The World's Best Book Summaries
What is the connection between happiness and success? Can being happy increase your chances of success? In The Happiness Advantage, Shawn Achor shows that happier people tend to be more successful. It’s often thought that success brings us happiness, but it’s actually the other way around. Here’s the connection between happiness and success.
What is black hat thinking from Six Thinking Hats? What type of thinking does the black hat represent? When should you wear the black thinking hat? The black thinking hat is one that many people are adept at using. When you wear the black hat, it’s your job to look for problems and flaws in a situation. However, this hat should not be over-used. Continue reading to learn when to (and when not to) use black hat thinking.
What is exponential thinking? How is it different from incremental thinking? Too often people think in incremental terms—one step at a time. With exponential thinking, however, each step is bigger than the previous step. It’s an exponential mindset that leads to exponential success. Read on to learn about exponential thinking.
What is white hat thinking from the book Six Thinking Hats? What role does the white hat play? In the classic psychology book Six Thinking Hats, Edward de Bono describes the white hat as the neutral hat. The role of the wearer is to simply gather and present the facts and figures without interpreting any of the data. Continue below to learn how to wear the white hat and what the advantages are.
What are the 12 business myths presented in the Built to Last book? What’s the truth about visionary companies? Bestselling author Jim Collins and Stanford professor Jerry I. Porras conducted a six-year research project to find the keys to visionary companies’ longevity and tremendous success. Their book Built to Last identifies 12 business myths and shares practical advice for those who want to build a company that lasts. Read more to learn the 12 business myths presented in the Built to Last book.
What is vision alignment? How can you achieve it for your organization? Visionary companies create and maintain vision alignment. They infuse their core ideology into everything they do, which brings everything into alignment with their vision. It’s not easy, but there are six things you can do to achieve organizational alignment. Read more to learn about the value and process of vision alignment.
What tactics and mindsets do visionary companies employ to constantly improve? What can you apply to your own organization to keep it moving forward? Visionary companies never settle for “good enough.” Refusing to drift into complacency, they proactively seed discontent to push their employees to aim even higher. To achieve constant improvement, they also exercise long-term thinking and investments. Continue reading to learn how visionary companies constantly improve.
Does your company have a management succession plan? How do visionary companies ensure the continuity of excellent leadership? Regardless of the size of your company, you need a management succession plan. To avoid leadership gaps, visionary companies have a leadership continuity loop. You, too, can create and maintain a cycle of excellent leadership for your organization by understanding how visionary companies identify, train, and promote top managerial talent. Read more to learn about visionary management succession.
How do you know what business to start? Should you wait for the perfect opportunity to start your business? You know what business to start when you discover what you have a talent for and enjoy doing. Don’t wait for the perfect opportunity to get started, take every opportunity that takes you one step further towards doing what you want to do. Read more to discover how to know what business to start.
How can you cultivate a growth culture in your organization? How do you give your employees the wings to fly? A visionary company fosters a growth culture by ensuring that employees support the company’s core philosophy—and then setting them free. This autonomy allows employees to experiment, act boldly, make mistakes, and innovate. All of this pushes the company forward. Read more to learn how to cultivate a growth culture in your organization.