Happy Monday!
This week’s book is
This book caught my attention by its cover and the reference that I did with Steve Jobs famous message at Harvard Commencement Speech about not trying to connect the dots looking forward, but trusting that they will connect when looking backwards, because they always do.
Estimated reading time: 1 minute, 43 seconds.
Here’s my top 10 takeaways:
1. Resilience
Setbacks and tough times should force you to take stock of your strengths and find new ways to win.
It is how you handle ‘failures’ that ultimately dictates your success.
2. Privilege
You did not have to be born privileged to gain the skills to compete, and no privilege would help you if you didn't invest in developing your skills.
Hard work beats talent.
3. Big Picture
The visible condition of any person, company, state, industry or country is always a symptom of a deeper problem.
To address the real problem you have to investigate the specific underlying issues and learn to step back to see the patterns and trends that point to the bigger picture.
4. Arrows Of Progress
The ability to figure out what change will look like three to five years before it happens, and then act on it, is how you will win.
You can't plan for a world ahead if you're not investing in imagining it.
5. Stagnation
Businesses fail for the same reasons people do: they don't understand market transitions well, they keep doing the same thing for too long, and they don't respond quickly enough when conditions change.
All the data is there to give you the big picture, if you know the right places to look.
6. Vision
It's hard to define where you're going if you can't explain where you are.
If your customers don't care where you're going, ask yourself why.
7. Purpose
When you focus on a mission that is authentic, impactful, differentiated and aspirational, people understand why they are with you.
Customers know what they are buying.
The employees know why they are working there.
Investors understand where you are going.
8. Values
Upholding your values doesn't mean you can't work with people who have a different view of the world.
Just know where your lines are and what cannot be denied when it comes to values and mission.
9. Awareness
Be excited about the opportunities, but don't underestimate the risks.
The key lies in becoming aware.
10. People
The hardest thing to understand in every company is not the products, it's the people.
The strength of your team ultimately determines the strength of your company.
“You are not as good as people think you are when things are going well and you are not as bad as people think you are when things are going bad.”
— John Chambers
Until next week,
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