When reviewing this type of book, my rating is usually based on how many new and useful ideas I got from it. I think if I had read this many years earWhen reviewing this type of book, my rating is usually based on how many new and useful ideas I got from it. I think if I had read this many years earlier, I might have rated it more highly, but not so much here was new to me.
Roughly speaking, the author argues that we care about too many things, and we need to give less f... ahem, I mean, we need to stop caring about a lot of extraneous things. For example, trying to be popular and liked by everyone takes a lot of effort for not that much payoff. On the other hand, we need to pick a small number of "good values" and good problems, good goals to focus on, and to commit to those....more
Funny, fascinating, and full of thought-provoking ideas. I'm not certain how much I'll retain, but I really enjoyed the ride.Funny, fascinating, and full of thought-provoking ideas. I'm not certain how much I'll retain, but I really enjoyed the ride....more
I really liked this. The concepts were clearly articulated, seem useful, and had "substance" - based on data rather than simply the author's opinions.I really liked this. The concepts were clearly articulated, seem useful, and had "substance" - based on data rather than simply the author's opinions.
Also worth noting: I think this is the first time I've seen a real, special effort put into the audiobook version. When a diagram was involved, the author (who also narrates) would say, for example: "Wherever you are, in your car or walking, imagine a triangle...". When he got to the end, he described briefly the appendixes which were available and pointed the listener to the accompanying PDF. Those examples might seem trivial, but I've listened to a lot of audiobooks, and there was a strong overall sense that the audiobook version of Good to Great was given individual attention....more
If you weren't already terrified of Amazon and Jeff Bezos, you will be after reading this. I knew Amazon had used tough negotiating tactics with publiIf you weren't already terrified of Amazon and Jeff Bezos, you will be after reading this. I knew Amazon had used tough negotiating tactics with publishers / suppliers / competitors, but hadn't quite realized the extent.
One other pattern I noticed was just how completely insane a good idea can look when it is first stated. For example, Kindle's Whispernet (the free 3G connection which lets you download books anywhere) is great, but even now it seems a ridiculously ambitious idea - I can only imagine what it was like to be the engineer on the receiving end of that spec in the mid-2000s. I think I'll be a lot slower to rule out crazy ideas now, having read this.
It seems wrong to call it “business.” It seems wrong to throw all those hectic days and Inspiring, and reads like a good thriller.
My favorite passage:
It seems wrong to call it “business.” It seems wrong to throw all those hectic days and sleepless nights, all those magnificent triumphs and desperate struggles, under that bland, generic banner: business. What we were doing felt like so much more.
[...]
When you make something, when you improve something, when you deliver something, when you add some new thing or service to the lives of strangers, making them happier, or healthier, or safer, or better, and when you do it all crisply and efficiently, smartly, the way everything should be done but so seldom is - you’re participating more fully in the whole grand human drama. More than simply alive, you’re helping others to live more fully, and if that’s business, all right, call me a businessman. Maybe it will grow on me. ...more
Stunning. The scale of the intrigue, the cast of famous names caught up in the reality distortion field, the ruthlessness, the fact that it's a true sStunning. The scale of the intrigue, the cast of famous names caught up in the reality distortion field, the ruthlessness, the fact that it's a true story.... the pacing though, was the icing on the cake for me. I was enjoying the book massively already when the story really kicked into high gear in the final third, and from that point on stopping was not an option. Truth is stranger than fiction, and in this case, more gripping too....more
This was extremely useful - highly recommended for parents of small kids.
I found a lot of tips which seemed useful, and was often surprised by how smoThis was extremely useful - highly recommended for parents of small kids.
I found a lot of tips which seemed useful, and was often surprised by how smoothly they worked in real life. A few times after defusing annoying situations surprisingly easily, I turned around to my wife and pointed at myself with a smug look, like "check out the skills on this guy"!
Each section of the book tackles a different problem area, e.g. "food" (when kids refuse to eat etc) or "mornings" (how to get kids out of the house in a somewhat reasonable timeframe - God knows I needed this one). The sections each have their own individual lessons, but there is useful repetition of basic concepts across sections, e.g. acknowledging your child's feelings ("You really wanted to keep watching TV, didn't you?"). This repetition of the basic concepts helps cement the lessons.
The book is full of descriptions of real situations, complete with dialogue - this is very helpful in figuring out how the lessons apply concretely in real life....more
I'd recommend this to anyone. It's aimed at people who want to be screenwriters, but the way it pulls films apart and shows the pieces they consist ofI'd recommend this to anyone. It's aimed at people who want to be screenwriters, but the way it pulls films apart and shows the pieces they consist of, what makes them work well etc, is relevant to anyone who loves movies, or even just stories....more
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