What Is Water?: How Young Leaders Can Thrive in an Uncertain World

by Kayvan Kian

We live in a world that feels increasingly volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous (VUCA). For young people, the sense of unease this world creates comes with serious difficulties. Many are how can you lead, grow, and thrive in today's world?

In What is Water? , Kayvan Kian shifts the focus away from this overwhelm and toward ways of thinking that will help you grow stronger through it all. Drawing on everything from ancient Stoic philosophy to contemporary examples, Kayvan delivers an approach for dealing with our VUCA world that is simple, pragmatic, and easily transferable to teams, families, and communities. You are not alone in this struggle, and with this book, you'll be empowered with a strong sense of choice in life, no matter what kind of situations come your way.

Genres: Nonfiction, Psychology, Business, Philosophy, Self Help

160 pages, Hardcover

Published May 2, 2019

Reviews

[Namrata]

I really thought this was a creative self help guide. Unlike others, you can actually use it as a workbook on some pages as well. I really enjoyed that, and thought this book really went inside my thoughts.

[Bogdan Florin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've joined McKinsey Young Leaders Workshop in 2018 and enjoyed a lot the two-day seminar led by Kayvan with some very talented people. I've enjoyed it a lot, many of the tools and techniques mentioned were very clear in my mind, as Kayvan is very stoic in his approach and I had just finished A Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy by William Irvine which goes pretty much in the topic. Quite sure the concepts presented will remain ingrained in me forever. And If I need a back-up, I have the good notes from that workshop, just in case...

Kayvan Kian is a phenomenal entrepreneur, facilitator and thought leader who has inspired thousands of brilliant minds that work at McKinsey and beyond.

Kayvan told me about the book is coming last year, and I was very excited when I've heard about the news, I wanted to have the book before others, however, it arrived last Christmas and got to read this last week. The timing to read the book was also a good one - the Covid19 lockdown.

I was expecting a good book, one that explains how to deal with VUCA (Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and Ambiguous), plus new ways to reflect about the internal struggles and the ones with the outside world. One that solidifies the concepts from the workshop and maybe adds new ones. And that's how it was. More than that it's clear, well structured, and straight to the point. The book has a lot of quotes from respected stoics like Epictetus, Lao Tzu. The book is structured in six chapters:
1. Awareness and choice
2. Positive and negative
3. Strengths and weaknesses
4. You and others
5. Why and how
6. Start and finish

These chapters start with a parable to make you think and reflect on an unexpected way to approach a life situation, continue with concrete cases about how to think about the subjects and have practical frameworks and exercises to approach the situations.

By reading the book you will become more resilient, and better equipped mentally to handle VUCA situation like a leader.

And if you are curious about the name of the book, then check out this video of This Is Water - David Foster Wallace Commencement Speech that is so inspiring: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8CrOL...

And if you want to follow more about Kayvan, check out his new blog -> https://www.whatiswater.art/

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was written by the son of a friend of mine from book club. Gave me lots to think about, easy to read and I recommend it. Lots of examples and workbook like exercises..

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the simplicity of the book especially in light of the VUCA world we live in as the book explains. It was calming and restorative as it broke concepts down simply, making them feel achievable. The book felt like a little bit like a sanctuary to me in this crazy world :)

I felt like I was having a conversation with Kayvan and he came across as very relatable through the text. I also enjoyed the practical exercises which kept me engaged and will help me remember the key points better since they brought a personal note.

I learned many concepts, such as what VUCA itself is. I enjoyed the connections to stories in Greek mythology at the beginning of each chapter. They aligned very well with the topic of each chapter and provided a perfect analogy on the topic Kayvan was explaining.

In summary, this is a really practical little book to help you reach your potential as a member of society. It helps you look after yourself and others.

[Quinten Selhorst · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was introduced to the author of the book when participating in McKinsey’s Young Leaders Forum, as a large part of the program is build upon the insights and context of Kayvan’s book

The main theme of the book is perfectly summarized by an opening quote from David Foster Wallace, that Kayvan uses in one of his first chapters:

“ Learning how to think…really means learning how to exercise some control over how and what you think. It means being conscious and aware enough to choose what you pay attention to and to choose how you construct meaning from experience”.

