1. Shapers – individuals who really
do “dent the universe”
From Ray Dalio’s book Principles
Slide Deck Created by Michael Holley

2. Shapers – who are they
 Bill Gates
 Steve Jobs
 Elon Musk
 Reed Hastings
 Muhamad Yunus
 Geoffrey Canada
 Jack Dorsey
 David Kelley
 Etc.

3. What’s the archetype of a “shaper”?
The following slides will go through eleven characteristics that all shapers have in common

4. Independent Thinkers
 Shapers are independent thinkers who do not let anyone stand in the way of them achieving
there goal.

5. Audacious Goals
 Shapers have audacious goals that oftentimes seems unrealistic to others around them.

6. Strong Mental Maps
 Shapers have very strong mental maps of how things should be done
 However they also have a willingness to TEST these mental maps in the world of REALITY
 Open TESTING their maps, they change the ways they do things to make them work better
 In other words, they are:
 Adaptable
 TEST rather than just have blind belief

7. Extremely Resilient
 Shapers have a intense need to achieve their goal, which is much strong than the pain of the
struggle it takes in the process of achieving that goal. This makes them extremely resilient

8. Wider Range of Vision
 Shapers have a wider range of vision than most people. They look at things farther out than most
people, and they also are able to view the vision is a much more expanded sense.
 Their vision is much more VIVID than others

9. BOTH Big and Granular
 Shapers can see BOTH big pictures, as well as the granular details. This includes all of the levels
in-between the big picture and the base level details.
 Furthermore, they are able to synthesize the perspectives they get at different levels, whereas
most only see one or the other

10. See Simultaneously
 Shapers can see three important aspect SIMULTANEOUSLY:
 Creative
 Systematic
 Practical

11. Assertive and Open-Minded
 Shapers are BOTH assertive and open-minded.

12. Passionate
 Shapers are, most importantly, PASSIONATE about what they are doing!

13. Intolerant of Mediocre
 Shapers are intolerant of people who work for them who aren’t excellent at what they do.

14. Big, Beneficial Impact
 Shapers want to have a BIG, beneficial impact on the world.

15. Summary of the “Shaper” Archetype
 Independent Thinkers
 Have Audacious Goals
 Very Strong Mental Maps
 Adaptable
 TEST rather than know
 Extremely Resilient
 Achievement focused rather than pain focused
 Have wider range of vision than most people
 See BOTH big pictures and granular details (and levels between)
 Simultanously Creative, Systematic and practical
 BOTH assertive and Open-minded
 Passionate about what they do
 Intolerant of Mediocre People who work for them
 Want to have a BIG, BENEFICIAL Impact on the world

16. How can I be a shaper?
 Start with creating an obsession, commit and work towards EXCELENCE, create goals that are
LONG term focused (end of your life) and that will have the biggest impact on humanity.
 Once you have your obsession and your long-term, world-changing, audacious goals, just START,
and commit to DO until you reach your goal. Focus on the progress, not the pain.
 Once you’ve started, ask those around you for their honest feedback on what your strengths and
weaknesses are. TRIPLE down on your strengths, and commit to finding team members whose
strengths cover your weaknesses, and never give up until you have that dream team.