In partnership with

This edition is brought to you by Gladly.ai

Good morning to all new and old readers! Here is your Wednesday edition of Faster Than Normal, exploring one short story about a person, a company, a high-performance tool, a trend I’m watching closely, and curated media to help you build businesses, wealth, and the most important asset of all: yourself. 

If you enjoy this, feel free to forward it along to a friend or colleague who might too. First time reading? Sign up here.

Today’s edition:

Cheers,
Alex

P.S. Send me feedback on how we can improve. I respond to every email.

Stories of Excellence

Person: Herby Cohen

Herby Cohen, renowned negotiation expert and author, has left an indelible mark on the art of deal-making. Born in 1932, Cohen's career spans decades of advising governments, corporations, and individuals. His bestselling book "You Can Negotiate Anything" (1980) solidified his status as a leading authority in the field. Cohen's approach emphasizes the importance of understanding human behavior in negotiations. He famously said, "In business, you don't get what you deserve, you get what you negotiate." His techniques, which blend psychology with practical strategies, have been applied in high-stakes situations worldwide. Today, Cohen's legacy continues through his writings and the countless professionals he has influenced in the art of negotiation.

Key Lessons from Herb Cohen:

• On preparation: "In a negotiation, knowledge is power."

• On patience: "All things come to he who waits - provided he knows what he is waiting for."

• On communication: "Effective negotiation is 90% listening and 10% talking."

Read More.

Company: Hitachi

Hitachi was founded in 1910 by Namihei Odaira, an electrical engineer, in Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan. The company began as a repair shop for mining machinery, but quickly expanded into manufacturing electrical equipment. Odaira's vision was to develop cutting-edge technology to support Japan's rapid industrialization. By 1920, Hitachi had grown to 3,000 employees and diversified into power plants, electric motors, and transformers. The company faced near-bankruptcy during the Great Depression but rebounded by focusing on military contracts. Post-war, Hitachi shifted to consumer electronics and heavy machinery. Today, Hitachi is a global conglomerate with over 350,000 employees and annual revenue of $84.1 billion, operating in IT, energy, industry, mobility, and smart life solutions.

Key Lessons from Hitachi:

• On long-term thinking: Hitachi's been around for over 110 years. That's rare. They think in decades, not quarters. You should too. Short-term gains often lead to long-term pain.

• On innovation culture: Hitachi has over 100,000 patents. They invest heavily in R&D. But here's the kicker: they encourage employees to take risks and fail.

Read More.

Your competitors are already automating. Here's the data.

Retail and ecommerce teams using AI for customer service are resolving 40-60% more tickets without more staff, cutting cost-per-ticket by 30%+, and handling seasonal spikes 3x faster.

But here's what separates winners from everyone else: they started with the data, not the hype.

Gladly handles the predictable volume, FAQs, routing, returns, order status, while your team focuses on customers who need a human touch. The result? Better experiences. Lower costs. Real competitive advantage. Ready to see what's possible for your business?

See it in action

Accelerants

High-performance tool

⎯

Thinking Gray

To avoid confirmation bias, remember to ‘think gray’ when making decisions.

That is, resist the temptation to form an opinion about a decision until you’ve heard all the relevant facts and information.

Understand the black and understand the white.

Insights

Tactical reads

⎯

> When applying decision-making frameworks to uncertainty
The Ultimate Guide To The OODA Loop (How to Turn Uncertainty into Opportunity in 2019) (Read it here)

> When implementing safeguards and rapid response systems
Firebreaks and Rapid Repairs (Read it here)

1 question

That’s all for today, folks. As always, please give me your feedback. Which section is your favourite? What do you want to see more or less of? Other suggestions? Please let me know.

Have a wonderful rest of week, all.

Recommendation Zone

⎯

Build Global Teams, Save Smart

Hiring remote talent has been one of the most impactful decisions I’ve made, supporting everything from marketing and customer support to operations and admin.

I’ve used Athyna, a global talent platform that helps companies quickly hire top professionals from talent-rich regions like Latin America, Southeast Asia, and Africa — often delivering up to 70% cost savings. They move fast (under 5 days), and cover roles across engineering, marketing, design, and ops.

Athyna sources talent from companies like Facebook, Uber, Zoom, and Salesforce, so you’re not sacrificing quality, just unlocking global efficiency. Highly recommend giving them a look.

Why Faster Than Normal? Our mission is to be a friend to the ambitious, a mentor to the becoming, and a partner to the bold. We achieve this by sharing the stories, ideas, and frameworks of the world's most prolific people and companies—and how you can apply them to build businesses, wealth, and the most important asset of all: yourself.

Faster Than Normal is a ‘state' of being’ rather than an outcome. Outlier performance requires continuous, compounded improvement. We’re your partner on this journey.

Send us your feedback and help us continuously improve our content and achieve our mission. We want to hear from you and respond to everyone.

Interested in reaching Founders, Operators, and Investors like you? To become a Faster Than Normal partner, apply here.