Continuing copying my book reviews from my LinkedIn Amazon widget to my blog. I’ve referenced Talent is Overrated in Episode 6: Leadership and Creativity.
This book is about high performance and achievement, whether in a sport, music, art, science, engineering, medicine, chess, etc. The title comes by Colvin first explaining how there has been no discovery of any genetic component to talent; i.e., there is no scientific evidence that any person is born with an inherent talent for anything.
Colvin describes the process by which people do achieve high performance. This is called Deliberate Practice. This is a process by which someone continually stretches their abilities, through a repetitive process with a lot of feedback.
Colvin goes into what deliberate practice does to a person and where the motivation comes from for a person to dedicate themselves to the practice.
After reading “Talent is Overrated” by Geoff Colvin, I felt I had to read “Talent is Never Enough” by John C. Maxwell. Whereas “Talent is Overrated” takes the perspective that God-given talent may not really exist and then gives a study of Deliberate Practice that leads to high performance, “Talent is Never Enough” starts with the assumption that God-given talent does exists, but, as the title states, it is never enough for achievement. Maxwell writes that what is needed is:
- Belief
- Passion
- Initiative
- Focus
- Preparation
- Practice
- Perseverance
- Courage
- Being teachable
- One’s personal character
- Relationships with others
- Responsibility
- Teamwork
There’s a chapter for each of the topics with plenty of examples.
For me, the book started out as a “rah-rah” book, cheer-leading one on to self-help. However, a couple of the points in the book did personally resonate strongly with me, and I suspect there would be a point or two or more most other people would strongly resonate with.
If you only wanted to read one book about talent, I would recommend “Talent is Overrated”. But you couldn’t go wrong reading this one, too.
A great book, and very popular. The company where a friend of mine works uses this book as the corporate philosophical guide (their “bible”). Collins previously wrote Built To Last about companies which started out and historically remained great. Good To Great describes companies that were historically mediocre or good and which became great, and discusses the commonalities of how they did that:
Leadership: humble, modest, fearless, with extreme professional will, who channel their egos and ambitions to the companies, not themselves; as opposed to a celebrity, larger-than-life type of leader. They train successors, do what needs to be done, give credit, and take responsibility.
Selection: they focused first on getting the right people in the company and then on vision and strategy. This is a common thread in business books: selection is key, as with the right people, you can do anything. Character traits (work ethic, basic intelligence, dedication to commitments, and values) were focused on more than specific knowledge and skills (which are teachable).
Having unwavering faith that they will prevail AND confronting the brutal facts of their situations head-on. This is one reason the right leadership is so important, as people may not give a leader with a coercive or corrosive personality hard facts in fear of being retaliated against or labeled pessimistic. The right leader will confront the hard facts and do what needs to be done.
Working in an area that they are deeply passionate about and that they can be the best in the world at, and knowing exactly what drives cash flow and profitability and maximizing that. Collins calls this the Hedgehog Concept.
Combining a culture of discipline (while avoiding bureaucracy and hierarchy) with an ethic of entrepreneurship. Have a framework with clear constraints consistent with the Hedgehog concept, and give people freedom and responsibility to act within it. As important as knowing what to do, it is also important to know what to stop doing.
Use of carefully selected technologies that support the companies’ Hedgehog concept. Technology by itself cannot create momentum, but the right technology can accelerate it.
Continually, gradually implemented transformations. Sustainable transformations never happened in one big change, but rather by a cumulative, incremental process that added up over time.
Of the 11 good-to-great companies profiled in the book, two have since gone down in flames in the current economic climate: Fannie Mae and Circuit City. I wouldn’t let that discourage reading of the book, though. From looking at long-term stock charts on Yahoo Finance, it looks like most of the other companies, including Wells Fargo, would still fall into Collins’ good-to-great model, and there’s certainly plenty of good take away here.
An excellent book on what Collins calls Visionary Companies, companies that have been around for many decades, and in some cases a couple of centuries, and have been much more successful (over the long term) than companies started around the same time in the same industries. Some of the companies discussed are 3M, Boeing, Ford, Hewlett-Packard, Motorola, Sony, and Walt Disney. The authors describe what these companies did differently than their comparison companies:
They had very strong strategic intent, meaning very strong core values and core purposes (beyond just the making of profit) that were used in guiding them, and built-in many mechanisms into their companies (selection processes, reward systems, etc.) that reinforced their values.
Many of them used Big Hairy Audacious Goals, in some cases betting the entire company on them, to strongly motivate and inspire their people and to continue the company making progress. They would also try a lot of stuff (exemplified by 3M) and keep what worked. In order to keep making progress, these companies would try anything and everything, except those things that would be contrary to their core values.
As a general rule, these companies would grow their management teams, hardly ever hiring anyone from the outside, in order to maintain their core values. And they also built in mechanisms for constant improvement so complacency wouldn’t settle in and they’d lose their competitive edge.
The authors argue that the biggest achievement of these companies were in the architecting and building of the companies themselves in such a way that could endure and prosper for so long, across generations of different leaders, different products & services, and across the many changes in technology and society.
The things the visionary companies did not do as a rule was start with a great idea nor have the larger-than-life charismatic leader. In fact, in the comparison companies, early success and “great” leaders tended to work against the companies in the long run.
This is a Management 101 book, highly recommended. The authors describe what Great Managers do and how they do it: selecting the right people, defining the right outcomes, focusing on peoplesâ strengths, and finding the right fit for the people they manage.
