Great Books

Some of the recent books I have read and found illuminating
Daniel Pink
1.       A Whole New Mind: This is an absolutely original book and the author has done a great job in helping us think out of the box. He argues that the new world order requires more creativity and right brainers will rule the future. His main argument is we should be able to do something that cannot be done cheaper overseas, computers cannot do it faster and that appeals aesthetically. He explains the process through Design, Story, Symphony, Empathy, Play and Meaning. I really enjoyed this book with great stories and made a great impact on me. He also provides resources which are extremely useful. One of the examples he gives is to maintain a gratitude log so write on every birthday the number of things you are grateful for. The number of things you are grateful for should total the number of your years. Also maintain a daily gratitude log to be thankful daily for things that are good in your life. Select one day a week to renew, turn off your email, cell phone and just reenergize yourself. Picture yourself at 90 years old, look from that vantage point on what accomplishments you have, how you have lived life and what you have contributed to make the world a better place.

2.       Drive: This is an amazing book and again Daniel Pink delivers great information with amazing examples. He says intrinsic motivation is more important than extrinsic rewards. He talks about carrot and stick motivation and argues successfully for theory I of motivation. There are 3 key discussion points on Autonomy, Mastery and Purpose. At the end of the book he also provides a tool kit for persons and organizations. Mastery involves deliberate practice and focus on working relentlessly on your improvement areas. Also set more learning goals than performance goals. Learning goals could be learning French while performance goal could be to get 90% in an exam. One of the other suggestions for parents is to give your kids one day where they are free to do anything, providing the tools they require but asking them to produce something concrete at the end of 24 hours. In the Type I for individuals he gives an idea about describing your life in one sentence. For example for Abraham Lincoln it is “He preserved the union and freed the slaves”. Give yourself a performance review frequently. Ask yourself where you better off today than you were yesterday and what you have done to move forward.
Jim Collins
1.       Built to Last: - This book is nearly 20 years old and I know there have been some arguments that some of the visionary companies that have been mentioned in the book are no longer visionary. However I still think the book merits a read and has some good examples that can be applied. I particularly like the concept of setting BHAG (Big Hairy Audacious Goals). Kennedy’s mission to the moon was a BHAG. It has to be simple, precise and easily understandable. Your BHAG might be to run a marathon, for organizations it could be to be number 1 or number 2 in a market. The fact is BHAG’s puts energy into individuals and organizations alike.

2.       Good to Great: This is an amazingly well researched book and has excellent concepts. I like the hedgehog concept which provides the following questions.
a.       What can you be the best at
b.      What are you deeply passionate about
c.       What provides an economic engine
 Some of the other concepts are the fly wheel effect and a culture of discipline. Interestingly he found that great companies had level 5 leaders who put the company first before their personal ambition. They did it with personal humility.
3.       Great by Choice:  This is again a thoroughly well researched book on what makes great companies. There are three qualities which distinguishes what the authors call 10X leaders.They are fanatic discipline, empirical creativity and productive paranoia. I also like the 20 mile march concept which basically says that irrespective of conditions keep moving 20 miles. He makes the comparison that if you initially do 40 miles in a day and then the next day you do only 5 you will not be successful. Also he gives example of the South Pole expedition by two explorers and how one team survived because of intensive preparation and another failed because of the lack of it. The authors also have a chapter on luck and what role it plays.
Jack Canfield:
1.       Success Principles: The author has provided a clear roadmap on how to get from where you are to where you want to be. It is a wonderful synthesis of all the success concepts ever found. I like the first principle which is take 100% responsibility for your life. Overall a very thorough summary of all principles on success. It also contains principles on building a success team, financial aspect as well. His main point is we are responsible for our success and if we blame others for our condition then there is no chance of long term success.
Walter Isaacson:
1.       Steve Jobs: This is a wonderful book on Steve Jobs. It gives a thorough analysis on the life of one of the business icons of all time. He talks about the reality distortion field which is Steve Jobs ability to buy other people on to his views. It also talks about his relationship with Bill Gates and has interesting anecdotes. There are also some points on the downside of working with Steve Jobs. Overall a wonderful inspiring story that will surely stand the test of time. Steve Jobs penchant for creating wonderful products and his obsession with controlling the user experience end to end is well chronicled.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

