1. Read ASAP! · Book Review Actions · Book Reviews · Business · Management · Novel Concepts and Interesting Research · Self Improvement

BR 85: First, Break All The Rules by Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman

alearningaday1 Comment

Category: 1 – Read ASAP! (All Categories are 1 – Read ASAP!, 2 – BUY it!, 3 – SHELF it, 4 – SOMEDAY it)

Comments: Thorough and well researched piece of work. This books beautifully synthesizes 25 years of research into what it takes to be a ‘Great Manager’ and puts it in front of our eyes.

Top 3 Learnings:

1. The Greatest managers focus squarely on strengths

2. We gravely misunderstand the importance of ‘talent’. Conventional management tells us anything is possible and that if we set our mind to it, we can do whatever we want. Great managers understand that an attribute such as ‘calm under pressure’ is a talent and no amount of training can help hone it in people who don’t have that talent.

This ties right back to the 1st point. The simple idea is that we all have our own specific sweet spots – we need to find them and hone them!

3. Great managers build very close personal relationships with their top performers. How else can you get under their skin and push them? :)

And one last learning (this was a great book!), do check out the 12 questions.

3. SHELF it · Book Review Actions · Book Reviews · Leadership · Management

BR 84: The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni

alearningaday


Category: 3 – SHELF it (All Categories are 1 – Read ASAP!, 2 – BUY it!, 3 – SHELF it, 4 – SOMEDAY it)

Comments: This was the story of how a man-manager turned around an under-performing but team. This parable has a lot of truth in it and there is definitely something to learn from the approach.

Like all “good” books, the framework didn’t stand out. :)

2. BUY it! · Bio/Autobiographies · Book Review Actions · Book Reviews · Self Improvement · Skills

BR 83: Surely You’re Joking Mr Feynman by Richard P Feynman

alearningaday

Category: 2 – BUY it! (All Categories are 1 – Read ASAP!, 2 – BUY it!, 3 – SHELF it, 4 – SOMEDAY it)

Comments: Richard Feynman narrates the story of his very interesting life. This is an exceptionally smart, extremely curious scientist who, aside from being a Nobel Prize winning Physicist, is also a part time drummer, painter and the like.I think there are a few nice things to learn from this book – especially Feynman’s strait jacketed approach to everything in life and his knack of figuring out a way to have fun.

A fun read.

Add on Mar 16, 2016: Years after reading this book, I’ve come to appreciate it more over time. What has stuck with me is Feynman’s learning focused approach to life. He was a master at picking up skills thanks to his openness and childlike curiosity. That idea is one that has stayed with me.

3. SHELF it · Book Review Actions · Book Reviews · Self Improvement

BR 82: Success Principles by Jack Canfield

alearningaday

Category: 3 – SHELF it (All Categories are 1 – Read ASAP!, 2 – BUY it!, 3 – SHELF it, 4 – SOMEDAY it)

Comments: Very nice book for the wealth of stories. Lots of cliches but nice all the same. I don’t really remember many of the principles but as is the characteristic of a good book, there were many anecdotes that flowed nicely. I am realizing more and more that while many of these books are good on stories, they don’t do well in linking the ‘overall thread’ or message. And that’s exactly what was missing in this book.

1. Read ASAP! · Book Review Actions · Book Reviews · Psychology · Self Improvement

BR 81: Ready for Anything by David Allen

alearningaday

Category: 1 – Read ASAP! (All Categories are 1 – Read ASAP!, 2 – BUY it!, 3 – SHELF it, 4 – SOMEDAY it)

Comments: Top class productivity book from the master. David Allen delves into the ‘why’ behind time management. He also cushioned the (expected) staid flow of content with tons of inspiring quotes. I loved it!

I loved this book it had lots of simple ideas to streamline our productivity and workflow with a focus on ‘why’ rather ‘what’. In his classic book, Getting Things Done, David Allen focused more on the ‘what’ – practical tips and trips. This book focuses a lot more on the science behind it – how our brain works and how we can use this knowledge to alleviate stress and get things done!

3. SHELF it · Book Review Actions · Book Reviews · Psychology · Self Improvement

BR 80: 10 Natural Laws of Successful Time and Life Management by Hyrum W Smith

alearningaday

Category: 3 – SHELF it (All Categories are 1 – Read ASAP!, 2 – BUY it!, 3 – SHELF it, 4 – SOMEDAY it)

Comments: A particularly good time management book that, for a change, is grounded in principles.

