By Durk Price
I read a lot. Much of what I read is marketing and business books. I find it enjoyable and relaxing to sit down with a good book and get lost in it. The side benefit is that I almost always learn something that I can apply to my business – whether it’s a process or a philosophy or even what not to do.
Here are some of the books I read recently and would recommend you check out:
Boomerang by Michael Lewis: This is a great read on the European money crisis or the area of the world he calls the “new third world countries”.
That Used to Be Us by Thomas Friedman and Michael Mandelbaum: I’m not sure they got everything right. They totally ignored the entire agricultural industry of the US- but thought provoking nonetheless.
Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson: I read this one over a week’s stay in Paris. Big, big WOW. Before reading this I knew very little about Jobs as “I am a PC.” Now that I am a very satisfied Phone and iPad user, I found this was a really intriguing read.
Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol Dweck: The portion of this book related to business success was very compelling – slightly less so as she ventured into personal relationships. Related to parenting and the habit of praising our kids for success and how it can actually be a negative. Well, that was eye opening. I know my kids were raised in a “praise-full” environment of teachers, friends and parents. And I have experienced first-hand letdowns when they don’t succeed or are provided with feedback they don’t like and how they react. They are learning that disagreement is not rejection and that feedback can build better relationships in business as well as their personal lives. It took me a long time to learn that as well.
Here are some key quotes from the book:
- ”People may start with different temperaments and different attitudes, but it is clear that experience, training and personal effort take them the rest of the way. Robert Sternberg, the present day-day guru of intelligence write that the major factor in whether people achieve expertise “is not some fixed prior ability, but purposeful engagement.” Or, as his forerunner Binet recognized, it’s not always the people who start out the smartest who end up the smartest.”
- “The passion (my emphasis) for stretching yourself and sticking to it, even (or especially) when it’s not going well is the hallmark of a growth mindset.”
- “The other thing exceptional people seem to have is a special talent for converting life’s setback into future successes.
If anyone reading this has a book suggestion pleas forward it to me or simply comment on this post.
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