Stephen Wunker · ★★★☆☆ · 224 pages · 2016
Using a methodology of approaching innovation in terms of not Problem-Solution but as a Job that Needs to Be Done. Most of the time this methodology doesn’t even have a to be tangible as an emotional job is just as important. Overall a short and quick book to read but still seems to be a rephrasing of existing books like Blue Ocean Strategy. Still a good refresher.
Al Gore · ★★★★☆ · 320 pages · 2017
Yuval Noah Harari · ★★★★★ · 512 pages · 2011
Every human should read this book. Sure there are some generalizations from history but in terms of the grand idea that he put forth about where humans came from and where we are going it is just a magnificent book.
Tyler Cowen · ★★★★☆ · 241 pages · 2017
Cowen does a good job explaining the feeling that I have been witnessing and feeling about American society for a long time which is that it is stagnant. The American dynamism that every president keeps talking about has mostly died except for a few pockets. People are addicted to pain medicine, comfort, tv, drugs, and mostly the notion of safety. He calls this group the Complacent Class. The group that doesn't want to risk, doesn't want to adapt, and is evermore immobile.
A.G. Lafley · ★★★★☆ · 272 pages · 2013
The first part of this book is great as it talks about how to approach strategy. In a lot of ways it is similar to Blue Ocean Strategy but as the subtitle states it is more gears towards the practical. Essentially, the gist of the book can be read first in the conclusion. The questions to ask are the following:
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe · ★★★☆☆ · 287 pages · 1808
Michael Hammer · ★★★☆☆ · 320 pages · 2010
This book could have been much shorter and still kept to its core message which is processes help businesses do move faster, better, cheaper. However, it is a book written for larger companies with bigger bureaucracies so there are a lot of examples that touch on that.
Alan W. Watts · ★★★★☆ · 163 pages · 1966
I guess Watts is describing the Hindu philosophy of the Atman and Brahman in this book to a western audience that is more familiar with the Abrahamic religions with their father based creator God though he doesn't use the Hindu terms really. Essential, Atman is the soul and Brahman is God. In Hinduism and Buddhism the soul is part of the grander universe that we observe and are actors in. We are both observing the universe which we also describe through the lens of the mind that is part of the universe. So in reality, true reality, we are not separated at all when we think our actions have no recourse because it affects the world and we deem ourselves as separate from the universe. In fact by being a part of the universe and its change we are affecting it. Interesting book but a little long winded if you already know about Hindu/Buddhist/Taoist philosophy.
Josh Kaufman · ★★★★★ · 464 pages · 2010
Everyone running a company should read this gem. It essentially covers everything from personal psychology to systems thinking. Definitely, worth it as a reference as each section is split into small sections. Only thing was I wish there was more in-depth coverage of the systems thinking.
Saul D. Alinsky · ★★★★★ · 196 pages · 1971
Gary Keller · ★★★☆☆ · 240 pages · 2012
Another self help book but this one seems to have a lot more concrete ideas of what to do instead of being wishy washy.
Barry Schwartz · ★★★★☆ · 265 pages · 2004
With the amount of choices we have in the modern world I always felt that there was a balance point in between my Indian upbringing of fewer choices and my American upbringing of individualism. Certain choices I make give me happiness and other ones did not. Having the newest tech toy growing up was fun but as I got older I just wanted things that worked.
Geoff Colvin · ★★★☆☆ · 2008
Deliberate Practice is what it takes to be great, people aren't born with some innate talent is the thesis of this book. Lot of good anecdotes and thoughts but think a short essay would have been good enough for me.
Richard W. Wrangham · ★★★★☆ · 350 pages · 1996
Demonic Males goes through the genealogy of male violence in apes. The authors study our closest relatives the chimpanzees, gorillas, and bonobos. Violence is built into the males of all three and all three handle violence in different ways. Chimps and Gorillas have violence built into their societal structures, whereas bonobos treat everything with more sexuality.
Steven R. Koltai · ★★★★☆ · 240 pages · 2016
The world is sort of stuck in a post-WW2 mentality where working for big companies and firms seem to be the way of the road expect for a few pockets of entrepreneurship such as Silicon Valley. This sentiment is conveyed as well by Koltai who shows that if the US government spent more on entrepreneurship we can create jobs and peace all over the world. According to his data the State Department spends less than 1% of its money on entrepreneurship, less then the cost of a F16. Procurement for the government goes to giant nonspecialist contractors who know how to play the game of procurement instead of actually knowing how to do the job. Basically the US government is just not setup to deal with startups and how to help new companies thrive.
Timothy Ferriss · ★★★☆☆ · 571 pages · 2000
Ron Willingham · ★★★★☆ · 327 pages · 2006
Aaron Ross · ★★★★☆ · 320 pages · 2016
The information on creating a sales pipeline, nailing a niche, and really driving into creating those were really valuable. However, some of the rest of the book was a bit less interesting especially if you read any Drucker.
Anthony Parinello · ★★★☆☆ · 1994
Joseph Campbell · ★★★★★ · 320 pages · 1988
Everyone needs to read this book especially in a world where spirituality and mythology have lost their place. The mythology that Joseph Campbell elucidates permeates throughout every culture and gives us a purpose. The thesis that I have come out of the book is that life by itself has no purpose, but myth has given us purpose. Every region and religion and though has a different metaphor but the same way of thinking about life, that it is a journey. The journey Is more important than the destination.