It’s been some time since I’ve had a chance to share a few of the many resources that I’ve been reading, viewing and experiencing that are influencing my thinking on leadership, management, inspiration and more. It’s not because I’ve not been reading, but rather it’s due to the fact that I’ve just not been excited about any books to the point where I’d recommend them. This probably isn’t even a reflection so much of the content, as if could be that I’ve probably read too many of the types of books of late. At any rate, here’s a few things I think you’d find interesting.
Scrabble for Ipad
This one is just for fun, but I highly recommend Scrabble for the Ipad. It’s fun to see a company figure out how to make their old games, new and fun for the next generation. Basic idea: Ipad is the scrabble board, everyone uses their smartphone scrabble app as their tile rack. It’s fun, easy and cool. Never in a million years could I get my boys to play Scrabble with a board, but they love this game. A++++.
Monocle Magazine. A european briefing on global affairs, business, culture and design, this magazine is always full of interesting perspectives on the world at large. Not all of it is golden and it has a european take on the world you might not agree with, but this is one of the rare magazines which is going against the flow of dropping circulation of magazines and is actually flourishing. There’s a reason for it, it’s good and interesting. In a world economy where Newsweek sells for $1, it’s worth studying the handful of cases where a magazine is making money and asking, “why?”.
Chasing Stars: The Myth of Talent and the Portability of Performance. By Boris Groyburg
This book seeks to answer the question “Are those who excel in the workplace free agents with highly portable skills, or is their performance primarily driven by the adept use of the resources of the organization in which they thrive?” Most people think that they could do their jobs anywhere, but this study shows that environment matters bigtime. Who might want to read this? Anyone who is ever tempted to try to hire a A+ player from another team/company and expect that person to perform to the same level on your team. Might not happen, unless you understand what makes people excel. Good book.
What are some things you’ve been learning, reading, doing that I might find interesting?
David Curry
