“All great authors are seers.” — George Henry Lewis
Some books and authors change how we think.
I was catching up with an old friend and I was distilling some of my favorite books into one-sentence summaries to show the contributions of various authors.
He suggested I share them as a post, so here it is …
- Al Ries and Laura Ries teach us that to dominate a category, narrow our focus in The 22 Immutable Laws of Branding.
- Dan Gilbert teaches us we can’t predict our happiness, we can make our own happiness and it’s just as real (synthetic happiness) in Stumbling on Happiness.
- Dr. Rick Brinkman and Dr. Rick Kirschner teach us that difficult behaviors stem from 4 intents: get the task done, get it right, get along with people, or get appreciation in Dealing with People You Can’t Stand.
- Gary Klein teaches us to fill our heads with patterns and experience to make better decisions in Sources of Power.
- John C. Maxwell teaches us that leadership is influence in The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership.
- John Eliot teaches us to use stress to be our best in Overachievement: The New Science of Working Less to Accomplish More.
- Ken Blanchard and Sheldon Bowles teach us to create a vision of perfection, centered on the customer in Raving Fans: A Revolutionary Approach To Customer Service.
- Malcolm Gladwell teaches us that thin slices of data tell us a lot in Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking.
- Marcus Buckingham teaches us to give our best, where we have our best to give in Go Put Your Strengths to Work.
- Martin E. P. Seligman teaches us that optimism is not about thinking positive–it’s simply not thinking negative–and avoiding explaining bad events as permanent, personal, and pervasive, in Learned Optimism.
- Nassim Taleb teaches us that If you miss the train, don’t chase it, catch the next one (missing a train is only painful if you run after it) in The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable.
- Seth Godin teaches us to quit the right things and pick the right dips to lean into in The Dip: A Little Book That Teaches You When to Quit (and When to Stick).
- Stephen Covey teaches us to find our voice, and help others find theirs in The 8th Habit: From Effectiveness to Greatness.
- Steven Pressfield teaches us that resistance is the enemy within in The War of Art.
- Tim Sanders teaches us that likability is a skill in The Likeability Factor.
What book changed how you think?
How To Argue Your Way to Optimism