Category Archives: Book Reviews

As you look towards the coming year and consider our goals, what are you aiming at? Mediocrity? Odds are, you set big, bold goals for yourself to improve your life in a radical way. But radical improvement requires a radical approach to life, one that moves beyond the attitude of “good enough” or mere competenceContinue reading “The pursuit of mastery”

Any business that involves interpersonal relationships will inevitably involve negotiation. Conflicting visions, wills, and interests will crop up and must be navigated with care. In Never Split the Difference, former FBI kidnapping negotiator Chris Voss teaches how to use empathy to connect with your counterparts and win negotiations in every situation. Voss’s big personality loomsContinue reading “Negotiating with human nature”

In 1997, Captain D. Michael Abrashoff assumed command of the destroyer USS Benfold. Although at the cutting edge technologically, the ship’s crew had suffered from years of poor leadership and were in a state of low performance and terrible discipline. Captain Abrashoff resolved to turn things around through what was at the time a radicalContinue reading “Leadership lessons from the U.S. Navy”

The crazy and wild world of the internet impinges on our life from every angle. Notifications, video calls, email, Twitter, Instagram. Instant, global communication is at once the source of delight and collaboration as well as stress and distraction.This has only become more immediate in the last two years, and we as a society stillContinue reading “Go deep or go home”

The inner workings of the brain is highly mysterious. While we may think we know how our brains work and “who’s in control,” there are numerous systems and processes at play constantly, even in the simplest decisions. In his 2011 book, Thinking, Fast and Slow, Nobel-prize winning psychologist, Daniel Kahneman, pulls back the curtain andContinue reading “How thinking works”

One of the most defining aspects of human experience is limitation. You only have so much energy on a given day, and only so much time. At the same time, many scientists, entrepreneurs, and top athletes frequently push and even transcend the apparent limits of human capability. But is there a common thread that unitesContinue reading “Transcending the impossible”

We like to think of ourselves as grateful and empathetic people. But the fact of the matter is that gratitude is a skill that takes conscious effort. What is more, gratitude, effectively cultivated and practiced, can have a huge impact on motivating your staff and boosting performance. In Leading with Gratitude, authors Adrian Gostick andContinue reading “Gratitude, empathy, and leadership”

Success stories, whether they involve sports, entertainment, or business, tend to stress the role played by the leader. The “great man theory” of leadership certainly captures the imagination by fixing it on a single dynamic personality. But focusing too much on the leaders means that the role of contributors tends to be understudied. In ImpactContinue reading “How to make an impact”

Influence is the most dynamic and central force in human relationships. How we get people to agree with us or resolve disputes or sell some product or idea—all of this and more is built on the concepts of influence and persuasion. But how does this actually work? And how do you learn to be onContinue reading “The powers of persuasion”

The most important resource for any company or team is the people. Having a team of top performers covers a multitude of deficiencies in material resources. Talented employees and managers are the gift that keeps on giving, as they produce more and more value through creativity and resourcefulness. But building a team like this isContinue reading “From upgrading to topgrading”