[EPISODE IN GERMAN] Die Kunst eines selbstbestimmten Lebens mit Professor Michael Bordt SJ

[EPISODE IN GERMAN] Die Kunst eines selbstbestimmten Lebens mit Professor Michael Bordt SJ

In dieser Folge spreche ich mit Michael Bordt. Er ist Gründer des Instituts für Philosophie und Leadership in München und hilft Familienunternehmern, Gründern und Führungskräften dabei sich selbst besser zu verstehen und aus dieser Klarheit heraus ein gelungenes Leben zu führen. Dabei arbeitet er mit einer Methodik aus Selbstreflexion und Selbstwahrnehmung, die aus seinem eigenen Lebensweg als Philosoph, Jesuit und Professor hervorgegangen ist. Jedes Gespräch mit Michael ist eine große Bereicherung. Für mich liegt die Qualität seiner Arbeit in ihrer Einfachheit und zugleich in ihrer Tiefe. Es freut mich sehr, dass Michael diesem Gespräch für the Art of Quality zugestimmt hat.

Quality in the Age of AI with Eric Markowitz

In this conversation, John Candeto, Eric Markowitz, and William Oliver dig into the cultural panic surrounding AI and push back against both the techno-doomers and the hyper-optimists, arguing that the real story isn't about the tools themselves but about the worldview that treats humans as machines to be optimized away. Drawing on Eric's recent essay "It Was Never About AI," they explore why the companies, careers, and lives that endure are built on the things AI can't touch: relationships, trust, struggle, craftsmanship, and the slow accumulation of quality over time. What emerges is a hopeful case that we may be entering a bull market in the humanities, where the most radical act isn't rejecting these tools but refusing to let them flatten what makes us human.

Finding Quality in the Field with Nadim Abi Abdallah

In this episode of The Art of Quality in Attention, William sits down with his friend and former colleague Nadim Abi Abdallah to explore the practice of fieldwork as a core component of the investment research process. The conversation focuses on how Nadim approaches fieldwork and what quality looks like in the fieldwork process - drawing on years spent in direct conversations with operators, building a ground-level understanding of businesses, developing deeper understanding of companies through firsthand insight. They discuss what it means to conduct fieldwork in an effective, responsible, and professional way, and why this method remains underutilized despite its potential. The episode offers a practical look into the mindset, discipline, and curiosity required to do this work well, and aims to provide valuable tools for investors seeking to deepen their investment research process.

Quality on the Far Side of Language with Chris Mayer

Chris Mayer returns for his second appearance on The Art of Quality and Attention. Chris is the co-founder and portfolio manager of Woodlock House Family Capital, a Maryland-based hedge fund, and the author of several influential books on investing, including 100 Baggers and his most recent work, The Unspeakable Level. In this conversation, we explore the ideas at the heart of The Unspeakable Level - a book that explores questions that are often difficult to articulate, yet fundamental to how we understand the world. Chris invites to adopt a deeper humility about what can truly be known. In particular, he challenges the common tendency - especially in business and investing - to mistake familiarity for understanding: believing that because we can name something, read about it, and analyze it through numbers or language, we therefore grasp it. The result is a conversation about perception and attention - one that offers practical ways to see more clearly and avoid the conceptual traps that often mislead even experienced decision-makers.

Quality in Ways of Knowing with Nicolas Michaelsen

In this episode of The Art of Quality and Attention, William welcomes Nicolas Michaelsen. Nico is a Danish entrepreneur who, after years of building companies, turned his attention toward his own spiritual practice and the cultivation of wisdom within the business world. He writes the Substack Ecologies of Wisdom. Over the past year, Nico has been a thoughtful voice on the subject of bringing one’s inner and outer worlds into alignment, speaking with openness and vulnerability about his own ongoing quest. In this conversation, William and Nico explore that journey in depth — discussing the practice itself, its mechanics and pitfalls, and the question of how we come to know what we know. They reflect on different ways of thinking about knowledge and truth, asking questions such as: How do we know what is true? How do we recognize what we are meant to do? And how do we serve with integrity? These are some of the themes they enjoy riffing on throughout the episode.