Graham Duncan (@GrahamDuncanNYC) is the co-founder of East Rock Capital, a multibillion-dollar multi-family investment office he launched in 2006. He is also Chairman of the Sohn Conference Foundation, which funds pediatric cancer research.This episode was originally published in February 2019. Show notes: https://tim.blog/2019/02/28/graham-duncan/This episode is brought to you by:Shopify global commerce platform, providing tools to start, grow, market, and manage a retail business: Shopify.com/timEight Sleep Pod Cover 5 sleeping solution for dynamic cooling and heating: EightSleep.com/TimAG1 all-in-one nutritional supplement: DrinkAG1.com/Tim5-Bullet Friday, my very own free email newsletter: https://tim.blog/fridayTimestamps:[00:00:00] Start.[00:02:29] I think of Graham as far more than an investor. How does he describe what he does?[00:06:13] Absent the systems and frameworks he's honed over time, what made Graham a good talent hunter at the tender age of 24?[00:08:42] What constitutes taste when Graham is scouting for talent these days?[00:11:14] Upon meeting someone, how does Graham stress-test whether or not someone is "commercial" in the way they balance aggression and integrity?[00:16:49] One high-signal question Graham has found particularly useful when trying to determine the quality of anyone from a trader to an OB/GYN.[00:19:17] When interviewing a potential candidate, how does Graham vet their given references?[00:22:21] On approaching the reference process with curiosity rather than an attempt to catch anyone with a "gotcha."[00:25:34] Why does mutual friend Josh Waitzkin call Graham The Wild Gardener?[00:27:04] How does Graham deal with contradictory perspectives — when the data is telling him one thing and his gut is telling him another?[00:29:09] What does Graham do to familiarize himself with the way people underwrite their mental models (besides nearly beheading them)?[00:30:29] Graham talks about his role as an investment coach, of sorts, and how he picks the best "players" for the game at hand.[00:31:53] What other patterns has Graham noticed in the successful talent he's ended up selecting?[00:36:06] In what way have others helped Graham surface his hidden assumptions, and how might a coach do the same for others?[00:39:17] An