You Exec - Book Summaries

How do you gain a career edge in a world dominated by Big Tech? “The Four,” namely Apple, Google, Facebook and Amazon, are worth over $5 trillion combined. What makes them so incredibly successful? Scott Galloway, a serial entrepreneur and professor at New York University Stern School of Business, breaks down the winning strategies of “The Four” to offer critical lessons on business, career advancement and value creation in the digital age.

Human beings work more than they do anything else in life. This fact is a great reason to pursue an enjoyable occupation; the kind of work that brings a feeling of accomplishment, pride and if you are really fortunate, a sense of freedom and joy. So why do so many employees see their jobs as just a paycheck or a means to an end? Why do good workers stay in dehumanizing jobs with dysfunctional management and toxic cultures? A handful of the world’s companies have cracked the code on workplace culture. Not surprisingly, Google is one of them. The world’s companies continue to study Google’s culture and ask, “Why are Google employees so happy?” “How does Google create a fun environment for its people?” “What can I do in my own organization to replicate Google’s success?” Laszlo Bock, Google’s innovative Senior Vice President of People Operations, offers his best answers to these puzzling questions in his book Work Rules! Bock shares valuable insights and experiences from 15 years as a leader of Google’s strategy to attract, develop and retain the world’s top talent. He credits Google’s distinctive management philosophies and its unique approaches to people, culture, talent and leadership as the reason why Google is recognized as the most sought-after place to work on the planet. Bock draws on what he believes to be true and the latest research in behavioral economics and human psychology and asserts that any team can be built around the same principles Google has used to become a dynamic workplace filled with happy, creative and productive employees. Work Rules! is a simple playbook for leaders and organizations to strike a balance between creative freedom and structure that generates success in the quality of life as well as market share. And it is easier than you think. Bock himself even admits it’s not rocket science.

Have you ever wondered how Amazon managed to grow from the first online bookstore to a global technology leader in just 20 years? Jeff Bezos' humble internet startup has become a well-known case study as a company that built an agile, efficient and productive business. In this book, risk and growth expert, Steve Anderson, together with author and director, Karen Anderson, identifies specific Cycles of Growth and 14 “Growth Principles” based on patterns they observed within shareholder letters written by Jeff Bezos between 1997 and 2018. Learn how these same growth principles can be applied to any business and help you get into the same mindset that made Amazon a trillion-dollar company.

If you can get everyone in an organization to move in the same direction, you can dominate any industry, in any market, against any competition, anytime. But nearly every organization struggles with teams mired in organizational politics. Patrick Lencioni, who has coached hundreds of CEOs and Fortune 500 companies’ crews, presents a powerful model to overcome the “five dysfunctions” and build world-class teams. For example, learn a story of a CEO who completely reorganized a broken executive team of a high-profile Silicon Valley firm, discover powerful insights and build world-class teams.

Ever wonder why Silicon Valley seems omnipotent in every arena, not only in technology and business but also in government, public policy, academia, the media and more? We are in an unprecedented age, where a few powerful technology companies have bent the internet to serve their monopolistic and libertarian goals. As tech executives accrue their fortunes, individual artists and content creators have been abandoned by platforms built upon the spoils of copyright infringement. Few realize how entwined big technology and Washington are or the impact this has for small businesses and individual workers. In the past, businesses built on addiction and erosion of customer privacy have been regulated, taxed and brought in line due to consumer demands and concerns from public health and government watchdogs. Today, Google, Facebook, Amazon, YouTube and the like have spun out of control right under our fingertips.

“Zombie ideas” simply refuse to die despite mountains of evidence to disprove them. How do you fight them? Paul Krugman, Nobel Prize winner in Economic Sciences, is the best person to shoot “zombie ideas” down. In his book, Krugman comprehensively debunks the simple economics behind some of the most compelling and controversial issues of our time: universal healthcare, tax cuts, social security and social inequality, so you can understand the economic dialogue in the United States and around the globe and make better-calculated financial and ethical decisions.

How do you gain a career edge in a world dominated by Big Tech? “The Four,” namely Apple, Google, Facebook and Amazon, are worth over $5 trillion combined. What makes them so incredibly successful? Scott Galloway, a serial entrepreneur and professor at New York University Stern School of Business, breaks down the winning strategies of “The Four” to offer critical lessons on business, career advancement and value creation in the digital age.

Do you often deal with bullies, manipulators, know-it-alls and other types of “crazy” in your professional life? If you reason with irrational people, it often backfires. There are, however, other ways to get across. Dr. Mark Goulston, a seasoned psychiatrist who coaches Fortune 500 CEOs and managers in conflict resolution, gives proven techniques to handle difficult colleagues, remain calm under any circumstances and always get your work done.

