The World's Best Book Summaries
What book’s cover caught Edel’s attention faster than any other? What author has she chosen as her therapist? What book does she read once a year? Edel could tell you all about it. Based in the Philippines, she works in customer support at Shortform. We interviewed her recently to learn a bit about her relationship with books.
What is the foundation of trust? What sustains relationships over time? Empathy is the central theme of Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella’s business philosophy. He defines empathy as the cornerstone of all that he does. Nadella promotes empathy as the foundation of trust, which sustains both personal and professional relationships over time. Continue reading to learn about the connection between empathy and trust.
What’s Occam’s Razor, and how can it help you solve problems in life? What should you do if you’re not operating in your “region of mastery”? The Great Mental Models Volume 1: General Thinking Concepts presents a foundational set of nine mental models. According to authors Shane Parrish and Rhiannon Beaubien, these models are timeless thinking tools from a variety of fields. Keep reading to learn how these models can equip you to make better decisions, avoid consequential mistakes, and succeed in life and work.
What’s more important—your team’s success or your own? At what cost will you protect your leadership position? In his book Hit Refresh, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella explains that a good leader prioritizes the success of the team above his own. He also discusses the importance of involving your team in decisions so that everyone has a say. Read more to learn about Nadella’s philosophy and practice of selfless leadership.
What’s the inversion model of thinking? How can it help you solve tricky problems? In The Great Mental Models Volume 1, Shane Parrish and Rhiannon Beaubien present nine timeless, foundational mental models that will sharpen your thinking skills, and they explain how to develop your repertoire of models through a process of continuous learning. They include inversion as one of their mental models. Read more to learn how the inversion model can help you tackle problems in your path.
What is Hanlon’s Razor? How can it help you get a clearer picture of reality? Hanlon’s Razor is a self-contained “rule of thumb” for solving tough problems. When applied correctly, it can help you slice through complications, eliminate mental clutter, and home in on clear answers. Continue reading to understand what Hanlon’s Razor is and how to use it to achieve clarity and solve problems.
What’s the best way to position a product in the market? What steps should you take, and in what order? In Obviously Awesome, April Dunford proposes a 12-step process that lets you position any product well. Her process takes you all the way from creating a cross-departmental positioning group to sharing your final positioning across the company. Let’s take a look at each step in Dunford’s product positioning strategy.
What are philosophical razors? How can you use them to solve problems efficiently? Are they always useful? If you have a problem to solve, you might employ a philosophical razor. Philosophical razors are rules of thumb that help you quickly eliminate unlikely solutions to a problem. Continue reading to learn a few of the most popular philosophical razors.
In the marketing process, how important is positioning? What are the right—and wrong—ways to do it? In Obviously Awesome, positioning consultant and speaker April Dunford explains why positioning is critical to successfully selling your product. To help you position any product well, Dunford provides a 12-step process. Keep reading to learn what positioning is, common positioning mistakes, and the 12 steps.
What’s Occam’s Razor theory? How can you use it to solve problems quickly and effectively? In the first volume of The Great Mental Models series, Farnam Street founder Shane Parrish and content strategist Rhiannon Beaubien include Occam’s Razor as one of their models, as it’s a practical thinking tool. This model helps you cut to the chase when looking for solutions. Continue reading to understand what Occam’s Razor is and how to use it.