Applying a “radical focus on what is within your control” is a very powerful concept and can help anyone to better lead themselves and their teams. If you are curious how to thrive in a volatile and hostile environment by using constructs like the ancient mindset of the Stoics and “learned opportunism”, this book is definitely worth reading!

[Valerie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was one of the most interesting Goodreads giveaway books I've won. Not only was this a great self-help guide to young adults, it was also interactive. It included workbook-like pages for readers to fill out their own information and relate it back to the topics at hand and discussed in the book. This is one of those books I wish I'd had access to in middle school, or even high school, as a motivational tool.
I'd recommend this book to (of course, young leaders), more specifically, those in middle school and high school needing a boost in motivation to be the best they can be. I can imagine this book in a counseling office or in a seminar room for students to pick up and browse through, pick up some useful information and pass it on to the next person.

[Leonardo · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wide toolkit of simple and understandable ideas and exercises to develop. That would be a simple and quick summary of this book. It was a pleasant experience to read it with pen in hand doing all the different activities and it was a nice break to be able to write down while reading after so long being a more passive reader. The topics themselves don't delve too deep and it left me wanting fro more in some parts wish I could do more of a in depth reading or watching a couple of lectures of the author to apply a more practical way some of this. It still is an excellent experience and a book from which I will take out a lot of inspiration and tools for use in my own life and possibly in future endeavours.

[Carolyn Sullivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book's secondary title that starts out with "How young leaders..." is too limiting. This book is for the whole of humanity no matter what the age! It encourages the reader to stop focusing on the overwhelming stated glooming odds going on and to take a positive step towards what one can actually accomplish during such challenging times.

There are thoughtful exercises to help one hone their new way of thinking. Encouraging anecdotes from history's warriors that endured during their life's struggles as well.

An easy to read breath of fresh air that makes you stop, think and then remove defeatism from one's vocabulary and lifestyle.

[Melis · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a simple but very sophisticated book which shines light on how to survive in "VUCA" world, very greatly abbreviated. I was given this book during a workshop on how to expand globally as an entrepreneur in a volatile, uncertain, comple and ambigious world. As someone who deeply follow the "be water" analogy from Bruce Lee, this book was complementary to some untapped new thoughts around "adaptation" "meaning" "least effort".

[Ali Khalessi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a must-read book for whoever has the dream to extract the inner diamonds and to know the best decision in uncertain times. It works like a therapist to answer the fundamental questions through a dialogue with you and extract the deepest thoughts of yours to form your mindset. I enjoyed reading that and highly suggest to all who like to make a better version of themselves to read this book.

[LM · Rating 5 out of 5]

Clear, concise and precise workbook. It offers a selection of practical tools that are accessible to and replicable by everyone. Easy to read, it strikes a good balance between (not too) technical parts and storytelling/anecdotes. I read it during an important transition in my life and it helped me take some decisions in an informed way. Definitely recommend it!

[Nicole Janeway · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good for slowing down and considering things in new ways by filling in exercises on a bunch of topics related to life, work, relationships, and goal setting. The writer acknowledges up front that these concepts (a lot borrowed from stoicism) aren't new, but they're presented in a way that's friendly and easy to understand. Nice to see a fresh take on some pretty important questions

[Madison · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great, easy read. It will speak to you no matter where you are in life. It helps you reframe how to think about the things you do every day. I hope to find more happiness out of my work and life now. It definitely came to me at the right moment.

[Mathijs de Jong · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing book! The book provides applicable guidelines for applying concepts of stoics and structure to your life in order to be happy, productive, and resilient to all challenges! One of the best books I've read.

[Steven Ridgely · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great information

[Ahmed Slim · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have enjoyed reading it tremendously: The book is well written, easy to read and well structured!

[Karmen Skandali · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the few books I could finish at one go.. Simple, to the point and a good reminder of how perspective and context affect our lives.

[olmootje · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easy to read and straight to the point. Contains some insightful perspectives.

[Arthur · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting and inspiring

[Namrata]

Goodreads giveaway win. Review to come soon

[Tyson Gaylord · Rating 4 out of 5]

We did a book review podcast episode on it check out the podcast page