The World's Best Book Summaries
Are you an educator when you engage in sales? When is having fewer customers a good thing? Paul Jarvis argues that it’s vital for a single-person company to foster strong connections with its customers. Since these companies aren’t receiving money from investors, they depend on customer relationships to sustain and grow their business. Here’s Jarvis’s advice on how to build strong customer relationships.
Is anything negative going on in your life right now? Is your body trying to tell you something? Are you holding on to any regret or resentment? Radical Acceptance is a practice in which we acknowledge what we’re experiencing—positive or negative—and welcome it. It’s a powerful tool that allows us to be fully present in each passing moment. It helps us avoid getting stuck in our own heads. Continue reading for eight Radical Acceptance exercises based on the book of the same name by Tara Brach as well as books by Eckhart Tolle and Ryan Holiday.
Do you have a reputation as a good listener? Does it feel like you have to repeat yourself a lot? Do you get easily triggered, or do you seem to set other people off emotionally? Communicating effectively with others is a crucial skill—it’s how we build and maintain relationships, solve problems, and accomplish tasks. However, James Williams explains that good communication skills don’t come naturally—instead, they’re built up over time through intentional practice. Keep reading to learn about four core communication skills and how to practice them in your everyday life.
Should you scale or sell your business? How do you sell a business, if that’s what you choose to do? Once your business reaches a point of immense success, you have a big decision to make. You can either continue to grow your business or sell it to another company that’ll do the work for you. Continue reading to decide if selling your business is the right move for you.
What’s the Ackerman Model for negotiating? Why is the Ackerman Model a good alternative to traditional negotiating? Created by ex-CIA operative Mike Ackerman, this model is based on the offer-counteroffer system. It uses a tapering system that brings the ultimate number (whether it’s the price you’ll be paying or the price you’ll be receiving) closer to your preference. Below, we’ll explore some of the key steps in the Ackerman Model.
What’s the strategic leadership style? How can you be a strategic thinker as a leader? Strategic thinkers help their teams grow by analyzing performances and suggesting possibilities for improvement. These types of leaders are open to learning and asking questions to uncover new information. Let’s look at what it takes to be a strategic leader.
How quickly can your company pivot when it needs to? Do you crave independence, not just for yourself but for your business? In Company of One, Paul Jarvis advocates for one-person companies. He argues that, by owning such a business, you can exercise more control over your work and create your own schedule. Also, your company is more likely to ride the waves of external changes better than larger businesses can. Keep reading to learn about these two significant benefits of a one-person company.
What does it mean to have a well-rounded education? Why is it better to be a generalist than a specialist? In the context of skill sets and education, a specialist is someone proficient in one area while a generalist has a wide range of skills, which they gain from a well-rounded education. If you want to succeed in the changing workforce, it’s better to be a generalist. Below we’ll look at why a well-rounded education will help you in your life and career, and what subjects are the most useful to learn.
Does “That’s not what I said” sound familiar? How often do you say it or hear it? No matter how careful you are with expressing yourself and listening to others, misunderstandings are bound to happen. Extend some grace to yourself and others, and develop a few skills that can help clear things up and smooth things over. Continue reading to learn how to resolve misunderstandings in communication.
What are the best ways to prepare to negotiate? What factors should you consider before entering a negotiation? Experts agree that preparing to negotiate is essential. We’ll cover the main ways to prepare for a successful negotiation—by preparing for the worst, planning your moves and countermoves in advance, determining your boundaries for the negotiation, and understanding what kind of negotiator you’re going up against. Take your negotiation preparation tactics to the next level below.