All posts in Book Notes

The Pyramid Principle clarifies business writing by providing a framework to logically and succinctly organize research and analysis. Research is a deductive process where insights lead to further research, iterating until the desired solution is found. In contrast, an inductive process should be used when sharing results. This involves stating conclusions up front and supporting…

Hidden Potential reveals several science-backed ways to grow, improve and succeed. To begin, focus on enhancing your character, which is the capacity to prioritize your values over instincts. Unlike personality, character is a learned skill and to improve it, we need to embrace discomfort. Akin to working out, accepting temporary discomfort while pushing the limits…

The Psychology of Money explains how behavioral forces in personal finance play a larger role than the underlying math and logic of investing. Morgan explains that the optimal approach to investing is having a barbelled personality, where you’re optimistic about the future but paranoid about what will prevent you from getting there. This mindset allows…

Right Kind of Wrong deconstructs failure into three types (intelligent, basic, and complex), with a focus on explaining how to fail well. Intelligent failures result from taking carefully selected and survivable risks in new domains where the ability to succeed cannot be known in advance. This is the learning that propels us forward. In contrast,…

The Infinite Game argues that leaders of companies should manage to an existence in perpetuity rather than chasing short-term wins. Companies adopting this mindset attract talent with a just cause – an inspiring vision of the future they are constantly striving towards. When anchored to a just cause rather than a product or service, companies…

Writing for Busy Readers is a guide to crafting effective written communication for daily needs, such as emails, presentations and short memos. Above all, this book teaches you to be empathetic towards your recipients by writing in a way that makes it easy for them to understand and act on your message. We all face…

The Organized Mind applies brain science to improve how we manage information. Given that our brain’s evolution has not caught up with the recent exponential growth in the data we encounter, we need techniques to adapt. One way make optimal decisions and sustain happiness is to practice satisficing (a combination of satisfying and sufficient). People…

To honor the life of Daniel Kahneman, this week’s post is on his final book, Noise. Noise unpacks the variability in judgements leftover once bias is removed. Judgements take many forms, such as which projects to pursue or whom to hire. While there is a litany of research and practical techniques to reduce bias in…

Your Next Five Moves is a compilation of experiential (rather than research-based) business advice. Despite being marketed as “mastering strategy”, these insights are relevant for any business role. For example, you can improve the speed of reaching professional goals by “living your future truth”, which entails clearly envisioning where you want to be (e.g., in…

Getting to Yes deconstructs the key components of negotiation and provides advice on how to do it most effectively. Roger and William explain that it’s crucial to separate the people from the problem, which will allow you negotiate hard on the problem while being soft on the people. Beyond understanding the other side’s position, being…