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Copyright © 2023 Pepijn van der Laan.
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Silicon valley types and tech icons all recommend using OKRs for business steering, but each means something slightly different

Silicon valley types and tech icons all recommend using OKRs for business steering, but each means something slightly different

John Doerr – Measure what matters

If you look past the author’s boundless Andy Grove adoration, there are some useful lessons to be learnt.

Beyond a certain point, the limiting factor in your career is most likely a behavioral flaw

Beyond a certain point, the limiting factor in your career is most likely a behavioral flaw

Marshall Goldsmith – What got you here won’t get you there

Valuable perspectives on how the minds of successful people work

The West has been underestimating the threat of Putin for many years

The West has been underestimating the threat of Putin for many years

Garry Kasparov – Winter is coming

March 2022: A foresighted moral plea, that after the Ukraine invasion has become an even more chilling read.

When belief in progress has vanished, populists promise to rebuild the past – at all costs

When belief in progress has vanished, populists promise to rebuild the past – at all costs

Timothy Snyder – the road to unfreedom

October 2019: Elaborate and fascinating analysis of Putin’s Russia, which bears striking parallels to what populists in Western countries try, more recently.

March 2022: Chilling to see these themes back in Putin’s messaging around the Ukraine invasion.

There is an important distinction between being Agile and having agility

There is an important distinction between being Agile and having agility

Jonathan Smart – Sooner Safer Happier

The book’s premise sounds so blatantly obvious that one wonders why (in many organizations) there is still an issue.

Kill Powerpoint, have to 2-pizza teams, and get your core values straight

Kill Powerpoint, have to 2-pizza teams, and get your core values straight

Colin Brayer and Bill Carr – Working backwards

Somehow, there is no mention of pee bottles or other excesses concerning operational staff in the book.

To accurately ‘read people’ look for combinations of non-verbal tells

To accurately ‘read people’ look for combinations of non-verbal tells

Joe Navarro – What every body is saying

The glossary of non-verbal signals and their meaning makes you aware of the limitations of Zoom, Teams, and Skype, espacially in COVID times.

Increasing inequality and lack of immigration are the two big crises facing the US

Increasing inequality and lack of immigration are the two big crises facing the US

Jared Diamond – Upheaval

the set-up in which interesting historical facts serve to make a political argument makes the author prone to the narrative fallacy.

Even at tech companies where intentions are good, women fight an uphill battle

Even at tech companies where intentions are good, women fight an uphill battle

Emily Chang – Brotopia

The book fits neatly in the trend to call out gender inequality, but unfortunately it has limited practical solutions to offer.

Arguing by analogy, one has to conclude that animals have emotions

Arguing by analogy, one has to conclude that animals have emotions

Frans de Waal – Mama’s last hug

Especially interesting are the behavioral experiments, reminiscent of the line of argument in Moral Tribes

Forget about stopping climate change, but don´t let that stop you fighting it

Forget about stopping climate change, but don´t let that stop you fighting it

David Wallace-Wells – The uninhabitable earth

The book clearly illustrates that climate change is the prisoner’s dilemma ‘par excellence’

Attract the right team, set a market-driven strategy, prioritize wisely in execution and… don’t run out of cash

Attract the right team, set a market-driven strategy, prioritize wisely in execution and… don’t run out of cash

Verne Harnish – Scaling up

Densely written ‘how-to guide’ for executives who want to build a sustainable growth company.

Anticipate change in products, processes and requirements; and organize for that

Anticipate change in products, processes and requirements; and organize for that

Jez Humble – Lean enterprise

Despite the unavoidable buzzwords that come with the genre, Lean and Agile are actually sane and useful management principles.

Overcome predictible growth crises through insurgence, sense of ownership, and front-line obsession

Overcome predictible growth crises through insurgence, sense of ownership, and front-line obsession

Chris Zook – The founder’s mentality

Internet billionaire brings down internet media outlet through overt legal action

Internet billionaire brings down internet media outlet through overt legal action

Ryan Holiday – Conspiracy

Peter Thiel’s war on Gawker Media shows that money is a decisive factor in the US legal system.

Every visonary entrepreneur needs an integrator to assure his/her ideas materialize

Every visonary entrepreneur needs an integrator to assure his/her ideas materialize

Gino Wickman – Rocket fuel

By far the more readable book on org structure that I have come across.

Nowadays almost everyone is in Sales, but that does not mean what it used to mean

Nowadays almost everyone is in Sales, but that does not mean what it used to mean

Daniel Pink – To sell is human

A charming plea for a compassionate approach to influencing.

Everytime you win an NBA championship is different

Everytime you win an NBA championship is different

Phil Jackson – Eleven Rings

A surprisingly ‘zen’ view on creating a high performing team.

Take full responsibility, keep it simple, ensure the team believes in the mission, and act decisively

Take full responsibility, keep it simple, ensure the team believes in the mission, and act decisively

Extreme ownership – Leif Babin and Jocko Willink

A no-nonsense approach to leadership, accompanied by an overdose of war stories.

Jesus of Nazareth was ‘just another sect leader crucified for high treason against Rome’ (which is down-played in the gospels to make Christianity more socially acceptable)

Jesus of Nazareth was ‘just another sect leader crucified for high treason against Rome’ (which is down-played in the gospels to make Christianity more socially acceptable)

 

Reza Aslan – Zealot

Convincing and elegantly developed argument, building on limited historical evidence and close reading of biblical texts in historical context.

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Copyright © 2023 Pepijn van der Laan.
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