Reviews and thoughts related to noteworthy non-fiction books and documentaries
I was introduced to Jocko Willink as he made his rounds on a podcast I like by Tim Ferriss. Willink is a former Navy SEAL Commander and current motivational/organizational culture speaker that co-wrote a book that shares a life philosophy derived from his time in the Armed Forces and in combat. I was preparing for …
I am a fan of Chris Froome and Michael Phelps. Every year I sit down and watch Froome methodically work his way through the Tour de France, and although these days are past, I loved watching Michael Phelps overcome his competition and bring the gold back home. Since then, I decided to channel them by …
Every once in a while you’ll come across a text that answers a lot of questions you’ve wanted resolved and introduces new ones at the same time. Daniel Kahneman does that with “Thinking, Fast and Slow.” It explores how the human mind makes decisions and what processes support it and what biases inhibit it. There …
Seth Godin is an author, blogger, speaker, and now podcaster. I’m sure I’m missing a few, but he’s fairly prolific in his work and it’s hard to capture everything Seth Godin wants to be. Of all of his books I found myself wanting to read “Tribes” because of it’s theme on leadership. I am very …
I read Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Goleman because I wanted to understand how having a deeper emotional wherewithal within oneself and with others predicts success more accurately than one’s level of intelligence. It’s commonly argued that in business and life those who relate better to both their peers and strangers tend to perform better than …
Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson (DHH) are recognized for founding 37signals, which is known for its project management software Basecamp, as well as the development of Ruby on Rails, a popular web application framework. Their no nonsense, streamlined approach to developing and managing a business in a competitive startup culture has made its way …
What is positioning? Anyone who paid attention to Marketing 101 in college is probably well versed in the power of positioning and branding. It is a highly productive concept used by marketers to get their brand in the prospect’s mind and can be a tool to reach marketplace dominance. It is also a strategy to …
Are you a new manager? It seems to me that every organization I have ever joined has some kind of required reading for managers. When I worked at UPS as a supervisor in the revenue auditing department it was the One Minute Manager by Ken Blanchard. Now that has been revised and updated into the …
Walt Disney was arguably one of the 20th century’s most iconic businessmen. His vision, perseverance, and quest for upmost quality built a commercial behemoth that would dictate the media, entertainment, and merchandising landscapes for generations. Walt Disney: The Triumph of the American Imagination, by Neal Gabler, is an in depth look into Walt’s life story, …