12 Guidelines to Effective Communication

Image
The number one skill required to succeed in the current job environment is communication. All things being equal communication is what will distinguish you from others. The reason is with the explosion of outsourcing and project teams being in diverse locations the ability to communicate and collaborate are essential skills to have. The key to better collaboration is communication. Here are 12 guidelines to communicate better. Be Clear  - The first step in communication is to make your message short and crisp. Simplify your message. Clarity is an absolute must. Use Simple Words  - Be wary of using bombastic words and use simple words instead which relate with the audience or person. Simplicity connects people. Be other centered  - Make your interactions with people more about them and take the focus off yourself. A key to effective communication is having a genuine interest in other people. Pay attention to where you focus when you communicate. Think about other’s needs. Meet
Read more

The 5 P's of Ethical Power

The book “The Power of Ethical Management” by Ken Blanchard and Norman Vincent Peale was published in 1988. The principles laid out in this book are still relevant today. It consists of information which is of timeless value and serves as a worthy reminder on ethics and its importance. I particularly liked the 5 core principles of ethical decision making mentioned in the book. Here are the 5P’s of Ethical Power Purpose  – The authors define purpose as ongoing. It is something an individual lives by. A personal mission statement of an individual can serve as the purpose. It is the vision you have for yourself and what you would like to be known for. The authors mention something called the mirror test where you look at yourself in the mirror and ask yourself if everything you are doing is aligned to your purpose. If there is anything not aligned to your purpose ignore it. I like this line  “There is no pillow as soft as a clear conscience.” Pride  – A healthy self-esteem is a c
Read more

10 Tips to Develop a Pleasing Personality

Image
A pleasing personality is very important to develop as we move forward in our career. It can also help us in our personal lives. In the book Believe and Achieve by W.Clement Stone he gives some great tips on developing a pleasing personality. Here are the 10 tips I liked with my take on each. Take an inventory – The first step in developing a pleasing personality is to first be happy in your own skin. Take an inventory of all the wonderful qualities you are bestowed with. Some of the qualities you may have are self-discipline, honesty, character, integrity and passion. Even if you don’t have some of these qualities you can put together a plan to be the person who has all the qualities you desire. By dreaming of your ideal self you will steadily move towards becoming that person in reality. Observe yourself  – All top athletes replay their performance to see where they have done well and where they can improve. Similarly after each major interaction you can evaluate what you di
Read more

10 Qualities of a True Champion

Image
Champions are born but they are also made by relentless practice, clear goals, never say die attitude and a willingness to learn something new every day. I loved the book “The Way of the Champion” by Jerry Lynch. It has a lot of examples from sports but a lot of it can be applicable to us as well. Here are the lessons I gleaned. Self-acceptance : The first step in being a champion is being comfortable with who you are. Accept yourself unconditionally and remember all champions have weaknesses. Understand your strengths focusing on those while complementing your weakness are with the strengths of others. Self-definition : Define what you want to be known for. For example, you may want to be known for your discipline, passion, persistence and ask yourself every day if you are doing these things. Decide what message you want to send to your team or stakeholders. Modesty:   If you know you are a champion you don’t need to show off. You will be totally comfortable with yourself and y
Read more

Life is like a Test Match in Cricket

Image
I love the game of cricket. I was an avid cricket follower at least till the time Rahul Dravid retired. The five-day test match is the true test of patience. Believe it or not even after 5 days you can have a game with no result which is perplexing to some. To me the 5 days that a cricketer goes through is the same all of us go through during our work. We all get usually five days in a week to perform at our best. The only difference is while cricketers may not play test matches throughout the year or even a life we all will get easily 40 years of playing test matches week after week. With the advent of Twenty Twenty the viewership for test matches are dwindling but the drama of a test match is something that can never be replaced. Imran Khan once said to succeed in 20-20 you need a lot of talent, a little technique and not much temperament. However, for test matches you need all the other T’s in abundance. The epitome of a test match player for me is Rahul Dravid. He had an abu
Read more

