Travel to Austin and lots of time as I'd be alone in Austin means, I can catch up with some interesting books. This is what I plan to read this month:
Bring me the Rhinoceros: And other Koans that will save your life
Recommended by a blogger that I follow, this sounds like an interesting book, though little tough to understand the true meaning and gain insight. Bring Me the Rhinoceros is an unusual guide to happiness and a can opener for your thinking. For fifteen hundred years, Zen koans have been passed down through generations of masters, usually in private encounters between teacher and student. This book deftly retells more than a dozen traditional koans, which are partly paradoxical questions dangerous to your beliefs and partly treasure boxes of ancient wisdom. Koans show that you don’t have to impress people or change into an improved, more polished version of yourself. Instead you can find happiness by unbuilding, unmaking, throwing overboard, and generally subverting unhappiness. John Tarrant brings the heart of the koan tradition out into the open, reminding us that the old wisdom remains as vital as ever, a deep resource available to anyone in any place or time.
Uncertainty: Turning Fear and Doubt into Brilliance
Caught this one too while reading a blog, the title appeared very interesting. Properly understood and harnessed, fear and uncertainty can become fuel for creative genius rather than sources of pain, anxiety, and suffering. In business, art, and life, creating on a world-class level demands bold action and leaps of faith in the face of great uncertainty. But that uncertainty can lead to fear, anxiety, paralysis, and destruction. It can gut creativity and stifle innovation. It can keep you from taking the risks necessary to do great work and craft a deeply-rewarding life. And it can bring companies that rely on innovation grinding to a halt.
Influencer: The power to change anything
From the bestselling authors who taught the world how to have Crucial Conversations comes Influencer, a thought-provoking book that combines the remarkable insights of behavioral scientists and business leaders with the astonishing stories of high-powered influencers from all walks of life. You'll be taught each and every step of the influence process-including robust strategies for making change inevitable in your personal life, your business, and your world. You'll learn how to:
Bring me the Rhinoceros: And other Koans that will save your lifeRecommended by a blogger that I follow, this sounds like an interesting book, though little tough to understand the true meaning and gain insight. Bring Me the Rhinoceros is an unusual guide to happiness and a can opener for your thinking. For fifteen hundred years, Zen koans have been passed down through generations of masters, usually in private encounters between teacher and student. This book deftly retells more than a dozen traditional koans, which are partly paradoxical questions dangerous to your beliefs and partly treasure boxes of ancient wisdom. Koans show that you don’t have to impress people or change into an improved, more polished version of yourself. Instead you can find happiness by unbuilding, unmaking, throwing overboard, and generally subverting unhappiness. John Tarrant brings the heart of the koan tradition out into the open, reminding us that the old wisdom remains as vital as ever, a deep resource available to anyone in any place or time.
Uncertainty: Turning Fear and Doubt into BrillianceCaught this one too while reading a blog, the title appeared very interesting. Properly understood and harnessed, fear and uncertainty can become fuel for creative genius rather than sources of pain, anxiety, and suffering. In business, art, and life, creating on a world-class level demands bold action and leaps of faith in the face of great uncertainty. But that uncertainty can lead to fear, anxiety, paralysis, and destruction. It can gut creativity and stifle innovation. It can keep you from taking the risks necessary to do great work and craft a deeply-rewarding life. And it can bring companies that rely on innovation grinding to a halt.
Influencer: The power to change anythingFrom the bestselling authors who taught the world how to have Crucial Conversations comes Influencer, a thought-provoking book that combines the remarkable insights of behavioral scientists and business leaders with the astonishing stories of high-powered influencers from all walks of life. You'll be taught each and every step of the influence process-including robust strategies for making change inevitable in your personal life, your business, and your world. You'll learn how to:
- Identify a handful of high-leverage behaviors that lead to rapid and profound change.
- Apply strategies for changing both thoughts and actions.
- Marshall six sources of influence to make change inevitable.
3 comments:
I read "Influencer" recently. Found a number of similarities with Switch. It also has a Stanford connection. How did you like it? I really liked the story about the company which employs prisoners - how it brings about a change etc.
Thanks Vinay.
I didn't very much like Influencer. Its difficult to do so after having read "Switch". Even the narration
style etc., are not very easy to read and understand.
The prisoner thing is too good to believe. But the key take away for me was the question the
fellows get asked: Instead of asking folks "how are you doing?", they seem to ask "how your
wards are doing?", thereby re-focussing their energies on mentoring the new comers. This mindset
is essential for some of the senior folks in organizations.
That's a good observation. It didn't strike me. I want to read the specific story again. Thanks.
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