If anyone has taken some time to read into Warren Buffett, you will soon learn he is a distinctive character. His wisdom has helped shape his business life and personal relations with everyone he meets. Alice Schroeder has done an amazing job of capturing the intricacies of his life in his biography “The Snowball: Warren Buffett and the Business of Life”. It is apparent that she spent thousands of hours researching and interviewing everyone close to Buffet to capture details from different perspectives.
Buffett was born as the Great Depression hit, and saw the financial effects on his family during his upbringing. He started working from a young age, and engaged in many money-making schemes. Schroeder describes the influences in his life that led to his relentless business acumen and successful ventures. Buffett’s interest with studying the business world, and fortuitous opportunities provided a platform for him to succeed. His success reminded me of individuals outlined in Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell, where it simply comes down to being prepared, in the right place at the right time.
As a youngster, Buffett was perceived as a mature adult in a child’s body, and grew into a wise man with a childlike personality. Buffet recognised that he required a charismatic personality to succeed, and he is indebted to Dale Carnegie’s course which is now outlined in his book “How to Win Friends and Influence People”. Schroeder describes the evolution of Buffet’s persona, and its influence on his relationships. By reading this biography, you will learn about his infatuation with certain people, and the impacts that his obsession with accumulating money had on his family life.
Buffett’s holistic philosophy along with his unique relationships were key to his success. His passion for his work is not driven by luxury or status, but for pure enjoyment of the process and seeing his businesses grow. A common theme in his tactics was to buy low, sell high, and invest in the future. Schroeder does a wonderful job of telling stories of the countless deals undertaken during his lifetime. One of Buffett’s larger deals was with the investment bank Salomon Brothers, which resulted in a rollercoaster of hurdles. After reading about this in Liar’s Poker by Michael Lewis, it was intriguing to compare it with Buffet’s perspective of the turn of events.
Schroeder’s biography of Buffett takes you on a journey through time, and makes you feel like you were present, watching the events unfold. I felt some details of events took too much of a tangent from Buffett’s direct involvement, but were insightful to the history of many industries. The book exposes Buffett’s thought process, resulting in his proudest moments and biggest regrets. No one is perfect, but we can only learn from our own and others’ life experiences to further develop.
Are you interested in learning more by reading this book?
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