Insights and Paths of Action from the Best Books

About the book: Good to Great is a fact-based exploration of the best companies that went from mediocre performance to consistently outperforming the market by three times or more. It focuses on the characteristics that differentiate these companies from others in their industry. Jim Collins categorizes his findings into three main ideas: 1. Disciplined people: the right people do not need to be disciplined or motivated, they do not need supervision, and they are even more important than having a vision and/or strategy . 2. Disciplined thought: Strategy cantered around facts and adjusted in a timely manner. 3. Simple,   fact-based , consistent approach to planning and to problem-solving. Buy book, e-book, or audio book . Actionable lessons: 1) (NOT) To-do list: We are all good at making to-do lists and ticking things off. That's one most basic forms of management. But, how much time do you spend doing things that are not in your list? Or how many things th...

About the book: Carol Dweck, a psychology professor at Stanford University, presents her research on two thinking patterns, the growth and fixed mindsets, which have a strong influence on the way people behave, their self-esteem, and their attitude towards challenging situations. Growth-minded people are those who acknowledge that all skills can be acquired, only through practice. These include artistic, mathematical, and physical skills. Takeaways and Paths of Action: 1) Be aware and share the message. Intelligence is something you need to work for; it is not given to you. Success is not about proving you're smart, it is about learning. This is not very specific nor applicable. However, I do think that being aware that we are born knowing close to nothing but can learn anything through practice and concentration is very important. We should share this message with friends and family. 2) Be a good loser. With an open mind, look at people who are doing better ...

About the book: Simon Sinek teaches leadership and management principles with real examples from companies, governments, and the military. He primarily talks about the importance of good relationships among employers and employees. Sinek also explains the biological roots of what motivates successful leaders. Takeaways and Paths of Action: The brain chemicals behind our emotions and motivations: The most important thing I learned from this book is how our brain rewards and motivates itself. It uses four chemicals, Dopamine, Oxytocin, Serotonin, and Endorphins (DOSE).  The details are just chemistry. The most important thing is that we can use what we know about these chemicals to "trick" our brain and achieve more of what we want. Note: this is advice that you may already be tired of reading. What I intend to provide is a little explanation of the neurological mechanisms that make it work. Hopefully, it will help you believe in them and apply them more. They rea...

About the book: Stephen Covey talks about seven strategies and ways of thinking that will lead you to be more effective as a person. In the beginning, I thought it was just another cheap social strategies book, but it turned out to be very eye-opening and practical. The seven habits are divided into two groups, four personal and three social. The first group can be summarized in the phrase: "Make a promise, keep a promise". The second can be summarized as: "Involve others in the problem and work out the solution together." In essence, the seven habits are only extensions of two principles, integrity and loyalty. Takeaways and Paths of Action: Habit 1: Be proactive. Change the way you speak about your tasks from reactive to proactive. Here are some examples: Reactive: "I have to meet this deadline." Proactive: "I have chosen to be responsible and to deliver the project on time." Reactive: "This happened, now I have to do it....

The book: This book is a very practical guide to transforming ideas into messages that your audience will care about, understand, and remember. The authors, Chip and Dan, are professors at Stanford and Duke University, respectively, and work with students and entrepreneurs applying their research every day. (They know what they are talking about.) Every one of the 6 principles of sticky ideas is explained through several examples. At the end of each chapter, there is an "idea clinic" where the authors show a real message and improve it using one of the six principles. Takeaways and Paths of Action: At Stanford University, 10 students were asked to present to their classmates about the importance of hat non-violent crime in the U.S. The speeches were evaluated by their peers and ranked from "best" to "poorest". As one may expect, the students with more public speaking experience, who were more eloquent, delivered the "best" speeches....

The book: This is a management guide by Verne Harnish, the founder and CEO of the strategic planning firm Gazelles. Harnish tells how to implement the three Rockefeller principles, Priorities, Data, and Rythm. This book is particularly useful for leaders of growing companies, although several principles can be applied to any type of project, for example, holding regular meetings and getting feedback from stakeholders. There are few detailed explanations, a lot of repetition, and several fictitious stories to help explain the concepts. Takeaways and Paths of Action: 1. Get the numbers (Data): What can be measured, can be done. Every member of your project or organization must have a "smart number" that serves as a quick review of his/her progress. For example, a salesperson may use the number of sales in the week or the number of recurring customers. The COO may use the number of goods produced divided by the number of hours worked; it does not have to be a who...

