Category Archives: Books

Ouch! That’s gotta hurt.

From “the 34 ton bat”

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Disclaimer: Thoughts and opinions are my own, and do not reflect the views of any employer, family member, friend, or anyone else. Some links may be affiliate links, but I don't link to anything I don't use myself. You would think this should be self evident these days, but apparently not...

The Founders đź“–

Super interesting book. Surprising how much I recall hearing about or living through, but now getting the behind the scenes look. From the people you always hear about like Musk, Thiel, and Hoffman to the less known names this is an easy read that’s worth the time.

Here’s one passage in particular that I found telling and interesting. Specifically this “People who are smart and energetic are often angry. Not at each other, usually. Rather, they’re angry that we’re ‘not there yet'”

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On consulting…

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Disclaimer: Thoughts and opinions are my own, and do not reflect the views of any employer, family member, friend, or anyone else. Some links may be affiliate links, but I don't link to anything I don't use myself. You would think this should be self evident these days, but apparently not...

It’s Your Ship

Just finished It’s Your Ship, and can’t recommend it highly enough! I haven’t read a book in a while that spoke to what I might call a “personal philosophy”, but this is about as close as it gets. Love the focus on feedback, fun, and treating people like responsible adults.

Leadership principles outline in the book:

  • Take command
  • Learn real leadership
  • Lead by example
  • Listen aggressively
  • Communicate purpose and meaning
  • Create a climate of trust
  • Look for results, not salutes
  • Take calculated risks
  • Go beyond standard procedure
  • Build up your people
  • Generate unity
  • Improve your people’s quality of life

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Disclaimer: Thoughts and opinions are my own, and do not reflect the views of any employer, family member, friend, or anyone else. Some links may be affiliate links, but I don't link to anything I don't use myself. You would think this should be self evident these days, but apparently not...

The Culture Code

Just finished reading “The Culture Code” by Daniel Coyle, and have to say that I would highly recommend it especially to anyone in a management or leadership position. You can find the 3 parts and some recommended actions below.

  1. Build Safety
    • Overcommunicate your listening
    • Spotlight your fallibility early on – especially if you’re a leader
    • Embrace the messenger
    • Preview future connection
    • Overdo thank-yous
    • Be painstaking in the hiring process
    • Eliminate bad apples
    • Create safe, collision-rich spaces
    • Make sure everyone has a voice
    • Pick up trash
    • Capitalize on the threshold moments
    • Avoid giving sandwich feedback
    • Embrace fun
  2. Share Vulnerability
    • Make sure the leader is vulnerable first and often
    • Overcommunicate expectations
    • Deliver the negative stuff in person
    • When forming new groups, focus on two critical moments (1st vulnerability & 1st disagreement)
    • Listen like a trampoline
    • In conversation, resist the temptation to reflexively add value
    • Use candor-generating practices like AARs, BrainTrusts and Red Teaming
    • Aim for candor; avoid brutal honesty
    • Embrace the discomfort
    • Align language with action
    • Build a wall between performance review and professional development
    • Use flash mentoring
    • Make the leader occasionally disappear
  3. Establish Purpose
    • Name and rank your priorities
    • Be ten times as clear about your priorities as you think you should be
    • Figure our where your group aims for proficiency and where it aims for creativity
    • Embrace the use of catchphrases
    • Measure what really matters
    • Use artifacts
    • Focus on bar-setting behaviors

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Disclaimer: Thoughts and opinions are my own, and do not reflect the views of any employer, family member, friend, or anyone else. Some links may be affiliate links, but I don't link to anything I don't use myself. You would think this should be self evident these days, but apparently not...

10% Happier

Just finished 10% Happier by Dan Harris that chronicles his journey from young upstart reporter to drug use then finding meditation as a tool to help calm the mind and make him 10% happier. It really is a good book, and his sarcastic tone makes it a perfect read for anyone skeptical of meditation and Buddhism. Probably my favorite chapter is the one on his experience at a 10 day silent retreat, and the skeptical/derogatory thoughts running through his mind. In the end, the best part is that I didn’t think it came off as preachy or as my mom would say “she she la la”. Give it a try, or if you want to check out his next book try: Meditation for Fidgety Skeptics. It’s on my list.

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Disclaimer: Thoughts and opinions are my own, and do not reflect the views of any employer, family member, friend, or anyone else. Some links may be affiliate links, but I don't link to anything I don't use myself. You would think this should be self evident these days, but apparently not...

Tribe of Mentors

Just finished Tribe of Mentors by Tim Ferriss which is really just a follow up to Tools of Titans if you ask me. That said, there’s still some wisdom here that is worth considering. Find some of my highlights and points to ponder below.

