Mindset explains that successful people share the belief that they have the power to significantly grow their existing abilities. People with a “growth mindset” are attracted to challenges because the opportunity to learn and grow far outweighs the inevitable failure that precedes eventual success. Carol cautions us to avoid “fixed mindset” tendencies, which manifest as…
[Book 18] The Things We Make by Bill Hammack
The Things We Make makes you appreciate the engineering method as the optimal way to solve real-world problems and contrasts it with the scientific method, which seeks to explain universal truths. In the engineering method, the solution comes before the proof, so rules of thumb are needed to get there. These are developed by applying…
[5] The Last Drop of Toothpaste – How to appreciate the status quo before making changes
Every few months when I near the end of a tube of toothpaste, I flatten and crimp the end hoping to make it last a couple more days. Surprisingly, I routinely find that I get at least a couple of weeks out of it. The broader application here is we often underappreciate how much we…
[Book 17] The Inner Game of Tennis by W. Timothy Gallwey
The Inner Game of Tennis reveals how to relax and focus your mind for peak performance, a lesson that extends far beyond the tennis court. Timothy teaches the massively underutilized skill of nonjudgemental awareness, described as the ability to observe what is happening without feeling the need to have an opinion about it. This helps…
[Book 16] Thinking Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman
Thinking Fast and Slow is a seminal study on the intricacies of mind’s inner workings, encompassing decision making and judgments. Daniel describes the core principle through two modes of thought: System 1 – fast, intuitive, emotional and System 2 – slow, logical, intentional. Within this framework, he explains numerous cognitive biases that lead to errors…
[Book 15] Atomic Habits by James Clear
Atomic Habits deconstructs tremendous accomplishments into a series of tiny compounding habits and reveals how to implement a system to achieve similar results. James explains the science of habit through four intuitive steps: 1) cue, 2) craving, 3) response, and 4) reward. He then describes the optimal actions for each step to make it easy…
[Book 14] Blue Ocean Strategy by W. Chan Kim & Renee Maugborne
Blue Ocean Strategy explains how to create differentiated strategies that access untapped markets/consumers (i.e., blue oceans) instead of competing directly, which destroys value.W. Chan & Renee remind us that the rules of how we compete in established industries are not permanently fixed, and those who strategically deviate from these norms are best positioned to succeed.…
[Book 13 ] Grit by Angela Duckworth
Grit unpacks the force behind the effort that translates talent into achievement. We apply this by finding something so interesting that we loyally and routinely expend significant effort developing and improving the skills needed to achieve excellence in that space. Angela reveals that while the seeds of passions are discovered, they only blossom when we…
[Book 12] Start With Why by Simon Sinek
Start With Why challenges us to identify the underlying purpose of why our businesses exist and use it to motivate employees and customers alike. Simon convincingly argues that a customer becomes loyal to a company when they merge part of their lifestyle or identity with why a company does business. While single transactions are often…
[Book 11] Give and Take by Adam Grant
Give and Take categorizes how we interact with others into three buckets (givers, takers, and matchers) and explains how givers end up on both the top and the bottom of the success ladder. Givers build effective networks, earn trust and respect of colleagues by putting the group’s interest ahead of their own, and are better…