Reading Recommendations

Books on Business, Technology, and Behavioral Economics – with a favorite quote or takeaway

Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions

Happiness and the theory of relativity – most people don’t know what they want unless they see it in context. We tend to evaluate lifestyle, jobs, coveted belongings with easily available comparisons. The good news is that we can sometimes control the “circles” around us, moving toward smaller circles that boost our relative happiness. If we are at our class reunion, and there’s a “big circle” in the middle of the room with a drink in his hand, boasting of his fancy car, we can consciously take several steps away and talk with someone else.

Friction —The Untapped Force That Can Be Your Most Powerful Advantage

It’s less about the technology, and more about the experience it enables

Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap… and Others Don’t

First who then what – First get the right people on and the wrong people off the bus, then figure where to drive it. Who questions come before strategy, vision, direction

What Happened to Goldman Sachs: An Insider’s Story of Organizational Drift and Its Unintended Consequences

Validate every action with – will this be ok if it appears on the first page of the Wall Street Journal?

External Blogs on Business, Technology, and Behavioral Economics – with a link to a favorite post

Stratechery – Ben’s blog goes deep into specifics as he maps current market trends and business model strategies to long term visions

5iq – Tren’s blog focuses on valuable lessons impacting business, investing, and technology

Business Lessons from Jess Lee of Sequoia Capital

Dan Ariely’s Blog – A must-follow blog for anyone remotely interested in behavioral economics and the psychology of everyday decision making

Inspiring Blog Posts


Other Fun Reads – with more favorite quotes/takeaways

Originals: How Non-Conformists Move the World

Great creators don’t necessarily have the deepest expertise but rather seek out the broadest perspectives

Escape from Camp 14: One Man’s Remarkable Odyssey from North Korea to Freedom in the West

More than anything, this book drills perspective into you though a deeply touching true story – it is hard to capture the message in one quote

True North: Discover Your Authentic Leadership

Authentic leadership means developing your own style – you do not have to be like anyone else

Do you talk Funny? 7 Comedy Habits to become a better (and funnier) Public Speaker

Be concise: brevity is the soul of wit: ask yourself what is the funny part of your story and how you can get there quickly without dwelling on details

Leading: Learning from Life and my years at Manchester United

Part of the way you develop excellence in an organisation is to be careful about the way you define success. I was always careful about setting specific, long-range targets. I would never say, ‘We expect to win the League and two pieces of silverware this season.’ First, it conveys the wrong message, because it sounds cocky and arrogant. Second, it applies a lot of additional pressure on everyone without any real benefit. Third, it sets everyone up for disappointment. It was much easier to say, ‘At United we expect to win every game,’.

The Alchemist

There is only one way to learn – that is through action

The Real Madrid Way: How values created the most successful sports team on the planet

Curious about the inner workings of a soccer club (or any other big sports team)? This book provides extremely detailed insights into both the business and sporting aspects

The Subtle Art of not giving a F

Who you are is defined by what you are willing to struggle for
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