  • addiction is when we’ve “lost the freedom to abstain.” Let us reclaim that freedom.
  • While everyone else is running around with a list of responsibilities a mile long—things they’re not actually responsible for—you’ve got just that one-item list. You’ve got just one thing to manage: your choices, your will, your mind. So mind it.
  • Most teenagers choose to fool around rather than exert themselves. Halfhearted, lazy effort gives them a ready-made excuse: “It doesn’t matter. I wasn’t even trying.”
  • One of the most powerful things you can do as a human being in our hyperconnected, 24/7 media world is say: “I don’t know.” Or, more provocatively: “I don’t care.”
  • There is almost no situation in which hatred helps. Yet almost every situation is made better by love—or empathy, understanding, appreciation
  • We’d rather be pissed off, bitter, raging inside than risk an awkward conversation that might actually help this person and make the world a better place. We don’t just want people to be better, we expect it to magically happen
  • amor fati (a love of fate). It’s not just accepting, it’s loving everything that happens.
  • Let’s not confuse acceptance with passivity.
  • Perhaps today will be the day when we experience happiness or wisdom. Don’t try to grab that moment and hold on to it with all your might. It’s not under your control how long it lasts. Enjoy it, recognize it, remember it. Having it for a moment is the same as having it forever.
  • there is one thing and only one thing that causes unhappiness. The name of that thing is Attachment.
  • Don’t let another day tick away in ignorance of the reality that you’re a dying person. We all are. Can today be the day we stop pretending otherwise?
  • while we might be good at protecting our physical property, we are far too lax at enforcing our mental boundaries. Property can be regained; there is quite a bit of it out there—some of it still untouched by man. But time? Time is our most irreplaceable asset—we cannot buy more of it. We can only strive to waste as little as possible.

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Disclaimer: Thoughts and opinions are my own, and do not reflect the views of any employer, family member, friend, or anyone else. Some links may be affiliate links, but I don't link to anything I don't use myself. You would think this should be self evident these days, but apparently not...

Kristen Hadeed – Learning to Lead

I thought this was pretty good and she has an interesting story. Feel free to pick up a copy of the book too.

#238: Kristen Hadeed—Learning to LeadPlease remember to subscribe to the newsletter to stay up to date!

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Disclaimer: Thoughts and opinions are my own, and do not reflect the views of any employer, family member, friend, or anyone else. Some links may be affiliate links, but I don't link to anything I don't use myself. You would think this should be self evident these days, but apparently not...

The Hard Thing About Hard Things

Just finished “The Hard Thing About Hard Things” by Ben Horowitz who is probably best known as the Horowitz in “Andreessen Horowitz” – as in Marc Andreessen of Netscape fame. It was a quick read. Mostly targeted at CEOs, especially CEOs of tech startups, but still had some useful ideas and concepts for those of us not in that camp. I’ve pulled out a few of my favorites below.

  • If you’re going to eat $hit, don’t nibble
  • The customer only knows what she thinks she wants based on her experience with the current product. The innovator can take into account everything that’s possible
  • In any human interaction, the required amount of communication is inversely proportional to the level of trust.
  • Build a culture that rewards – not punishes – people for getting problems into the open where they can be solved.
  • When you expect your employees to act like adults, they generally do. If you treat them like children, then get ready for your company to turn into one big Barney episode.
  • Being too busy to train is the moral equivalent of being too hungry to eat.
  • Management purely by numbers is sort of like painting by numbers—it’s strictly for amateurs.
  • The Law of Crappy People states: For any title level in a large organization, the talent on that level will eventually converge to the crappiest person with the title.
  • Once an employee takes a public stance, the social pressure for him to be consistent is enormous.
  • Shock is a great mechanism for behavioral change.
  • Move fast and break things.
  • Perks are good, but they are not culture.
  • You want to optimize the organization for the people—for the people doing the work—not for the managers.
  • In life, everybody faces choices between doing what’s popular, easy, and wrong versus doing what’s lonely, difficult, and right.
  • How easy is it for any given individual contributor to get her job done?” In well-run organizations, people can focus on their work (as opposed to politics and bureaucratic procedures) and have confidence that if they get their work done, good things will happen both for the company and for them personally. By contrast, in a poorly run organization, people spend much of their time fighting organizational boundaries and broken processes.

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Disclaimer: Thoughts and opinions are my own, and do not reflect the views of any employer, family member, friend, or anyone else. Some links may be affiliate links, but I don't link to anything I don't use myself. You would think this should be self evident these days, but apparently not...

The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*uck

Recently finished listening to the audio version of The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck by Mark Manson, and have to say I would highly recommend it. You’ll have to get past the language if that’s an issue for you, but the message is definitely worth it.

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Disclaimer: Thoughts and opinions are my own, and do not reflect the views of any employer, family member, friend, or anyone else. Some links may be affiliate links, but I don't link to anything I don't use myself. You would think this should be self evident these days, but apparently not...