Alex Smith, Shane Battier, & Ravi Gupta - What Makes A Glue Guy? - [Invest Like the Best, EP.387]

Invest Like the Best with Patrick O'Shaughnessy

This week's episode is special because it marks the launch of a new Colossus show: Glue Guys. My guests this week are the hosts of the new show, Shane Battier, Alex Smith, and Ravi Gupta.

Shane, Ravi, and Alex’s stories are remarkable. Each has been at the very top of their profession. Shane as an NCAA and NBA champion. Alex as the first pick in the NFL draft, 3 time-pro bowler, and 16-year NFL veteran. Ravi as a leader at KKR, and then as a critical leader turning around & building Instacart, and now as a partner at Sequoia. But those parts of their stories pale in comparison to the stories you’ll hear on Glue Guys.

Glue Guys is an unfolding manual for HOW to be a professional, a teammate, a leader, and even a friend and family member. In this episode of ILtB, we explore the general concept of glue guys—the people who are obsessed with helping the team win, whether they are the leader or newest member of the team. Please enjoy this conversation with Shane, Alex, and Ravi.

Subscribe to Glue Guys!

For the full show notes, transcript, and links to mentioned content, check out the episode page here.

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Invest Like the Best is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Invest Like the Best, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.

Past guests include Tobi Lutke, Kevin Systrom, Mike Krieger, John Collison, Kat Cole, Marc Andreessen, Matthew Ball, Bill Gurley, Anu Hariharan, Ben Thompson, and many more.

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Follow us on Twitter: @patrick_oshag | @JoinColossus

Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (https://thepodcastconsultant.com).

Show Notes:

(00:00:00) Welcome to Invest Like the Best

(00:05:06) Talent vs. Teamwork: A Business Perspective

(00:06:56) Talent vs. Teamwork: A Sports Perspective

(00:09:40) Personal Stories of Overcoming Adversity

(00:12:50) The Importance of Trust and Mission Focus

(00:21:09) Facing Rock Bottom and Rising Again

(00:34:59) The Hardest Moments and Lessons Learned

(00:42:39) Unsung Heroes of Special Teams

(00:45:01) Mentorship and Team Dynamics

(00:46:49) Lessons from Duke Basketball

(00:49:25) Instacart and the All-In Mentality

(00:51:52) Building Successful Teams

(00:55:42) Family Legacy and Personal Sacrifice

(01:05:02) Strength and Vulnerability in Leadership

(01:10:36) The Urge to Dominate and Winning

(01:14:41) The Kindest Thing Anyone Has Ever Done For Alex