Shortform Books

Product Launch Communication Plan: 3 Messages You Must Send

What do your prospective customers need to hear before you launch your product? What questions do you need to answer for them? You can attract interested buyers with little more than an email list. In Launch, Jeff Walker shares his five-stage strategy to launch a product successfully. Stage three is about building anticipation for your launch, and it hinges on what you communicate to your contacts. Continue reading to learn about Walker’s product launch communication plan.

John Rawls’s 2 Principles of Justice (A Theory of Justice)

What are John Rawls’s two principles of justice? How might each principle influence the rules and distribution systems of society? Rawls’s principles of justice result from the original position. The principle of distributive justice states that everyone should have equal rights, liberties, and duties. The difference principle states that some inequality can be permitted in circumstances where it makes the least advantaged better off. Keep reading to learn about Rawls’s principles of justice as fairness.

The 3 Reasons Why You Should Expect the Worst

Why should you expect the worst to happen? What’s the importance of preparing for a downside? Whether or not you’re beginning a new experience, you need to plan for every possible outcome. Chris Hadfield’s book An Astronaut’s Guide to Life on Earth claims this is because you don’t want to be overwhelmed if the worst possible result happens. Discover why expecting the worst is actually for the best.

What Is a Chronotype? The 3 Types & Their Characteristics

What is a chronotype? What are the key factors that determine your chronotype? Your chronotype is the expression of your circadian rhythm. In his book When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing, Daniel Pink outlines three common chronotypes: larks, owls, and third birds. Learn about the characteristics of the three chronotypes and how to use your chronotype to your advantage.

Free Will: Nietzsche’s Philosophy of the “Will to Power”

What is Friedrich Nietzsche’s free will philosophy? What does the “will to power” mean? According to Friedrich Nietzsche, free will is the essence of life, driving animals and humans to compete and evolve. In the novel Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Nietzsche creatively explains his philosophy of free will through the teachings of the novel’s protagonist Zarathustra. Read on to learn about free will and Nietzsche’s “will to power,” according to Thus Spoke Zarathustra.

Brave New Work: Book Overview and Takeaways

What is the book Brave New Work about? What are the main takeaways of the book? In Brave New Work, investor and business consultant Aaron Dignan explains why outdated work structures are failing us. To solve this, he provides strategies for guiding your organization toward unconventional ways of working more efficiently. Read below for a brief overview of Brave New Work.

The Great Game of Business: Book Overview & Takeaways

What’s the book The Great Game of Business by Jack Stack and Bo Burlingham about? What are the main takeaways? In their book The Great Game of Business, Jack Stack and Bo Burlingham explore the principles of fostering employee ownership at work. They also examine the benefits and difficulties of implementing these principles and why they’re the solution to creating a successful business. Read below for a brief overview of The Great Game of Business book.

How to Increase Willpower: Strategies and Tips

What exactly is willpower, and how does it work? How does your capacity for willpower influence your life outcomes? Willpower is critical to success. But you likely will struggle if you don’t understand how it works and how to manage it. Once you know how to increase willpower and use it effectively, you set yourself up for success. Learn about the importance of willpower, how it works, and how to recharge it when your reserves run low.

The Business Hierarchy of Needs for Human-Focused Companies

What is the business hierarchy of needs? How can it be applied to human-focused companies? In Humanocracy, Gary Hamel and Michele Zanini propose a new way to build and run organizations: using human-focused principles. They argue in favor of adopting a business hierarchy of needs that doesn’t rely on bureaucratic principles like efficiency and employee obedience. Read on to discover what a business hierarchy of needs looks like for a human-focused company.

What Does Chronic Stress Do to the Body? The Harmful Effects

What does chronic stress do to the body? What are the main parts of your body that can be damaged? According to biologist Robert Sapolsky, modern society has created long-term stressors in our lives, like financial or career concerns. As a result, we now suffer from more chronic stress than ever before, leading to serious mental and physical harm. Read on to learn about what chronic stress can do to the body, according to Sapolsky.