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What 15 Best-Selling Authors Teach Us About How To Think

by JD

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“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 …

  1. Al Ries and Laura Ries  teach us that to dominate a category, narrow our focus in The 22 Immutable Laws of Branding.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. Gary Klein  teaches us to fill our heads with patterns and experience to make better decisions in Sources of Power.
  5. John C. Maxwell  teaches us that leadership is influence in The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership.
  6. John Eliot  teaches us to use stress to be our best in Overachievement: The New Science of Working Less to Accomplish More.
  7. 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.
  8. Malcolm Gladwell  teaches us that thin slices of data tell us a lot in Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking.
  9. Marcus Buckingham  teaches us to give our best, where we have our best to give in Go Put Your Strengths to Work.
  10. 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.
  11. 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.
  12. 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).
  13. Stephen Covey  teaches us to find our voice, and help others find theirs in The 8th Habit: From Effectiveness to Greatness.
  14. Steven Pressfield  teaches us that resistance is the enemy within in The War of Art.
  15. Tim Sanders teaches us that likability is a skill in The Likeability Factor.

What book changed how you think?

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Category: Intellectual-Horsepower, Learning, Mind, Personal Development, Success, Thinking SkillsTag: Effectiveness, Learning, Personal-Development

About JD

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JDI am J.D. Meier. Join me on a quest for the world's best insights and actions for personal greatness. Learn more...

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