A leading economist charts the indirect road to happiness and wealth.
Using dozens of practical examples from the worlds of busine... read full description
Using dozens of practical examples from the worlds of busine... read full description
reviews
Nov 27, 2011
Emanuela
rated it: 
Per spiegare il pensiero obliquo l'autore ricorre spesso a confronti con lo sport:
Ed Smith, giocatore di cricket e scrittore, esprime questo concetto molto bene: "Non dico che lo sviluppo personale sia più importante della vittoria; al contrario, dico che godere del viaggio alla scoperta di sé, rimuovendo parte della pressione e delle angosce associate alla vittoria a tutti i costi, aiuta a vincere più spesso".
Bob Rotella autore di 'Golf is not a Game of Perfect' More...
Ed Smith, giocatore di cricket e scrittore, esprime questo concetto molto bene: "Non dico che lo sviluppo personale sia più importante della vittoria; al contrario, dico che godere del viaggio alla scoperta di sé, rimuovendo parte della pressione e delle angosce associate alla vittoria a tutti i costi, aiuta a vincere più spesso".
Bob Rotella autore di 'Golf is not a Game of Perfect' More...
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Nov 27, 2011
The Joy of Booking
rated it: 
Just the kind of “stuff I’ve always known without being put into words” kind of book I like! Quick: which band do you think has a chance at making it big? The band that has real passion for what they do and whose focus is on making music, or the band that has determined what a #1-selling band looks like, sounds like, and acts like and has strategically implemented all of those elements in order to get rich? If you guessed the first one, you already get the premise of Obliquity.
Our soci More...
Our soci More...
Jun 07, 2011
Jeffrey
rated it:
Recommended. However, like many business and conceptually-driven academic books, the provocative concepts in the book make enduring the repetition and lack of stark definition worthwhile.
I am annoyed at the publisher and whatever writer from the Financial Times placed and wrote, respectively, the quote saying Kay was an excellent writer on the book's front cover. Unfortunately, Kay is not a great writer, as he failed to solve the problem of having an absorbing book spring out of con More...
I am annoyed at the publisher and whatever writer from the Financial Times placed and wrote, respectively, the quote saying Kay was an excellent writer on the book's front cover. Unfortunately, Kay is not a great writer, as he failed to solve the problem of having an absorbing book spring out of con More...
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Nov 28, 2011
Joseph
rated it:
The book discusses on why an indirect/muddling through (or just oblique) way is better than a direct approach. For example, why paradoxically, the happiest people in the world arent pursuing happiness per se nor are the richest people on the world maximizing wealth per se...that happiness and wealth are often a by product of our passion/energy.
the book also advocates an present adaptive approach to achieving goals vs long term plan. I agree with this thinking. another thinking is to More...
the book also advocates an present adaptive approach to achieving goals vs long term plan. I agree with this thinking. another thinking is to More...
Sep 28, 2011
Carla
rated it: 
I read this book in Dutch (for Managementboek.nl). I rated it as "okay" because the message is interesting, as are the examples but I didn't see the practicality of it. Even the chapter "Obliquity in practice" gave more arguments and not the "how to apply this" that I hoped for. Kay argues that often goals for success, happiness aren't reached directly but indirectly. People or companies that aim at being successful, often aren't so successful. I found the concept o
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Nov 17, 2011
Ed
rated it: 
Well I read this book in more or less one sitting today. Couldn't put it down. I guess it has profoundly shaken some of my ideas about how to make good decisions, and I will have to weave it into my conflict work.It is a well written and persuasively argued case for going about achieving things indirectly, in an exploratory, provisional way. And this is necessary in business, in our own personal lives, in our attempts to become happy. Life is way too complex for our goals to be always clearly st
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Aug 07, 2011
Jonno
rated it:
I enjoyed this book. Kay's style is engaging and simple enough not to require too much concentration. He draws on the same set of examples throughout the book, which does get a little tiresome, and the big idea is simple enough that maybe the book could have been a little shorter. But it's an important big idea, and one that's applicable to many different spheres of life and work.
For a decent synopsis of the book, by the author himself, check out the talk he gave at the RSA last year. More...
For a decent synopsis of the book, by the author himself, check out the talk he gave at the RSA last year. More...
Nov 21, 2010
Polle
rated it:
The idea of obliquity is interesting, but Kay keeps elaborating on the same theme.
Nov 17, 2011
Laura
rated it:
This was an interesting read, but less earth shattering than the blurb led me to expect. At one point the author himself comments that "everyone else knows that our approach to problem solving is more oblique." If you are a game theorist or economist who believes everyone makes rational choices, this may be the book that changes your mind. If you're part of the "everyone else" you'll find some philosophical/psychological backup for ideas you know to be true ("The more
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Nov 17, 2011
Lihsian
rated it:
My review in The Star daily
http://biz.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp...
http://biz.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp...
Nov 17, 2011
Susan
rated it:
Interesting so far, not convinced with all his arguments, but hope to find time to finish reading this book
Nov 17, 2011
Dhiren
rated it: 
Useful, but slightly verbose in places and full of anecdotes and references that bloat the book.
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