The Mosaic Principle: The Six Dimensions of a Remarkable Life and Career

by Nick Lovegrove

Life—personally and professionally—is lived to the fullest as a mosaic, encompassing a rich and complex set of diverse experiences that provide purpose, meaning, happiness, and success.

Yet, the pressures of modern society push us toward narrower focus and deeper specialization in our lives and careers. Our pursuit of specific expertise risks us becoming isolated from those different from us; our lack of shared experience fosters suspicion and conflict. Today we have businesspeople and government officials who persistently distrust and demonize each other; a fortunate swath of society with professional and financial security, increasingly isolated from those left behind; and community leaders who struggle to relate to and connect with the communities they serve. In every walk of life we have allowed ourselves to be pushed into self-defining cocoons from which it is difficult to break out.

Nick Lovegrove's compelling vision provides the way out of this contemporary trap. He supplies vivid portraits of those who get it right (such as Paul Farmer, the physician whose broad and imaginative choices bring health and hope to the world's poorest people) and those who get it deeply wrong (such as Jeffrey Skilling, the former CEO of Enron) and connects their experiences with a blueprint of six skills— a moral compass, transferrable skills, contextual intelligence, prepared mind, intellectual thread, and extended network. The Mosaic Principle will help you to succeed in an ever-changing, more complex, and diverse world, and build a more remarkable and fulfilling life.

Genres: Business, Nonfiction

352 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 2016

Reviews

[Юра Мельник · Rating 2 out of 5]

Не став дочитувати, бо, дійсно, забагато води. Не розумію кому може сподобатись читати такий потік шаблонних "прикладів із життя" для пояснення більш-менш раціональних і потрібних підходів. Сенс книги безумовно вартий уваги, але його можна було викласти у статті на 20 сторінок. Як книгу, я оціню це творіння на 1,5 зірочки, а як принцип - на 4.

[Reed · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full of stories and practical advice, this book provides persuasive rationale for the professional and personal advantages of breadth of experience. Highly recommend for anyone who is a) deciding how to maximize their impact in the world, b) considering a career change, and/or c) feeling that their workplace is growing stale. While not addressed directly, I suspect that much of the advice is also pertinent to those facing career burnout. I wrote more marginalia in it than any other book that I own. To enhance learning, I plan to go back and review all of those margin notes.

[Solomiya Zahray · Rating 5 out of 5]

We are told by our surroundings and society that we can succeed only when following a certain structured career path, the author argued however, that by acquiring experience in different fields makes us have a unique point of view and a broad approach to life- helping reuse knowledge and apply it into practice in different fields of life. Specialization- I don’t think so, at least not for life. Live a broad spectrum of careers. Be curious and challenge yourself to be a novice over and over and over again. This book aligns with my personal life philosophy.

[Helen Blunden · Rating 2 out of 5]

Technically, I didn't read the book in full as I skimmed it. It's quite heavy going with lots of examples and cases of individuals who have created a successful life and career. It's written more like a management text where you have to "fish out" the tips, strategies and ideas. The notes and references are quite detailed. Only read this book if you want a deep read.

[Farrah · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's an interesting idea, but filled with anecdotes which don't really resonate with me.

One thing I got out of it: To avoid becoming a "jack of all trades, master of none," one must add their own experience and perspective (from the vertical line in the T) to their larger skill set (the horizontal line)

[Supinder · Rating 1 out of 5]

An easy and undemanding read - a lazy and guileless summary of authors such as Adam Grant and David Brookes. Considering the furore surrounding Brunswick PR vis a vis the Save the Children charity and Alan Parker, the sections on character ring like hollow bullshit.

[A Ter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some good lessons and guiding frameworks, though for someone who exalts breadth, it feels like so many of the examples of success (and the successful) are remarkably narrow.

[LaShana Claude · Rating 5 out of 5]

Professor Erin Meyer- INSEAD- author of the Culture Map

Press inquiries

ww,publicaffairsbooks.com

[James · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's readable, but most of the corporate examples were boring and over long, although the author at least made an effort to make the lessons therein transferable to government and non-profits.

That said, except for a tiny section at the end, this book has nothing to do with life as a whole, just career, and mostly mid to late career at that.

A lot of it also felt like namedropping.

Overall, it had some interesting points, but there's probably a better book with the same perspective.

[Adriana Colella · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was lucky enough to get a copy of the book before the full release, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. As a recent college graduate in an increasingly competitive job market, Lovegrove's thoughtful case for broad experience, instead of specialization, really resonated with me. I attended a liberal arts college and graduated with an English degree. More and more, the type of education I decided to pursue is deemed a waste. However, Lovegrove argues that the breadth of experience and problem-solving skills liberal arts students gain are necessary and important for recent grads. Through reading the book, I feel that I can better articulate why my skill set is valuable to future employers. Additionally, Lovegrove illustrates his points with profiles of different interesting people. This was my favorite aspect of the book. Although I had not heard of most of the people, the people he profiles, like Paul Farmer inspired me with all they have been able to achieve in their careers as well as all the good they have been able to do for the world.

Overall, Lovegrove makes a powerful, well-argued case against over-specialization. I would definitely recommend this book to other recent grads and anyone who needs to refresh their approach to their careers or lives.