ENJOY: Continuous learning
PATCHWORK INSPIRES : Every month, we will share books, videos and podcast that inspired us. Contact us to share what you liked, what moved you and why our community should read, view or listen to.
Want to know what to read in 2019? Here are few books, some videos and a podcast that will help you gain new skills, achieve successfully your MBA, and become an even better you. Just in case you’re curious, I’m currently reading, “Titan” by Ron Chernow, “Principles” by Ray Dalio, and a dramatic, tell-all book about “The Bachelor.” Although this is a list for 2019, do not expect to see the newest material on the market. Often, I believe the best products are the ones that survived to the test of time. Each of those books/videos and podcasts will shape your understanding of the entrepreneurial and business world in a way that is not possible to rank.
Drew Houston on Why You Need to Learn as You Go :
It seems that very few entrepreneurs are able to avoid the heavy burden of “imposter syndrome”—a mindset that afflicts even the most talented individuals. Drew Houston, founder of the now multi-billion dollar company Dropbox, reminds the audience at Stanford that entrepreneurship will always remain a learn-as-you-go experience. One thing about this world is there are a bunch of different paths to success, but empirically it’s sort of surprising that so many of the companies that you’d think about in the “hall of fame” were started by people who basically had no idea what the hell they were doing either.
If you have that feeling, it should be of some comfort that Amazon, Google, Facebook, Apple, all of these things were started by first or second time entrepreneurs who were really figuring it out along the way, too.
How To Begin Your Presentation with Simon Sinek:
"start with a story that is emblematic of the end result" or as Covey would say, "begin with the end in mind." What do you want people to think, feel, do, know when they leave your presence? Tell this story and paint this theme right at the beginning & return to it intermittently throughout your presentation. This video made me see that everyone has one story to tell in their life, but the problem with many is they stop telling that story because of contradiction. If nothing stops you, and if you manage to perfect that one story you will get to a point where you start to make a difference.
Go deeper into success during your free time in transport or between two courses, here is a podcast that we truly enjoy:
“How Success Happens” chats with Polar Explorers, ultra marathoners, authors, artists and a range of other unique personalities to better understand the traits that make excellence possible.
Top 5 reads of the month
Blitzcalling
In a business world that has become very competitive, thanks also to the digital age, it becomes critical to develop a new mindset and framework that goes beyond the conventional business thinking, Blitzscaling: The Lightning-Fast Path to Building Massively Valuable Companies is a book written by Reid Hoffman (LinkedIn Co-founder) and Chris Yeh, is the perfect book for that.
At its core, Blitzscaling is a process of massive growth in an uncertain environment. It shows you the path toward building multi-billion dollar companies but also how to think in a more unconventional way. At the same time, Blitzscaling suggests an interesting perspective on how to look at business model innovation as a key ingredient for any organization success!
The Culture Code: The Secrets of Highly Successful Groups
Dan should be considered the Stephen King of practical, useful in everyday life (as opposed to "that was interesting, but what do I actually do with it?) non-fiction. Everything he writes is gold. The Culture Code is no exception. Dan went inside incredibly successful organizations like the San Antonio Spurs, Pixar, and SEAL Team Six to uncover three key skills that explain how diverse groups learn to function with a single mind. He shows that great teams don't just have that special "something" -- they have leaders who intentionally build them into something great.
Brave Leadership: Unleash Your Most Confident, Powerful, and Authentic Self to Get the Results You Need
Leading -- truly leading -- is hard. And intimidating. And stressful. That's why so many people adopt some sort of leadership persona, in effect acting like we think leaders should behave. But if you want to be a great leader, you need to have the courage to be yourself. Kimberly shows you how to genuinely connect, to be genuinely influential, and how to truly lead people to get the results you -- and they -- need.
Endure: Mind, Body, and the Curiously Elastic Limits of Human Performance
Alex Hutchinson: It's really easy to stop too soon. Your brain tells you that you're too tired (mentally or physically) and that you've done enough. But you can always do more. As Alex writes, "the struggle to continue against a mounting desire to stop" is what endurance is all about -- and he provides endurance-boosting techniques that anyone can benefit from. Want to achieve more? Often that means you have to do more -- and Alex will show you how.
The Motivation Myth: How High Achievers Really Set Themselves Up to Win
Jeff Haden: If you want to accomplish something big -- or even something small -- and have been waiting for motivation to strike, this book is for you. Motivation isn't something you get -- motivation is something you create, on your own, by following a process that allows you to improve, bit by bit. That means you already have everything inside you that you need to achieve your goals. You just need a process guaranteed to allow you to enjoy those small successes so that you get small, steady doses of motivation every day along your journey to success -- as well as to becoming whatever it is you hope to become.