Buffett says people shape your future more than money. Here’s how to choose mentors, leaders, and lifelong assets.
“Surround yourself with people better than you.”
— Warren Buffett
At the 2025 Berkshire Hathaway Shareholders Meeting, Warren Buffett spoke more about people than profits.
One audience member asked:
“What’s the best decision you’ve made in your life?”
His answer had nothing to do with stocks or money.
“Choosing to work with good people.
People I admired. People who made me better.”
Life-Changing People Don’t Come Often—Recognize Them
Buffett added something few CEOs talk about:
“There are moments when you meet people who change the trajectory of your life.
Those are your chances. Don’t miss them.”
“Berkshire’s success isn’t just from great investments—it’s from working with great people.
That’s how we built lifelong assets.”
This reflects what behavioral psychologist James Clear calls environmental leverage—
the idea that your context shapes your habits more than willpower ever could.
A Great Boss Can Outperform a Great Salary
Someone else questioned Greg Abel, Buffett’s successor:
“He seems so ordinary.
No big wins. No public recognition. Are you sure he’s the one?”
Buffett smiled and replied:
“They said the same thing about Tim Cook after Steve Jobs.
He looked too normal. No sparkle.
But look at what he’s built.”
Buffett shared something personal:
“I had five bosses in my life.
They were all excellent. I learned more from them than any book.”
He tells his children the same thing:
“Don’t optimize for your starting salary.
Optimize for who you’re learning from—because you will inherit their habits.”
According to a 2023 study by McKinsey & Company,
early-career employees with “development-focused managers” are 2.7 times more likely to report long-term job satisfaction and career advancement.
Relationships Compound—Just Like Investments
Buffett often says that human capital compounds even faster than financial capital.
“Spend time with people you respect, and you’ll become more like them.”
And the opposite is also true.
Harvard psychologist David McClelland famously found that your reference group—people you associate with most—
accounts for up to 95% of your success or failure in life.
My personal filter for who I choose to be around:
-
People with more discipline than me
-
People who improve my thinking
-
People who act more than they talk
-
People I’d proudly emulate
Your Voice Will Come—At the Right Time
Returning to Greg Abel, Buffett shared this:
“Maybe he hasn’t found his voice yet.
That doesn’t mean he won’t.
Your sound will come—it’s just a matter of when.”
He made a beautiful analogy:
“It’s like marriage.
You may not marry the first person you date.
That’s okay.
Sometimes, the next person—or the next opportunity—is the one that fits best.”
And he concluded:
“I tell young people all the time:
Your voice isn’t mine.
You won’t sound like me.
But trust that one day, you’ll hear it—and so will others.”
People Are the Ultimate Leverage
Buffett’s takeaway?
“Surround yourself with people better than you.
That’s how you rise.”
He’s not just talking about likability.
He’s talking about alignment, values, and example.
In his 2024 letter to shareholders, Buffett noted that many of Berkshire’s best businesses are run by people he trusts deeply—some of whom have never appeared in the news.
That trust, he said, is the rarest and most scalable form of capital.
This post was inspired by Warren Buffett’s remarks at the 2025 Berkshire Hathaway Shareholders Meeting.
His message was clear:
People over money. Character over performance. Relationships over returns.
And all of that begins with one question—“Who are you choosing to walk with?”
In the next post,
we’ll turn to another truth Buffett has long warned us about:
“Governments are always tempted to weaken their own currency.”
We’ll explore what that means for today’s global investors—
from the risks of a weaker dollar and rising inflation,
to how you can position your portfolio when currency values shift.
Post a Comment