A good book laying the foundations of teamwork, starting with the most fundamental building block of Trust, which leads to Healthy Conflict, which leads to Commitment, which leads to Accountability, which finally leads to Attention to Results. Lencioni writes most of the book in a fictional, or fable, form, which I didn’t appreciate until the second time I read the book, at which point I couldn’t put the book down. If you just want to get to the meat of the book first, start towards the end on the chapter titled The Model, then go back to the beginning of the book.
A Management 101 book, highly recommended. The title has Executive in its title, and Drucker defines an executive as a knowledge worker — someone whose contribution materially affects the capacity of an organization to perform and to obtain results, so this book is not just for the C-level folks. Drucker describes how to manage oneself for effectiveness:
- Manage your time effectively
- Focus on what you can contribute that will significantly affect the organization’s performance and results
- Focus on your and others’ strengths, as opposed to focusing on and trying to improve weaknesses, though an executive with a corrupted character or integrity should not be in any position of power
- Do first things first and one thing at a time — no multitasking!
- Make effective decisions, covered in two excellent chapters
Excellent book on negotiating. Ury has written two other books since, which he advises to read in reverse order, starting with “The Power of a Positive No”, then “Getting Past No”, and finally “Getting To Yes”. But you can’t go wrong reading this first in any case.
Here’s an excerpted essay about this book I wrote for a UCSD Course on Sales:
Getting To Yes is a book on a method of negotiating that the authors call “principled negotiation.” It is a method they describe as being soft on people, but hard on the problem (the issue(s) being negotiated). This method is obviously appropriate for formal negotiations, but also for conflict resolution in general, as well as being directly applicable in sales situations other than formal negotiations; it can be used when negotiating for a raise, in determining the price of a house, in deciding where to go to dinner with your spouse, or in deciding a nuclear arms treaty. The authors argue that if agreement is possible, then this method will more likely produce an agreement that meets the legitimate interests of both sides to as great an extent as possible, in as an efficient a way as possible, while improving, or at least not damaging, the relationship between both sides.
The method consists of four propositions:
1. Separate the People from the Problem. This means dealing with “people problems” directly and separately from the negotiation issues so as to help build a relationship based on trust, understanding, respect, and friendship, which will help in future dealings. One skill needed here is emotional intelligence: understand the other side’s point of view, don’t assume the worst from or about them, don’t blame them for your problem (even if justified), recognize and deal appropriately with your and the other’s emotions, and make your proposals consistent with their values. Another important skill here is communication: listen actively and acknowledge what is being said, speak to be understood, and speak for a purpose (some things are better left unsaid).
2. Focus on Interests, Not on Positions. Interests are a side’s needs, desires, concerns, and fears, whereas a position is something decided upon to meet the interests. Uncover the other side’s interests by being empathetic and asking questions. Discuss your interests so the other side understands their importance and legitimacy, and acknowledge their interests.
3. Invent Options for Mutual Gain. This is a creative process where various options are thought of to satisfy both sides’ interests. One must be careful here to not jump to a premature judgment and to not narrow down the options — the idea is to first brainstorm (with or without the other side) to create as many options as possible in order to “expand the pie,” and then afterwards make a decision. The end result of this step is to present the other side with an option that meets their (and your) interests such that it makes their decision easy.
4. Insist on using Objective Criteria. When faced with clear conflicting interests, in order to produce wise agreements amicably and efficiently, this part of the method says to insist on using independent objective criteria to decide between different options or a compromise, as opposed to deciding based on the will of the sides. There are many different standards that can be used, like tradition, reciprocity, and professional standards, so the key is to decide, based on the issue, which one(s) apply. Even deciding based on a coin toss may be a fair way to decide an issue when no other fair way exists.
The rest of the book discusses developing your Best Alternative To a Negotiated Alternative (BATNA), how to handle the other side if they won’t behave in a principled manner, and other miscellaneous issues in principled negotiation.
The book emphasizes the importance of preparation, which applies whether one is preparing for a negotiation or a sales call. In one’s preparations, they definitely need to determine what their interests are, they need to try to determine what the other side’s interests are, and with that information invent as many options as possible and determine which objective criteria and/or processes can be used. And perhaps the most important thing one can do in preparation is to develop their BATNA, especially if the other side has more power.
Another excellent book on negotiating. Ury has written two other books, which he advises to read in reverse order, starting with “The Power of a Positive No”, then “Getting Past No”, and finally “Getting To Yes”. I recommend all three.
Getting Past No discusses how to deal with difficult situations and difficult people by controlling your own emotions and handling the other side’s negative emotions, positional behavior, dissatisfactions, and power.
Of course, the first thing you’ll want to do before negotiating with another is to understand your interests, the other side’s interests, invent options for mutual gains, figure out which fair standards can apply to resolve issues, and know and develop your Best Alternative to a Negotiated Agreement (your walk-away alternative).
Another excellent book on negotiating. Ury has written two other books, which he advises to read in the order of this book, then “Getting Past No”, and finally “Getting To Yes”. I recommend all three.
The Power of a Positive No discusses a framework for saying No in a way that’s respectful to the other side and that can maintain, if not improve, your relationship with the other side. This framework involves first understanding what your own core values, needs, and interests are; saying No to the other side in a positive manner; and then offering a suggestion for a more positive behavior or negotiating a deal that satisfies both sides’ interests.
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