Want to work at a consulting firm like McKinsey & Company? Then you should know that to land a job at McKinsey is 10 times harder than to get accepted to Harvard University. The good news, though, is that there are smart ways to crack the case interview. Victor Cheng, former McKinsey consultant and case interviewer who aced an incredible 60 out of 61 case-interviews, gives you the interviewer's guide on how to crack the case interview and get job offers not from just one but from multiple consulting firms.

Ever wonder what makes a great negotiator? Whether negotiations give you anxiety or inflow your competitive juices, you can become a better negotiator, whatever your bargaining style or personality. In this book, Wharton Executive Negotiation Workshop Director G. Richard Shell distills the latest social science and psychology research on negotiation. Shell outlines six research-backed foundations and the four steps of the negotiation process. Get more of what you want and keep your professional relationships intact when you apply these principles of negotiation.

How do you gain a career edge in a world dominated by Big Tech? “The Four,” namely Apple, Google, Facebook and Amazon, are worth over $5 trillion combined. What makes them so incredibly successful? Scott Galloway, a serial entrepreneur and professor at New York University Stern School of Business, breaks down the winning strategies of “The Four” to offer critical lessons on business, career advancement and value creation in the digital age.

How can the most cutting-edge start-ups fail? Start-ups fall to their death in the deep chasm that separates early tech adopters and the pragmatic mainstream followers. They are two different markets with entirely different customer profiles and purchase requirements. Crossing The Chasm by Geoffrey Moore is widely considered "the bible” for entrepreneurial marketing. Read the summary to get the blueprint for chasm crossing, and master the ways to choose your target segment, craft your market positioning, and leverage it to become the undisputed market leader.

Are you playing the game or are you playing to win? Chances are your competitors are doing the latter. Develop a winning strategy for your company, business unit, or new product launch with former Procter & Gamble CEO A.G. Lafley and co-author, Roger L. Martin’s recipe for success. Lafley and Martin lay out the simple steps of strategy in the form of five questions, the most important of which are “Where to play?” and “How to win?” Once those decisions are made, develop the core capabilities and management systems to support them. Use this book summary as a guide to set a competitive business strategy and distinguish your organization from others.

Learn from one of the best turnaround leaders of all time, Lou Gerstner of IBM. If your company or division is in crisis mode, take a page from Gerstner’s playbook on what to do at the helm of a quickly sinking ship. Gerstner’s approach for leading IBM back from the brink can be applied in many scenarios. Understand the importance of cash and how to free up more of it. Tackle a toxic culture with robust communication and do away with ineffective practices. Reinvigorate employees with a market-driven strategy and a sense of urgency to beat competitors. The case of IBM's turnaround and Gerstner's leadership shows that the winning strategy and the culture behind its execution are equally important.

Inflection points can create growth opportunities and render entire industries obsolete. This book teaches you to foresee and take advantage of the next inflection point. Rita McGrath, world-renowned expert on innovation, distills decades of consulting expertise to give you the lowdown on how to anticipate disruption, build organizational resilience, and thrive when your competitors are caught off-guard. Learn how to spot signals early, think beyond industries, and innovate for the future with risk management in place.

Many of us dread “feedback season”. While some exit their reviews happily and even closer to their managers or mentors, others aren’t always so lucky and leave their dejected and defeated. Regardless of the feedback you receive, however, there are research-backed steps you can take to come out on top, make the conversation productive and positive, and recover from any negative feedback. On the other hand, for those who conduct the reviews, also learn how to make your feedback delivery fruitful and mutually beneficial, rather than an awkward exercise. Catalyze the types of changes you look for in your employees this year with concepts such as feedback triggers and how to avoid them, why you should look beyond feedback labels, and how your body language and facial expressions can give you away.

Most leaders are playing the wrong game. When you play with a finite mindset in the infinite game of business, you lose trust, cooperation, and innovation along the way. In contrast, infinite-minded leaders create much stronger and competitive organizations. They even shape our future and leave behind resilient organizations and legacy that last generations. Read this summary to learn the five principles that make someone an infinite-minded leader who inspires loyalty and ultimately advances a greater cause.

Need a marketing strategy that can get results fast? Here is a practical and uncomplicated 1-page marketing plan that you can complete today and increase your return on investment. This book provides a framework that clearly defines your marketing strategy and how to get, keep, and realize value from customers. Discover why you need to pursue an even-tighter market niche, how to get inside prospects' heads, and why you should raise prices. Learn how to be perceived as a welcomed guest rather than a marketing pest. Finally, create your tribe of loyal customers and receive successful referrals.

A book that received high praise from Warren Buffett, The Outsiders chronicles the unconventional techniques that led eight CEOs to outperform the S&P 500 by an astounding twenty times. The best CEOs are not managers, but capital allocators. They were not charismatic visionaries who actively managed operations. On the contrary, they decentralized operations and centralized capital allocation. They rarely paid dividends and emphasized cash flows over net revenue. Learn how their approach generated exceptional returns across industries and market conditions.

