Jake Katz

Some things about me:

• Grew up in Andover, MA
• Live in New York
• In a postgraduate rotational program at Hearst, continuing to learn and explore
• Am fascinated by psycholinguistics, especially pragmatics
• Some of my favorite books include:
  • Factfulness by Hans Rosling | Moral Tribes by Joshua Greene | Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari | Guns, Germs, and Steel by Jared Diamond | The Family by David Laskin | Money Kings by Daniel Schulman | The Power Broker by Robert Caro | A More Beautiful Question by Warren Berger | Genius: The Life and Science of Richard Feynman by James Gleick | North Woods by Daniel Mason | The Orphan Master’s Son by Adam Johnson
• Went from finishing last in a triathlon to finishing a marathon in under 4 hours
• Started No Bike Wednesday, a movement to ditch bikes at Stanford
• Hope to one day take an RV around the country and spend one week in every state, learning about the wide range of experiences that we call American culture
• Many of my values come from my Jewish upbringing. After the Tree of Life synagogue attack, I began wearing a yarmulke, not for religious reasons, but to make my Jewish identity visible and give people a chance to ask questions and learn about Jewish life and values

Ideas that are important to me:

• Small things are the big things
  • How you choose to approach the small things in life is critical
  • Attention to small details goes a long way, and is noticed and appreciated
• Enthusiasm matters!
  • Loving the work you do is infectious and gives you an advantage over people who are just going through the motions
  • What you put into things is what you get out of them; there are no long-term shortcuts
  • Being enthusiastic is worth 25 IQ points
• Make an effort to be kind to others
  • We have no idea what others are going through, and should strive to be understanding and empathetic
  • When you are pleasant to be around, people want to be around you
• Express your gratitude for others often and honestly
  • We never know whether we will have the chance to share it in the future
  • Everyone deserves to know the positive ways in which they have impacted your life
• Don’t be afraid to ask questions
  • Questions allow us to gain a deeper understanding of the people and world around us
  • Those with answers that may seem obvious are often the most important ones to ask
• Knowing something’s name and understanding it are fundamentally different propositions
  • We need to speak a common language, but using jargon to disguise a lack of understanding shortchanges everyone in the conversation
• Cherish the opportunities you have to be nervous
  • When we are nervous, it is because we are faced with an exciting opportunity—lean in
• Challenges are opportunities
  • When things are challenging in our personal lives, it is an opportunity to assess what is not going well and make improvements
  • When things are not going well at work or in the world, it is an opportunity to make a difference and bring light to those around you
  • We are never without problems, but we are not always aware of what they are. Be grateful when you recognize a problem and can take steps toward improving it
• Life has peaks and valleys
  • It is important not to get too bogged down in the valleys or too complacent at the peaks
  • Life comes in waves; where there are local maxima, there must also be local minima
• We are capable of more than we expect
  • The only way to know is to reach your limit and continue to push for growth
• Know the power of your words and value the power of your word
  • Once trust is broken, it is very hard to repair; treat honesty and integrity with the appropriate care
  • Your words can have an extreme impact on others, positively and negatively. Choose positive
• How you treat the people around you is what people will remember when you die
  • Almost no one I know has heard of John J. Raskob, a financial leader in the 1920s and the man behind the Empire State Building. Odds are, you will not be remembered for your work 100 years from now. By making a positive impact on your family and friends, your legacy can live on