Shortform Books

Maxwell Maltz: How Self-Image Predicts Success

What does your self-image have to do with your goal-achieving potential? Do you think your self-image (the way you see yourself) helps or hinders your success potential? According to Maxwell Maltz, your self-image plays a key role in your ability to align your behavior with your goals. You need to examine what type of self-image you have so you can figure out if it’s working with you or against you. To this end, Maltz argues, you need to examine how your self-image is expressed through your personality (is it positive or negative?). In this article, we’ll take a look at the

What Is Casteism?—Explained With Examples

What is casteism? How do caste systems contribute to social injustice? Casteism is a practice of maintaining a hierarchical social order where an inherent characteristic is used as a tool to designate people’s rank in society. Historically, powerful groups have used religion, ethnicity, or skin color to stratify societies. In this article, we’ll explore the notion of casteism and how it works on three real-world examples: America, India, and Nazi Germany.

Erin Meyer: Understanding Cross-Cultural Differences

How do the world’s cultures differ in terms of communication? How have these differences come about? On a communication spectrum, cultures can be classified into high-context (where people communicate and interpret messages at face value) and low-context (where you have to read between the lines to get the message). According to Erin Meyer, a culture’s communication style is shaped by its language and history. In this article, we’ll look at the two factors that underlie cross-cultural differences in communication: language and history.

Giving Feedback Across Cultures: Tips & Strategies

What is the key to delivering clear yet considerate feedback? How does feedback differ across cultures? The ability to deliver feedback on someone’s performance in a way the receiver understands is essential to both your and the feedback receiver’s success. If you’re too indirect, the receiver might not understand its content and if you’re too direct, you may come across as cruel or incompetent. In this article, we’ll look at the two main ways cultures give feedback and present some strategies for giving feedback across cultures.

How to Talk About Yourself: Tips for Telling Your Story

Do you hate talking about yourself? Why do you need to be willing to open up to others to make a connection? In her book The Fine Art of Small Talk, Debra Fine says that conversations should be balanced, meaning you can’t just keep asking your partner questions. Thankfully, you don’t have to go into conversations unprepared. Here is Fine’s advice on how to talk about yourself and tips on how to tell your story.

The Power of Positive Thinking: Review & Context

Is Norman Vincent Peale’s The Power of Positive Thinking worth reading? What is the key premise of Peale’s message? The Power of Positive Thinking by Norman Vincent Peale is a classic in the self-help genre. In it, Peale asserts that we can overcome any hardship and achieve any goal through optimism and faith in God. The following The Power of Positive Thinking review covers the book’s context, background, and critical reception by the readers.

Raising Children With Grit: Tips for Parents

What exactly is “grit”? Why is it important to cultivate grit in children? The trait of grit, as described by Angela Duckworth, is the combination of passion and perseverance. It’s an important trait to have because it’s one of the biggest predictors of success. If you want your children to become successful, you should raise them with grit from the beginning. Here is what Angela Duckworth has to say about raising children with grit.

Reach Your Goals By Maintaining Success Momentum

Do you always start strong at the beginning of a new endeavor but feel like your motivation wanes over time? How do you maintain success momentum? Momentum is the forward-moving force that you build as you put consistent energy and motivation behind your goals. If you lose momentum, you’ll lose your drive to succeed and you’ll stay stuck in your current state. In this article, you’ll learn some proven strategies for sustaining momentum.

David Epstein’s Criticism of Grit by Angela Duckworth

Why does David Epstein think that Angela Duckworth’s book Grit is wrong? What are his issues with the “Grit Scale”? In his book Range, David Epstein gives Grit criticism for lumping together persistence and commitment. He goes further to say that too much commitment can actually be harmful rather than helpful. Here is how Grit gets it wrong, according to Epstein.

The Culture Map: Discussion Questions & Exercises

Are you looking for The Culture Map discussion questions? What are some of the key themes and ideas to discuss? In The Culture Map, Erin Meyer presents a framework for analyzing cultural differences on eight dimensions. By understanding both your own and another culture’s position on each dimension, you can relate to each other better so that you can accomplish your business goals. Here are some discussion questions and exercises that will help you consider the book’s lessons in the context of your own life.