Do you work increasingly long hours with nothing to show for it, or struggle to have enough left to save after all the bills? Robert Kiyosaki, author of the viral book Rich Dad Poor Dad, explains how anyone can move to the other side of the Cashflow Quadrant and flourish with financial independence as a business owner or investor. Read this book summary to discover a new approach to wealth and risk management and apply your learnings in real life so you can start with small steps that can eventually lead to substantial assets.

Get the insider’s take on how Netflix went from just one in a million ideas to one that revolutionized the entertainment industry. For the first time, Co-founder and first CEO Marc Randolph shares the company’s behind-the-scenes, beyond the popular story that Reed Hastings founded the company after a $40 late fee at Blockbuster. Read this book summary for first-hand insights on their entrepreneurial journey.

A favorite read recommended by both Bill Gates and Warren Buffett, Business Adventures – Twelve Classic Tales from the World of Wall Street moves beyond the flashy advice of business newbies and provide relevant insights that stand the test of time. This book summary covers the gamut from marketing and sales to stocks, research and development departments, and so on. Read this summary to learn from decade-old stories that still resonate in the business world today.

For nearly a century, the Walt Disney Company has experienced seismic shifts and maintained its status as the world’s most successful media company. Robert Iger, Chairman and CEO of this legendary brand and a 45-year veteran in the entertainment industry, now tells his story and lays out the principles that nurture the good and manage the bad. Read this book summary to learn how to simultaneously embrace change and operate with integrity, and foster a culture of trust, creativity, and pragmatic risk-taking.

What would you do if your government could look at every message, photo, and conversation you have ever had? How should citizens respond to mass technological surveillance by a democratically elected government? Edward Snowden exposed one of the American government's greatest secrets: a massive surveillance system that wiretaps all communications across the Internet and stores them forever. For the first time, Snowden writes about his journey, the ideals that inspired him to reveal these secrets, and what they mean to every one of us today.

Why do so many products fail? Most products fail not because they are built or marketed poorly, but because they don’t delight customers. The most important thing is to achieve product-market fit. The Lean Startup Movement is known to help teams stay true to customer needs and rapidly build game-changing products. Read this book summary for a step-by-step process to identify target customers, measure feedback on your MVP, and ultimately create products that delight.

Do you or your salespeople find that most of your sales efforts go to waste? Most sales divisions rely on existing clients instead of a new business. When you understand the top reasons why people fail to generate new sales, you will no longer only babysit your current accounts and can then become a true sales hunter. This book presents practical and hands-on tips and simple and structured approaches that can increase your sales revenue. Read this book summary to learn how to sharpen your sales weapons, the magic words to use during a cold call, and the most effective structure for your sales story.

How do you outperform competitors and acquire a better understanding of key profitability drivers in your industry? This book, by the legendary Michael Porter, has redefined how Fortune 500 companies formulate strategy and has become essential reading in top MBA programs worldwide. Read this summary to unlock the analytical tools that govern competition and profitability, predict competitor moves, and create a game-changing strategy.

How can you reach new customers, keep them active, and grow your revenue with a dash of programming smarts and a shoestring budget? Traditional marketing methods cost millions of dollars for uncertain payoffs. Growth hacking, on the other hand, uses an analytical approach to build marketing into products themselves and stimulate organic growth. This book uncovers case studies that explain why your competitors are doing what they’re doing, and why you should be growth hacking, too. Read this summary to learn how to turn growth on autopilot with high-tempo testing and experimentations.

How can you lead highly engaging meetings that unlock creativity, effectiveness, and dynamism? While meetings are often tiresome and unproductive, they are a huge part of everyday corporate life. Managers attend 12 meetings every week. Over 55 million meetings take place every day in the United States and they cost an incredible $1.4 trillion annually. This book draws on extensive cutting-edge research to give you proven tactics to lead highly productive and engaging meetings. With these meeting leadership skills, you can create better team wins, ensure career growth, and create organizational value.

What is stopping you from doing your best work? Are you constantly frustrated by silo-ed functions, meeting overload, and slow decision-making? It’s not your strategy or your business model that’s the problem—it’s your Operating System. Your legacy organization can become a smarter, healthier, and more dynamic evolutionary organization when you improve or even overhaul your current Operating System. Read this book summary to find out how to focus on self-sufficient teams that experiment, innovate, and ultimately allow your organization to run itself.

