Shortform Books

What Is Free-Market Capitalism? Definition & Examples

What is free-market capitalism? How are resources distributed in a free-market economy? Free-market capitalism is an economic system where factors of production are controlled by private entities (individuals and firms) with little to no government intervention. Firms charge the highest price consumers are willing to pay and workers earn the highest wages firms are willing to pay for their labor. In a free-market capitalist economy, firms are motivated to operate as efficiently as possible to keep their market share. In this article, we’ll discuss the ideology of free-market capitalism and what happens when it’s realized in practice.

The Oz Principle: Book Overview

What is The Oz Principle about? What is the underlying idea behind the authors’ Oz principle? In their book The Oz Principle, Craig Hickman, Roger Connors, and Tom Smith lay out four steps to accountability that will move you to success both in your personal life and in your organization. The authors explain how to journey, like Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz, from a mindset of victimism to one of accountability. Below is a brief overview of the key points.

Eckhart Tolle: Practicing the Power of Now

What is the power of Now? Why is it so difficult to keep your attention in the present moment, without drifting off either into the future or the past? The Now is the present moment—each individual moment in the innumerable sequence of moments that makes up our lives. Practicing the power of Now is experiencing each of these moments with your full and undivided attention, without being distracted by your internal monologue (whether that includes thoughts of your to-do list, replaying an interaction from this morning, or running commentary and analysis of the present). Here is how living in the

Service-Oriented Selling: To Sell Is to Serve

In what ways do selling and service go hand in hand? What are Daniel Pink’s two rules to the service-oriented selling approach? In his book To Sell Is Human, Daniel Pink explores the connection between selling and service. He says that the two things you must do are make the sale personal, and make it purposeful. Keep reading to learn more about Pink’s service-oriented selling approach.

Practicing Non-Attachment: What You Need to Know

Do you want to learn about practicing non-attachment? How can it improve your confidence and mental health? For centuries, Buddhist teachings have explored the idea of non-attachment, which involves severing unhealthy attachments to people, possessions, or states of mind. Practicing non-attachment has been shown to have benefits like improving your happiness and reducing stress. Find out more about practicing non-attachment below.

How to End a Toxic Relationship in 5 Steps

Do you want to know how to end a toxic relationship? What empowering steps do you need to take to prepare yourself? Deciding that it’s time to end a toxic relationship is hard in itself—but how can you follow through with it? The key is to prepare and empower yourself beforehand by finding a network of supportive people and reminding yourself why the relationship isn’t working. Here’s how to end a toxic relationship in five steps.

Codependent Caretaking: Signs to Look Out For

What is a codependent caretaker? How can you tell if you are one? Sometimes, actions that seem generous and kind can actually be insidious. Genuinely caring for someone is not the same thing as caretaking, which is defined as giving care to others with your own needs in mind. From there, it’s a slippery slope towards codependent caretaking. Learn more about codependent caretaking and why it happens below.

How Self-Betrayal Sabotages Your Leadership

How does self-betrayal box you in? How does the main character in the story Leadership and Self-Deception betray himself? In Leadership and Self-Deception, Tom’s manager Bud told him how self-betrayal almost destroyed his marriage. After hearing Bud’s story, Tom started to realize that he was going down the same road. Keep reading to learn more about self-betrayal in the Arbinger Institute’s book.

Feedforward Feedback: How to Request and Practice It

What is feedforward feedback? How does requesting feedforward feedback from your colleagues help you improve as a manager? “Feedforward” is the opposite of “feedback”—it is practical advice on what you can do to improve your behavior even further moving forward. Requesting feedforward from your colleagues can help you improve as a manager and foster a stronger relationship with your employees. Here’s how to request and practice feedforward feedback.

The Fight Against the “Evils” of Developmentalism

What is developmentalism? Which economic groups does developmentalism benefit? Why did corporations try to overthrow developmentalist policies? Developmentalism is an economic school of thought which states that the best way for developing countries to speed up their growth is by developing their internal markets, limiting imports, and nationalizing certain industries. Developmentalism has had a tremendous impact on the growth of many Third World countries. However, the policies that helped the common people were hurting the rich and powerful. In this article, you’ll learn about economic developmentalism, and corporations’ efforts to fight back against “its evils.”