No #166 | February 9, 2025

by Matthew Boyd

Good morning, welcome to the weekly Lead It Cool newsletter.

Yesterday (Saturday), I got the opportunity to attend the Invictus Games opening ceremony in Vancouver. The Invictus Games are an international multi-sport competition for wounded and sick military personnel, both serving and veterans.

To say the event was inspiring would be an understatement. While the musical acts were incredible (Katy Perry!), the athlete's stories were what truly moved the audience. One story stood out in particular of a Canadian veteran who found purpose in the games to overcome his PTSD and injuries sustained during active duty. This veteran's motto for life: Family is medicine.💪

If you have a moment this week, do take the time to check out these games.

In this week's Lead It Cool newsletter:

• 🏈Kendrick Lamar
• 🎯Focus
• 😆Headlights
• 😎Cool Links

🏈Kendrick Lamar

Today is Super Bowl Sunday! (or Superb Owl Day for those that celebrate)

And as per annual tradition, I’m dedicating this week’s article to the halftime show. In past years, I’ve written about Usher’s collaboration, Rihanna’s strategic planning prowess, and Eminem’s debate skills—but this year, it’s Kendrick Lamar’s turn to take center stage.

Now I'll confess I'm not hugely familiar with Lamar's music. But what I've gathered from my teenage son is that "he cooks".

What I've also learned is that Lamar recently won a Grammy for the song Not Like Us, which is widely regarded as a diss track aimed at Drake.

So the theme of this year's Super Bowl newsletter? Conflict resolution!

In the rap world, when two people have a beef they write a song about each other and let the fans declare the victor. But in the rest of the world, resolving a conflict with a chart-topping single isn't exactly an option.

"Hey, I got into a disagreement with a colleague at work, so I’m just finishing my beef track to drop on Spotify later tonight. Should be a banger.”

An unlikely scenario.

So what are the best ways to resolve conflict? Well I always find the best wisdom comes in quotes. So here are some of my favourites that I've learned over the years:

"An eye for an eye will only make the the whole world blind." - M. Ghandi

"Whenever you're in conflict with someone, there is one factor that can make the difference between damaging your relationship and deepening it. That factor is attitude." - W. James

"Peace is not the absence of conflict, but the ability to cope with conflict by peaceful means." - R. Reagan

"Well, agree to disagree." R. Burgundy

So Drake and Kendrick, I know you're reading this newsletter, and hope you can find a resolution. Enjoy the game everyone. Prediction: Eagles win!🦅

🎯Focus

​Liz Fosslien never misses.

😆Headlights

I agree😆

😎Cool Links

📺The Best Super Bowl Ads.

📚Books I've Read. The entrepreneur Derek Sivers presents all of his notes for 332 different books. This webpage is a treasure trove of information, and provides a shortcut for quick insights for books you may be interested in reading.

🧠Your inability to 'quiet your mind' isn't due to lack of effort. It's the wrong goal. “This inner voice that we have is not something that we want to rid ourselves of. It’s something that we want to harness,” says Ethan Kross, professor and director of the Emotion and Self-Control Lab at the University of Michigan. “The challenge is to figure out if you find yourself slipping into the dark side of chatter. How can we minimize that and accentuate the more positive side of the inner voice?”

☕How Much Coffee is Too Much Coffee? “Overall, coffee does more good than bad,” said Rob van Dam, a professor of exercise and nutrition sciences at the Milken Institute School of Public Health at George Washington University.

💗The Best Valentine's Day Movies of All Time.

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Let’s connect! 💬 You can find me on LinkedIn and Twitter