What management tactics should you follow to not only survive but thrive like Google? Infinite information, connectivity, and computing power have fundamentally disrupted the business landscape, and old rules no longer work in the Internet Century. In this book, Google Executive Chairman and ex-CEO Eric Schmidt and former Senior Vice-President Jonathan Rosenberg reveal the management principles that powered the rise of Google from a dorm room startup to a tech giant. Read this book summary to learn proven ways that Smart Creatives and help you build a circle of innovation and achieve 10X growth.

Tired of wasting your time on brainstorming sessions that only improve upon existing offerings marginally? Invention does not always lead to innovation. Based on exhaustive case studies and research on industry trends and innovation, researchers have found ten distinct types of innovation that substantially drive progress. Rather than continuing to spin your wheels, use the ten types of innovation as a framework to turn your company’s next big thing into a successful reality.

We all know people who make our lives more difficult—colleagues, bosses, or friends who sabotage our work, care only about themselves or generally bring us down. Often, our own behavior is just as baffling; we react to things in inappropriate or self-defeating ways. The key to the surprising behavior of ourselves and others is: human nature. Drawing on the past hundred years of literature in psychology, science, and philosophy this book is the definitive guide to human nature. Using detailed biographical stories of famous people throughout history, The Laws of Human Nature illustrates the 18 fundamental laws that affect why people behave the way they do. Armed with this knowledge, you can become a calmer and more strategic observer of other people, able to interpret their behavior and judge their character. The book shows you how to out-think toxic people; how to motivate and influence others; and how to alter your own negative behavior patterns. Ultimately, The Laws of Human Nature shows you how to unleash your own true potential.

Have you experienced strategy meetings that promise a breakout growth that rarely materializes? Do you feel that the social dynamics in the strategy room might have reduced breakthrough ideas to safe bets? And even when strategies succeed, the results are often just modest. What happened? Based on in-depth empirical research on thousands of companies, McKinsey Partners Chris Bradley, Martin Hirt, and Sven Smit provide a data-driven “outside view” to overcome social dynamics and create effective strategies. This book offers ten performance levers that dramatically increase your chances to outperform competitors and create breakout growth.

Finding the right strategy to grow your organization can seem challenging in a rapidly changing business environment. However, growth is not as complex as it seems. Tiffani Bova, Growth and Innovation Evangelist at Salesforce distills decades of tested strategies and consulting expertise to outline ten clear pathways to growth. Read this book to learn from the growth paths of hugely successful companies and craft your next winning growth strategy for top-line growth and bottom-line profitability.

Is your company falling behind competitors, no matter how many new product iterations you launch? Do you find yourself thinking, “This new feature is useless, but I have to deliver it to get a bonus”? If so, you may be stuck in the build trap by focusing on shipping features and developing ideas instead of on the actual value you can produce for customers. Escaping the Build Trap shows you how to shift a reactive project factory at risk of disruption into a successful product-focused organization creating products that customers love.

How do you make your voice heard in a world of complex deals and risk-averse customers? How can you maintain control to ultimately win customer loyalty and drive sales growth? Contrary to traditional wisdom that places emphasis on nurturing relationships, Adamson and Dixon reveal the winning skills and behaviors behind the Challenger Sale. Read this book to unlock the clear-cut strategies that build Challenger behaviors across the entire sales force and make them a part of your organizational DNA.

Why is it so hard to concentrate in an afternoon meeting? Why do some people do their best work in the middle of the night? Are there ways to counter the post-lunch dip? We tend to focus on what: what could we do better, what should be improved or replaced? But often, the most important factor to consider is when. Timing is not an art, it’s a science—and the science shows that our biological clocks, personal circadian rhythms, and even the time of year, have a profound impact on every aspect of our lives, most noticeably our productivity.

Do you dread negotiations for fear of the conflict involved? The fact is that every aspect of our lives involves some form of negotiation—from a salary discussion to a child’s bedtime, a business deal to a high-stakes hostage crisis. In these situations, the only way to get what you think is right is to ask for it. In Never Split the Difference, former expert FBI hostage negotiator Chris Voss details that the best way to do this is to use a set of tools that allows you to better connect with others, influence them, and negotiate for what you want.

Why do some teams deliver performances exponentially better than the sum of their counterparts, while other teams add up to be much less? How can one build teams that seamlessly collaborate and act like a single hive-mind? The answer lies in group culture. New York Times bestselling author Danny Coyle unlocks the secrets of highly effective group cultures by studying the finest teams across various industries in the world, including the Navy SEAL’s, Pixar Studios, and the San Antonio Spurs. The Culture Code presents the three most important master skills required to transform your organizational culture.

How can your business make the tough choices that will ensure its survival? How do you keep your teams on track while encouraging employees to be fully engaged, even in times of stress and challenge? The Objectives and Key Results system, pioneered at Intel and perfected at Google, gives an organization timely and highly relevant data to track their progress. OKRs surface any organization’s most important work, focusing effort, fostering communication, and building employee performance and retention.