What to expect: I have blogged about Hyrum’s Prioritized Daily Task Lists here and here. And there is more to come. In short, this is an experienced time manager who believes (rightly so, in my opinion) that your daily task list should be indicative of your core values.

Add on Mar 16, 2016: I had long forgotten about this book but can see why I rated this highly. I think there have been better books since though.

1. Read ASAP! · Book Review Actions · Book Reviews · Business

BR 79: Too Big To Fail by Andrew Ross Sorkin

alearningaday1 Comment

Category: 1 – Read ASAP! (All Categories are 1 – Read ASAP!, 2 – BUY it!, 3 – SHELF it, 4 – SOMEDAY it)

Comments: I was hesitant to read this as I was not a fan of finance related books then. While the financial crisis intrigued me, I still wasn’t convinced if I was prepared to go through an 18 hour audio.

This book, however, is riveting. It is the financial crisis from the perspective of the massive characters/egos who battled hard to save the world from a complete meltdown. The book got me feeling up close and personal with all Wall Street CEO’s like Fuld, Dimon, Pandit, Mack, Blankfeid etc, key US treasury, federal officials like Paulson, Geithner and the like. It took me on an emotional journey that had me smiling at Jamie Dimon’s tact and diplomacy, marveling at the real power and weight that Goldman Sachs carries with it, gasping at the holes in AIG’s balance sheet  and feeling sad at Dick Fuld’s fate along with that of Lehmann Brothers. I can go on forever on this book.. it is one of the best books I have read, period.

And full credit, of course, to Andrew Ross Sorkin as it is rare to come across a book so well written.

 

3. SHELF it · Book Review Actions · Psychology · Self Improvement

BR 78: The Magic of Thinking Big by David Schwartz

alearningaday

Category: 3 – SHELF it (All Categories are 1 – Read ASAP!, 2 – BUY it!, 3 – SHELF it, 4 – SOMEDAY it)

Comments: This book is a popular self help book but it didn’t have as much of an impact on me. I actually read it a few months ago but as I was about to pen down a review for it, I realized I remembered nothing. So, I had to re-read it to write this review.

What to expect: Lots of very very good ideas and suggestions. The only issue is Schwartz never uses stories to illustrate his ideas. There is a lot of ‘telling’ which is easy to forget. Nevertheless, many good learnings – a couple of them are here and here.

3. SHELF it · Book Review Actions · Book Reviews · Entrepreneurship · Leadership · Technology

BR 77: Delivering Happiness by Tony Hsieh

alearningaday


Category: 3 – SHELF it (All Categories are 1 – Read ASAP!, 2 – BUY it!, 3 – SHELF it, 4 – SOMEDAY it)

Comments: The book revolves around the life of Tony Hsieh and Zappos.com. Tony Hsieh is a co-founder and CEO of Zappos.com – which grew from a tiny Silicon Valley start-up to an online shoe retailing behemoth with 1 billion dollars of sales. Zappos.com was eventually acquired by Amazon and Tony talks us through the building of the company and it’s distinctive culture.

Everybody with some experience working in a traditional start-up can relate to the story and difficulties that Tony Hsieh describes. What I personally liked most about the book is that it felt very personal – touched a chord, this one.

Post script in 2023: Sadly, Tony’s principles didn’t age well.

2. BUY it! · Book Review Actions · Book Reviews · Management · Novel Concepts and Interesting Research · Psychology

BR 76: Drive by Daniel H Pink

alearningaday1 Comment

Category: 2 – BUY it! (All Categories are 1 – Read ASAP!, 2 – BUY it!, 3 – SHELF it, 4 – SOMEDAY it)

Comments: Dan Pink shares a new wave to look at ‘drive’ and ‘motivation’. In essence, he begins the book by illustrating old ideas behind motivating people (eg: throw money at them) and then proceeds to discuss the theory behind motivation 2.0 i.e. that people are motivated by a) autonomy b) mastery and c) purpose..

This book is well summarized in this popular video by RSA Animate.

Add on Mar 16 2016: What I love about Dan Pink is that he takes a complex topic like “Drive” and motivating people and boils it down to 3 things – autonomy, mastery and purpose. This is incredibly hard to do and he does it really well.