The book: Charles Duhigg explains how habits are created and how they can be changed. In the first section, the author explains what neuroscientists and social scientists have discovered about habits. Like every chapter, this one is full of real stories that illustrate the concepts. Then, with a similar approach, Duhigg explains organizational habits and how they affect a company's culture and performance. In this section, he also tells how much big companies know about us (what you think is not even close) and how they use that information to change our buying habits. In the third chapter, Duhigg focuses on social habits (that is, habits shared by large communities) using examples from the civil rights movement and a thriving church. In the prologue, the author summarizes the process to change a habit. Takeaways and Paths of Action:  How to change a bad habit Bad habits can be biting nails, eating the candy that you promised you wouldn't, not exercising, spend...

The book: Dale Carnegie was famous for his training programs in  self-improvement, salesmanship, corporate training, public speaking, and interpersonal skills, and he has condensed most of his lectures into this book .  The book is divided into principles that the author explains and illustrates with stories from Amerian public figures or his own students. This book is practical, universal, and can improve your life immensely. I recommend reaming it entirely. T akeaways and Paths of Action: 1. A person's name is to that person the most beautiful sound in any language: "I am bad with names" is the most ridiculous excuse somebody has come up with. Anybody can remember another person's name if they put enough effort into it. (And it is worth it!) Try repeating the other person's name many times during the conversation. For example: "Gloria, nice to meet you, Gloria!" or "Nuria, where does your name come from" You will be surprised by...

The book: Ashlee Vance takes an in-depth look at Elon Musk's life and events that shaped his personality and goals. There's information about how Musk sees life, work, and relationships. In the first chapters, the author talks about Elon's family and childhood, which was influenced by his grandfather and a bad relationship with his dad. Later, Vance tells stories about Musk's college life and first businesses. Despite his initial reluctance, Elon Musk participated in the creation of this book, that is what makes it so real and special.  Takeaways and Paths of Action: 1. Create the right environment: While Elon Musk refuses to spend a couple thousand of dollars in electronics that he thought could be developed for less, he spends hundreds of thousands in factory floors, work areas, and inclusive-workspaces. Look for things that improve productivity, like high-speed internet, close or shared desks, available printers, and so on. Ans why not a coffee machine ...

The book: Ray Dalio, billionaire investor and founder of Bridgewater Associates, explains his proven systematic approach to life and business.  He thinks of himself and the organization he manages as hypothetical goal-oriented machines and develops algorithms (or principles) to achieve the "machine's" goals. It is very information heavy if you consider all the principles he shares (100+). The main idea, however, is to understand how to build an idea meritocracy, which he explains, and to guide your personal decisions based on your own values and principles. Takeaways and Paths of Action: 1. Planning: The planning process is pretty mainstream; you set goals, identify problems, identify the root of the issues, consider alternatives, choose, act, and evaluate at the end. However, some things are often missed. a. Don't tailor the mission to the available people but find the right people to accomplish the mission. b. Use checklists and measurable objective...

The book: This book is a detailed report from a study of 212 startup founders/founding teams, including Steve Wozniak (Apple), Evan Williams (Blogger, Twitter), and Tim Westergren (Pandora Media). Noam Wasserman (author) explains the key decisions that founders and/or co-founders need to make from the day on which they decide to build their company until it is acquired by a larger corporation or goes public. The book also gives advice on dealing with investors and boards, based on the entrepreneur´s motivations, which are typically wealth or power. Takeaways and Paths of Action: The following only apply to individuals that are or would like to become entrepreneurs: 1. Keep co-founder relationships in order: Handshake contracts for equity distribution lower the value of a startup and generate confusion among the members of the team later on. A written agreement benefits everyone. Make sure to plan for worst-case and unexpected scenarios such as bankruptcy...