Writing with authority and clarity, Grant examines how talents can be discovered, developed, and turned into achievement.
The author of Think Again and Originals examines how “potential is not a matter of where you start, but of how far you travel.”
The potential for success comes in many shapes and forms, writes organizational psychologist Grant, but the common factor is that it must be cultivated, nurtured, and developed. As a professor at Wharton and the author of a series of books in this field, the author is able to draw on a wide range of research as well as case studies from sports, the arts, chess, and even comedy. He believes that everyone has potential and that it is the duty of teachers, parents, and peers to draw it out. An early start is surprisingly important: Longitudinal studies show that children who do well in kindergarten and elementary school do much better in later life. A key point is having teachers who make learning an enjoyable activity rather than a grinding, rote process. Building character skills, such as determination, self-discipline, and resilience, is more advantageous than cramming technical information into young brains. In terms of parenting, the most valuable thing is to encourage a habit of reading. Children who see their parents read and who have access to a variety of books perform better across all criteria. A related skill is being able to write well, essential in nearly every field. Grant readily accepts that not everyone will be an Olympic athlete or an academic high-flyer; the goal, instead, should be to continually strive for improvement. Occasional failures are inevitable, but they can be an opportunity for learning and reevaluation. The author is willing to discuss some of his own setbacks and struggles, which gives the text added authenticity. He emphasizes that the book is not a self-help manual, but readers will find plenty of practical lessons and inspiring examples.
Writing with authority and clarity, Grant examines how talents can be discovered, developed, and turned into achievement.Pub Date: Oct. 24, 2023
ISBN: 9780593653142
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: July 13, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2023
Alternately admiring and critical, unvarnished, and a closely detailed account of a troubled innovator.
A warts-and-all portrait of the famed techno-entrepreneur—and the warts are nearly beyond counting.
To call Elon Musk (b. 1971) “mercurial” is to undervalue the term; to call him a genius is incorrect. Instead, Musk has a gift for leveraging the genius of others in order to make things work. When they don’t, writes eminent biographer Isaacson, it’s because the notoriously headstrong Musk is so sure of himself that he charges ahead against the advice of others: “He does not like to share power.” In this sharp-edged biography, the author likens Musk to an earlier biographical subject, Steve Jobs. Given Musk’s recent political turn, born of the me-first libertarianism of the very rich, however, Henry Ford also comes to mind. What emerges clearly is that Musk, who may or may not have Asperger’s syndrome (“Empathy did not come naturally”), has nurtured several obsessions for years, apart from a passion for the letter X as both a brand and personal name. He firmly believes that “all requirements should be treated as recommendations”; that it is his destiny to make humankind a multi-planetary civilization through innovations in space travel; that government is generally an impediment and that “the thought police are gaining power”; and that “a maniacal sense of urgency” should guide his businesses. That need for speed has led to undeniable successes in beating schedules and competitors, but it has also wrought disaster: One of the most telling anecdotes in the book concerns Musk’s “demon mode” order to relocate thousands of Twitter servers from Sacramento to Portland at breakneck speed, which trashed big parts of the system for months. To judge by Isaacson’s account, that may have been by design, for Musk’s idea of creative destruction seems to mean mostly chaos.
Alternately admiring and critical, unvarnished, and a closely detailed account of a troubled innovator.Pub Date: Sept. 12, 2023
ISBN: 9781982181284
Page Count: 688
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Sept. 12, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
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BOOK TO SCREEN
Perhaps not magic but appealing nonetheless.
Want to get ahead in business? Consult a dictionary.
By Wharton School professor Berger’s account, much of the art of persuasion lies in the art of choosing the right word. Want to jump ahead of others waiting in line to use a photocopy machine, even if they’re grizzled New Yorkers? Throw a because into the equation (“Excuse me, I have five pages. May I use the Xerox machine, because I’m in a rush?”), and you’re likely to get your way. Want someone to do your copying for you? Then change your verbs to nouns: not “Can you help me?” but “Can you be a helper?” As Berger notes, there’s a subtle psychological shift at play when a person becomes not a mere instrument in helping but instead acquires an identity as a helper. It’s the little things, one supposes, and the author offers some interesting strategies that eager readers will want to try out. Instead of alienating a listener with the omniscient should, as in “You should do this,” try could instead: “Well, you could…” induces all concerned “to recognize that there might be other possibilities.” Berger’s counsel that one should use abstractions contradicts his admonition to use concrete language, and it doesn’t help matters to say that each is appropriate to a particular situation, while grammarians will wince at his suggestion that a nerve-calming exercise to “try talking to yourself in the third person (‘You can do it!’)” in fact invokes the second person. Still, there are plenty of useful insights, particularly for students of advertising and public speaking. It’s intriguing to note that appeals to God are less effective in securing a loan than a simple affirmative such as “I pay all bills…on time”), and it’s helpful to keep in mind that “the right words used at the right time can have immense power.”
Perhaps not magic but appealing nonetheless.Pub Date: March 7, 2023
ISBN: 9780063204935
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Harper Business
Review Posted Online: March 23, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2023
© Copyright 2024 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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