Shortform Books

The Phoenix Project: Book Overview and Lessons

Is the book The Phoenix Project worth reading? What can IT departments learn from the business parable? In The Phoenix Project, Gene Kim, Kevin Behr, and George Spafford present a fictional case study of a business that’s failing because it doesn’t align the work of IT services with the company’s goals. The authors then show how an IT department can turn itself around and get back in the game. Keep reading for a The Phoenix Project book overview, as well as the lessons you can learn from the authors.

How Highly Effective People Speak: Overview & Takeaways

How can understanding cognitive biases help you communicate more effectively? Is it okay to take advantage of these flawed perceptions in others? In How Highly Effective People Speak, Peter D. Andrei shares the basic strategies of powerful communication. He teaches you how to speak with eloquence and persuasion—not by simply repeating platitudes, but by diving into what makes them true and how they make communication more effective. Continue reading for an overview of this book that can make you a more effective person.

How to Mitigate Risk: 4 Ways to Free Yourself to Create

What are some ways to test the waters before you put your product on the market? How can you protect your reputation while you experiment with new things? To be an innovator, you have to take creative risks. Experimentation—and failure—come with the territory. In Decoding Greatness, Ron Friedman shares four ways to lower the stakes for inevitable failures on the road to innovation and success. Continue reading to learn how to mitigate risk as you learn and create.

Creating a Productive Work Environment: A Space for Flow

What kind of lighting boosts your creativity? What temperature should your workspace be? In Think Big, Grace Lordan argues that most of us fail to transform our lives because we try to change too much too quickly. Instead, we must set a big goal and then take the regular, small steps necessary to achieve it. One of those steps is creating a productive work environment. Read more to learn how to set up your environment for maximum productivity.

Customer-Centric Design: How to Use It to Guide Innovation

What does customer-centric design mean? Why do products with a customer-centric design usually garner more success? In a world where customers are constantly seeking solutions to their specific needs, businesses must embrace customer-centric design to thrive. Author Clayton Christensen explains that it’s about understanding what customers aim to accomplish and crafting products that align with those goals. Read on to learn about customer-centric design and how to use it to harness product innovation.

How to Make a Career Plan: The 3 Paths to Consider

Why do you need multiple plans for your career? How do you make a career plan? Because the job landscape is always changing, you need backups in case your original career plan doesn’t work out. In The Startup of You, Reid Hoffman and Ben Casnocha say that you need three possible career paths to ensure that you won’t fail. Check out how to make a career plan for every possible scenario.

Suffering From a Lack of Innovation? We Have Solutions

What happens to businesses that lack innovation? How can you come up with ingenious ideas that will make customers swoon? A lack of innovation is a serious problem in many companies. Without it, they fail to come up with new ideas that excite customers and fall behind in the market. Keep reading for some suggestions to help you embrace innovation and start thinking differently about your product.

3 Benefits of Listening in Relationships: How Minds Sync Up

Do you experience loneliness? Would you like to be able to trust more—and get others to put more trust in you? In You’re Not Listening, Kate Murphy explains that effective listening creates empathic connections between people. She explores three core benefits of these empathic connections, whether they’re in the context of friendships, romantic relationships, or parenting. Keep reading to learn the three benefits of listening in relationships.

Why Is Body Language Important? The 3 Key Reasons

Why is body language important? What are the three major reasons? In The Definitive Book of Body Language, Allan and Barbara Pease delve into the captivating world of nonverbal cues. The authors explain the profound impact body language can have on your emotions, interpersonal relationships, and overall communication skills. Read on to learn three main reasons why body language is important, according to Allan and Barbara Pease.

The Three Ways From The Phoenix Project—Explained

What are The Three Ways from the book The Phoenix Project? How can you make your IT development teams run more smoothly? None of the problems of IT are insurmountable, but authors Kim, Behr, and Spafford argue that addressing them requires completely rethinking how IT work is done. The Three Ways from The Phoenix Project can be summed up as fast workflow, quick feedback, and continual improvement. Continue reading for a detailed overview of The Three Ways.