“So many books, so little time.” — Frank Zappa
Welcome to the Sources of Insight Book Summaries page.
My book summaries are focused on answering one question well:
“How can you use this?”
And, I look for books that make you think or make you feel and that you can use in some way, in work or in life.
Latest Book Summaries – a scrolling list of my book summaries by most recent first
Book Recommendations – a one-stop shop index of the books I recommend
Featured Book Summaries
The Undefeated Mind
by Dr. Alex Lickerman
Defeat comes not from failing, but from giving up. An undefeated mind is one that never feels discouraged or despairing; it’s one that continues on in spite of it. One way to stand strong is to have a personal mission you believe in because a personal mission gives you strength and, while a strategy might fail, you can always find another way to continue your mission.
The First 90 Days
by Michael Watkins
The goal in a transition is to build momentum by building momentum, buidling credibility, and avoiding cycles that damage credibility. The root causes of transition failure are always in the interaction between the situation and the individual. The key is to better manage opportunities and pitfalls of a situation, while playing to your strengths and being aware of your vulnerabilities.
The Charge
by Brendon Burchard
You were born for something more. Do what makes your soul sing and bring out your best in all arenas of your life. Your inspiration and zest for life comes down to embracing 3 questions: “Did I live?”, “Did I love?”, “Did I matter?”
More Featured Book Summaries >>
Book Summaries by Category
Career
- Advice is for Winners
- Getting Ahead: Three Steps to Take Your Career to the Next Level
- The First 90 Days
- When Can You Start: How To Ace the Interview and Win the Job
Entrepreneurship
- Business Techniques in Troubled Times: A Toolbox for Small Business Success
- Squirrels, Boats, and Thoroughbreds
- The Innovative Team: Unleashing Creative Potential for Breakthrough Results
- The Power of Starting Something Stupid
- The UnStoppables: Tapping Your Entrepreneurial Power
Happiness
Interpersonal Skills
Leadership
- 42 Rules for Your New Leadership Role
- It’s Already Inside: Nurturing Your Innate Leadership for Business and Life Success
- Intelligent Leadership
- Leadership on the Line
- Smart Leaders, Smarter Teams
- The Leader’s Guide to Speaking with Presence
- The Leader’s Pocket Guide
- The Leadership Secrets of Santa Claus
- What Keeps Leaders Up at Night
Management
- Green Beans and Ice Cream: The Remarkable Power of Positive Reinforcement
- Painting with Numbers: Presenting Financials and Other Numbers So People Will Understand You
- Stories that Move Mountains: Storytelling and Visual Design for Persuasive Presentations
- StoryBranding: Creating Standout Brands Through the Power of Story
- The Disney Way
Money
Mind
Personal Development
- Fearless Speaking
- Living Space: Simple Steps to Transform Your Home
- One Year Lived
- Personal Development for Smart People
- Reinventing You: Define Your Brand, Imagine Your Future
- The Charge: Activating the 10 Human Drives that Make You Feel Alive
- The Inner Edge: The 10 Practices of Personal Leadership
Highlights and Insights at Your Fingertips
My book summaries are more like movie trailers. I share clips and favorite scenes from the book so you can judge whether you like the book or not.
In each book summary, I provide a quick overview of the book, including what you can get out of the book, the chapters at a glance, and key features. Where relevant, I share background on the author.
And, I finish with a small set of my favorite highlights from the book, that help give an overall impression of the book, and the author’s style.
Books Recommendations
My book recommendations are hand-crafted indexes of the books that I’ve found to be the most useful.
