The World's Best Book Summaries
What types of market disruptions warrant a large-scale response? How do you know when your business is at a strategic inflection point? Intel CEO Andrew Grove offers guidance on how to know when a change in your business environment requires an overhaul of your company. He recommends that you foster a continual culture of debating and listening. Read more to learn Grove’s advice on pivoting in business.
How well do customers understand how to use your product? Are they clear on why they need it? In Obviously Awesome, positioning consultant and speaker April Dunford explains why positioning is critical to successfully selling your product. Dunford argues that positioning isn’t merely helpful; it’s the bedrock of successful selling and marketing. Read more to understand the importance of positioning in selling your product.
Does your business have a Plan B? Do you have a healthy “give-and-take” dynamic between upper and middle management? Adaptability is a competitive advantage. Intel CEO Andy Grove offers advice on how to build a flexible organization so that you stay ahead of the game. The keys, he says, are proactively investing in alternatives and cultivating a flexible business culture. Keep reading for Grove’s wisdom about adapting to change in the business environment.
What is the timeline of Apple products during Steve Jobs’s time at the company? When was the iMac released? When Steve Jobs returned to Apple in 1997, he made plans to release the iMac. It became the fastest-selling Apple product yet, but Jobs wasn’t going to stop there. Here’s the timeline of apple products after the iMac.
What’s fortuna? How does a successful leader keep it at bay? According to Niccolò Machiavelli, fortuna (fate) affects us all. But, great princes don’t let it get the best of them. They have qualities that help them beat the odds. Read more to learn how to keep fate from ruling your life.
What was Apple’s organizational culture like under Steve Jobs? How important was the culture at Apple? While Steve Jobs was CEO of Apple, he led the company with a strict hand. But it also inspired collaborative teamwork that kept the company successful. Read what Apple’s organizational culture was truly like with Jobs as CEO.
Is a market disruption headed your way? How can you tell? Intel’s Andrew Grove advises you to stay alert to potential market disruptions before they hit with full force. He discusses six potential sources of drastic change, and he advises how to keep tabs on them. Read more to learn how to see market disruptions on the horizon.
What are strategic inflection points? Is your business facing such a crisis? Drawing on his experience as the CEO of Intel, Andrew Grove provides clear guidance on preparing for, identifying, and adapting to the kinds of upheavals that send less agile companies out of business. He calls these crises “strategic inflection points.” Keep reading to learn what strategic inflection points are and how to determine whether your business has reached one.
Could your company survive a major upheaval? How can you give it a better chance to weather the storms? Every company must navigate a changing business landscape, but not all changes are equal. Andrew Grove’s book Only the Paranoid Survive provides a practical guide for business leaders struggling to navigate a major disruption to their industry. Here’s our overview of the book’s principles and concrete advice.
Do you want to improve your leadership skills? What are some of the best leadership resources to learn from? There are hundreds of leadership resources on the web that claim to be the best when it comes to leadership development. As with everything, the best sources are always the ones that speak from firsthand experience. That was exactly our criteria when compiling this list of the best leadership resources, including books, blogs, and podcasts.