10 Keys to Personal Growth

What does it take to grow in life. Ultimately your success will be related to how fast you grow as a person. The Success Journey by John Maxwell is a book I enjoyed which talks about the steps needed to grow. Here they are with my take on each. Choose a life of growth  – Any change in your life requires an unequivocal decision. So you have to commit yourself to a life of continuous growth. Read everything you can in your field, identify the experts in your field and get in touch with them. Listen to all the podcasts and read on philosophy. Start Growing Today – Do it now is the mantra of a successful person. Don’t wait for lightening to hit to start this process. Anything worthwhile takes effort and it requires action today. So start today on your growth plan and take action to implement it.   Be teachable – You have to think like a beginner. All successful people never think they have learnt it all. As John Wooden said “It is what you learn after you know it all that counts.”
Read more

Talent is Never Enough - 13 Factors to Maximise your Talent

Image
Talent is not something that is gifted at birth. Of course there are a few exceptions that make things look so easy and we tend to believe that they are born with a certain gift. However if we go deeper they reached their Everest by harnessing their talent and get the best out of themselves. Talent is never enough by John Maxwell is one of the best books I have read. It is quite motivational and inspirational. He identifies thirteen factors that can help maximise your talent. Here is brief overview of them with my take on each. Belief lifts your talent    – The first step is to believe in yourself. You can’t go far without believing in your talent. We can all agree that we have enormous untapped potential and we have to believe first before we get the most out of ourselves. Have a personal mission statement that is exciting. My mission statement is to maximise my potential and help others maximise theirs. Passion energizes your talent – Obviously if you want to make the mos
Read more

Mastery by Robert Greene - An Inspirational Book

Image
Biographies can really inspire us. Imagine reading around 15 mini biographies at the same time. This is what Robert Greene has done with Mastery. This is one of the best books I have ever read and goes deep into what it takes to reach mastery in your field. I have read this book multiple times and it is a worthy addition to your library. This summary is only an appetizer and you really need to read this book in its entirety to get the full satisfaction. Yes it is not an easy read but well worth your effort. Here is a very high level review on what the book contains. Don’t separate your work from your personal life it is a sad separation since most of our time is spent at work so we can’t be miserable there. He also says masters felt a sense of destiny. For example Albert Einstein was immediately moved when his father gave him a compass when he was just 5 years old. Discover your calling. Each of us has a purpose to fulfill so discovering that is the first step towards mastery.
Read more

7 Inspiring Lessons from Elon Musk

Image
Elon Musk is one of the greatest business icons of the 21st century. With the passing of Steve Jobs he has rightly taken the pole position in the realm of business leaders who are considered visionaries. I read the book on Elon Musk by Ashlee Vance and it is a wonderful inspiring read. Here are the lessons I gleaned.  Be in it for the long haul – Irrespective of what our aim is unless we have decided to be in it for the long haul it is very difficult for us to scale the heights that we are capable of. Elon Musk in 2008 was in dire straits. Space X and Tesla were both running out of money but the man was in it for the long haul. He didn’t care about short term setbacks. He always looked to the future with hope and was over optimistic in most cases. He set unrealistic deadlines as that’s the way he thinks.  Everything he does is fast and he is always in a hurry. He pays an obsessive attention to detail and for SpaceX he wants to reduce the cost of launches. For years Tesla l
Read more

Primary Greatness - 12 Levers of Success

Image
Primary greatness is what each of us want as that will provide the lever for a fulfilled life. Stephen Covey is one of my favorite authors and he talks about the essentials you need to really live a great life. The book Primary Greatness focuses on 12 levers you need to succeed in life. Here they are with my take on each. Integrity   – This means you are true to yourself. You do what you say and say what you do. There is no hidden agenda. This means whatever happens you never compromise on your principles. While all of us can improve in every area of our life it is imperative that when we live our life based on core principles we will have greater joy. Contribution   – The only way to increase your income is to increase your contribution. Analyze all the ways you can increase your contribution to whatever you do for a living. Create a personal mission statement for yourself. Priority   – As Stephen Covey likes to say people are majoring in minor things. One of the key charac
Read more