The World's Best Book Summaries
Why do we make assumptions about people, especially strangers? What are the consequences of the assumptions we make? Can we retrain ourselves and our interactions with strangers? We’ll cover Malcolm Gladwell’s theory about why we make assumptions about people, from his book Talking to Strangers. As we’ll see, it’s not hard to correct this tendency.
What is the celery test? How can it help you make better decisions, in life and in business? The celery test is a tool to help you make better decisions by understanding the purpose behind the decision. The celery test was made popular by Simon Sinek in his book Start with Why. We’ll cover the celery test analogy and how to use it to make good decisions. Then we’ll look at an example of how the celery test is used in making business decisions.
Do people make the same facial expressions in different cultures? More importantly, do they mean the same thing? We’ll cover one study that indicates that facial expressions in different cultures do not indicate the same feelings. Learn why you can never make assumptions about how people feel based on their faces, especially people from different cultural backgrounds.
What are some of the biggest leadership weaknesses? How can you avoid them to more effectively manage your company and increase its success? Leadership weaknesses range from being egotistical to being in denial, and almost all of the most common ones have to do with having a fixed mindset. Learn why even the biggest names in business fail when they demonstrate these leadership weaknesses.
Who is Harry Markopolos? How was he able to discover Bernie Madoff’s crimes before everyone else? And why did it take so long for everyone else to realize them? Harry Markopolos is a financial expert who’s deeply skeptical of large organizations, and of people in general. He discovered Bernie Madoff’s Ponzi scheme. He has a very low threshold for doubt. Consequently, his trigger point is extremely sensitive. We’ll cover how Harry Markopolos knew something was wrong with Madoff’s trading strategies and why Markopolos failed to get anyone’s attention.
The primary reason that most people can’t immediately detect a lie is that human beings default to assuming truth in others. Is it possible to learn how to detect a lie? We’ll cover the reasons it’s difficult to know how to detect a lie, and we’ll look at why you’ve evolved to assume the best in people.
The common sentiment when it comes to building a business is that you have to make sure you’re beating the competition. But is it more important, in business and in life, to compete against yourself? The problem with the idea of crushing the competition is that it makes you focus on what other companies are doing rather than steering your own. Instead of competing against others, it’s more effective to compete against yourself. Learn why.
Who was Patrick Dale Walker? Why was he let out on bail? How could such atrocities be prevented in the future? Patrick Dale Walker was a Texan who was arrested for attempting to murder his girlfriend. Even though the crime was serious, the judge set his bail at $25,000 and let him go. Find out what happened in the Patrick Dale Walker case and why it’s so easy for a judge to make a devastating mistake.
Who were Brothers to the Rescue (Hermanos al Rescate)? Why were their planes shot down in 1996, and why was this such a disaster for America on the whole? Brothers to the Rescue was a group of American immigrants with the mission to save Cuban lives and incite revolt against Fidel Castro’s regime. Also known as Hermanos al Rescate, they would fly planes into Cuban airspace to make rescues. We’ll cover why two of these planes were shot down, and why the event revealed something surprising about someone working for the CIA.
Motivation is a well-acknowledged aspect of good management. What are Simon Sinek’s views on motivation? Does he have any thoughts on how to increase motivation in employees and inspire a team? We’ll cover Simon Sinek’s thoughts on motivation, from his book Start with Why. Then we’ll look at how success can actually be detrimental to an organization’s motivation, and how to keep motivation alive and your company on track.