineering.
During his leadership, Semco grew from four million in 1982 to two hundred and twelve million in 2003. His innovative — but very controversial — business management policies have attracted widespread interest from all over the world.
He is the best-selling author of Maverick: The Success Story Behind the World’s Most Unusual Workplace and The Seven-Day Weekend: A Better Way to Work in the 21st Century (not to be confused with another book titled in an admittedly similar fashion).
Ricardo recently started a podcast called LeadWise, where he has conversations with leaders about “challenging assumptions and changing how we live and work.”
Entrepreneurship and education are just two of the topics discussed in this wide-ranging conversation. I hope you enjoy my conversation with Ricardo Semler as much as I did!
Listen to it on iTunes.
Stream by clicking here.
Download as an MP3 by right-clicking here and choosing “save as.”
Want to hear another episode with a successful entrepreneur influenced by Ricardo Semler? — Listen to this interview with David Heinemeier Hansson (DHH), which has already been downloaded nearly 1.5 million times. In this episode, DHH shares his thoughts on the power of being outspoken, running a profitable business without venture capital, Stoic philosophy, and much more (stream below or right-click here to download):
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QUESTION(S) OF THE DAY: What was your favorite quote or lesson from this episode? Please let me know in the comments.
Scroll below for links and show notes…
Selected Links from the Episode
Connect with Ricardo Semler:
Website | Twitter | LinkedIn | LeadWise Podcast | LeadWise at Twitter | LeadWise at Facebook
The Seven-Day Weekend: A Better Way to Work in the 21st Century by Ricardo Semler
My homemade index (page 1
and page 2) from The Seven-Day Weekend
The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich by Timothy Ferriss
Maverick: The Success Story Behind the World’s Most Unusual Workplace by Ricardo Semler
David “DHH” Heinemeier Hansson: The Power of Being Outspoken (You may remember DHH talking about Ricardo and his influence.)
Semco Partners
MIT Sloan School of Management
The Travels of Marco Polo by Marco Polo and Peter Harris
Parables and Paradoxes by Franz Kafka
Synchronicity: An Acausal Connecting Principle by C.G. Jung and R.F.C. Hull
The Complete Works of Henry David Thoreau: Canoeing in the Wilderness, Walden, Walking, Civil Disobedience and More by Henry David Thoreau
Before the Law by Franz Kafka
Dune by Frank Herbert
Zorba the Greek by Nikos Kazantzakis
De Divina Proportione (On the Divine Proportion) by Luca Pacioli and Leonardo da Vinci
Ricardo’s TED Talk: How to Run a Company with (Almost) No Rules
Self-Made Wealth in America: Robber Barons and Silicon Sultans, The Economist
Melanoma skin cancer
The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
Winston Churchill’s Egyptian Getaway: The Old Cataract Hotel by Lauren Bohn
Head Shaved, Ex-Billionaire Batista Jailed in Rio de Janeiro by David Biller, Bloomberg Politics
Oscar Pistorius Sentenced to 6 Years in Prison for Girlfriend’s Murder by Tim Hume, Faith Karimi, and Nick Thompson, CNN
Prices for 1959 Chateau Mouton Rothschild
The Archetypes and The Collective Unconscious by C.G. Jung and R.F.C. Hull
Holy Bible, King James Version
The Oxford Shakespeare: The Complete Works by William Shakespeare
The Complete Up Series
Show Notes
Ricardo tells us about his background: a refugee mother, a “miracle” birth, rock bands, law school, and inheriting a failing business. [08:07]
The big decision Ricardo made to turn his company around. [15:10]
In retrospect, was this decision rash, courageous, or simply the only option at the time? [19:46]
What does “Virando a Propria Mesa” mean? [21:40]
On asking “three whys in a row.” [23:10]
Ricardo wrote his first book (which became Maverick) in nine days. [26:28]
What’s the “right” way to fire someone? [30:29]
What changes are made once the “three whys” have cleared the way? [33:13]
How a small team with limited resources tests the processes that allow it to breathe and expand. [42:15]
Common mistakes made when scaling a business, and the importance of testing processes impartially. [47:14]
Books that could save civilization. [50:03]
Ricardo relays one of his favorite Kafka parables. [55:10]
On burning accolades from his past at age 50. [57:56]
Maximum personal wealth, and why no collector can ever be happy. [1:02:14]
Dark times and difficulties overcome. [1:15:19]
Does Ricardo rely on any guiding philosophies for handling tough or unpredictable situations? [1:19:17]
Processes over goals, and the purpose of what Ricardo calls “Terminal days.” [1:22:44]
Finances and a lifestyle directed by the wisdom of Swiss bankers and The Little Prince. [1:27:04]
“There’s nothing else of any importance while there’s a speck in your eye.” [1:32:09]
Ricardo’s morning ritual hasn’t involved an alarm clock for many years. [1:33:02]
“Absurdly wonderful” things Ricardo loves doing. [1:36:19]
The ephemeral nature of risk and consequences — both positive and negative. [1:38:04]
On enjoying the passing of time as the meaning of life (with thanks to James Taylor). [1:44:35]
What was the pattern interrupt that prompted Ricardo to stop collecting wine? [1:49:17]
Favorite documentary. [1:54:53]
What would Ricardo teach a disadvantaged ninth grade class? [1:58:51]
What would Ricardo’s billboard say? [2:02:28]
Parting thoughts and encouragement for listeners to get past misgivings to make desired changes. [2:03:50]
People Mentioned
Renee Weinmann
Antonio Semler
Sigmund Freud
Lee Iacocca
Akio Morita
Marco Polo
Franz Kafka
Carl Jung
Henry David Thoreau
Leonardo da Vinci
Luca Pacioli
Bill Gates
Warren Buffett
John D. Rockefeller
Andrew Carnegie
Cornelius Vanderbilt
Donald Trump
Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
Winston Churchill
Franklin D. Roosevelt
William J. Clinton
Oscar Pistorius
James Taylor
Heinrich Himmler
Adolf Hitler
William Shakespeare
Michael Apted
João Doria
