The book review for this week is The Third Wave by Steve Case
Case takes the reader through the history of the development of the Internet through his eyes and the perspective of the history of AOL. He then postulates what the next stage of internet development will look like. He calls this the Third Wave. The Third Wave can be summarized by this quote from the book:
Peer to peer recognition is one of the most powerful workplace motivators there is. When your workplace culture encourages employees to recognize their peers for; work well done, stellar customer interactions, mentoring, going above and beyond, etc., you are positioning your organization for success.
I have seen peer to peer recognition systems implemented in many different organizations in many different ways. It can be as simple as an email, a pat on the back, a handshake or an anonymously submitted form. It can be as formal as a monthly meeting with all employees where people are recognized for their exemplary service.
The most valuable assets in any organization are people. Without people, an organization will cease to exist. The people in an organization need leadership. Without strong leaders, an organization will quickly flounder and go off course. So, it stands to reason that leaders have a very important role to play in an organization and we need to ensure that we are always at the top of our game. We need to protect ourselves as leaders. Greg Mckeown calls this “Protecting the Asset” in his book Essentialism.
The book review for this week is Secrets of the Millionaire Mind by T. Harv Eker
Eker describes “secrets” he has discovered in studying rich people and contrasts these secrets against the working habits of ordinary people. Although I thought the book had too many advertisements for Eker’s seminars and too much new age fluff, there are some great insights to be learned.
My takeaway from this book is the 17 wealth principles. They are outlined below.
It is natural for us to always look for the easiest path through life. It seems so much more pleasant in the short run if we can avoid struggles and conflict. However, hardship and struggle are key ingredients for personal growth. Without these ingredients, it is hard to see any substantial personal or business growth.
As Gary Keesee says, “If you are not doing the hardest thing you have ever done, then you are not growing.”
Looking at all of the amazing, humanity-altering discoveries and inventions made over the last century, I am not aware of even one that was made by a person who sat around all day shooting the breeze, drinking coffee or playing video games.
However, I can give many examples of people who embraced challenges, hardships and struggles and created world changing technologies, products and businesses like; antibiotics, vaccinations, microchips, X-rays, MRIs, SpaceX rockets, personal computers, the Internet, iPhones, Google, Amazon, and the list goes on.
These things have all impacted the world we live in but they were not created without extreme struggle and hardship.
Challenging Yourself Has Many Advantages
