The sun rises at 6 pm: Our book - journey for June, 2021

“I do believe something very magical can happen when you read a good book.”

We resonate with you, Ms. J K Rowling! The magic unfolds every evening for us when we all huddle together to begin yet another journey with our team.

Revealing evident and not-so-evident lessons, musing on our difference in experiences, and deeply reflecting how do we get better in what we do? How would we like to translate this knowledge and bring value to our clients, to us, and the world around us? Take a look at and see what we have treasured this month. Our book club odyssey through June and the takeaways from each of them: 

That Sounds Fun
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Book by Annie F. Downs

Annie's appealing call in "That Sounds Fun" is to grasp the definition of fun, to embrace and follow it, and to discover what exactly sounds fun to you—then do it! Then, she tells you how to locate, enjoy, and expand your fun by examining some studies and giving her ideas on why fun matters.

• Find time in tiny pockets and do something fun!
  

• Try new things and revisit your old-time favs.
  

• Don't give up your hobbies in exchange for being a grown-up.

‍Kaizen: The Japanese Method for Transforming Habits, One Small Step at a Time
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Book by Sarah Harvey

It's challenging to reach significant goals without succumbing to self-doubt, so lifestyle changes might be daunting. On the other hand, big ambitions become modest, manageable stages with 'KAIZEN.' The success of Toyota was the first time this Japanese technique created ripples in the corporate world.

• Analyzing your existing behavior can help you identify the habits you want to make or break.

• Take your time with your answers and be honest with yourself.

• Take a small step to change.

‍Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future
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Book by Ashlee Vance

Elon Musk, the man behind SpaceX, Tesla, and SolarCity, PayPal. Ashlee Vance portrays the entire spectacle and arc of the genius's life and career from his turbulent beginnings in South Africa and escapes to the United States to his spectacular technical discoveries and business endeavors. Vance uses Musk's narrative to address one of our generation's most asked questions: can the country of innovators and creators that steered the modern world for a century continue to thrive in an age of severe global competition?

• It's not difficult to answer questions; it's difficult to ask the correct ones.

• To achieve your objectives, take a success-through-determination attitude.

• To have a more significant impact on the world, bring all of your efforts together under the umbrella of a single colossal goal.

‍Leonardo Da Vinci
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Book by Walter Isaacson

Leonardo Da Vinci is perhaps one of history's most well-known painters. He was driven by his own curiosity, and he had a fascinating interest in everything. According to this book, Leonardo's genius was based on skills that we can cultivate in ourselves, such as ardent curiosity, careful observation, and creative imagination that flirted with fantasy.

‍The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals
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Book by Michael Pollan

The Omnivore's Dilemma is a game-changing book in which one of America's most intriguing, creative, and beautiful writers applies his voracious mind to the seemingly simple dilemma of what to eat for supper. The subject has vexed us since man found fire, but how we respond to it now, at the beginning of the twenty-first Century, may likely decide our species' survival, according to Michael Pollan, bestselling author of The Botany of Desire.

• Small, local farms provide a cost-effective, ecologically friendly, and ethically sound option.

• Organic food has a few advantages over conventionally grown food.

• Grazing with management is a far more natural and sustainable option.
  

‍What Every BODY is Saying
By Joe Navarro

People lie for various reasons, including escaping a terrible circumstance, avoiding needless explanation, and being courteous. Many individuals are unaware that when they tell a lie with their lips, their other body parts are non verbally expressing what they actually feel and the fact that they are lying. Nonverbal communication does not just deal with falsehoods; it also conveys the tale of how we think, who we like, and where we don't want to go, among other things.

• At least 60% of what you say does not originate in your mouth.

• After fighting or fleeing, there's one last option.

• You must gain situational awareness to perfect body language reading.     ‍

Hyper-Learning: How to Adapt to the Speed of Change

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‍Book by Edward D. Hess

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In the Digital Age, we'll have to figure out how to stay relevant in the job. To remain relevant, we must excel in areas that technology cannot, such as intellectually, behaviorally, and emotionally.

Professor Ed Hess argues that this necessitates becoming Hyper-Learners or people who are always learning, unlearning, and relearning at breakneck speed. To do so, we must resist our reflexive behaviors of seeking confirmation of our ideas, emotionally protecting our beliefs and Ego, and pursuing mental model coherence.

• Squash your Ego and get to a serene state of mind.
  

• Adopting a growth mindset & New Smart mindset.
  

• Modern organizations, to remain relevant, must learn to value collaborative, company-wide learning.‍

Who Moved My Cheese?‍

Book by Spencer Johnson

It's the entertaining and educational tale of four creatures that dwell in a maze and seek out cheese to eat and make them happy. Cheese represents what you desire in life, such as an excellent career, a love relationship, money or things, health, or spiritual peace of mind. The maze is where you go to find what you're looking for, whether it's the organization you work for, your family, or the neighborhood you reside in. The issue is that the cheese continues to move.

The protagonists in the narrative are confronted with an unexpected twist in their hunt for the cheese. One of them finally succeeds in dealing with change and records his findings on the maze walls for the reader to uncover.

• Visualize your goals to improve your chances of attaining them.

• As the environment changes, you need to change too. 

• Keep an eye out for new opportunities, even when things look good.

‍The Case Against Education: Why the Education System Is a Waste of Time and Money‍

Book by Bryan Caplan
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Despite being extremely popular—and highly profitable—education is vastly overvalued. Bryan Caplan argues in this provocative book that the fundamental purpose of education is to certify pupils' intellect, work ethic, and conformity—in other words, to indicate the traits of a successful employee.

• One of the main reasons young people go to college is to reap the financial rewards that come with possessing a bachelor's degree.
  

• Drop the less suitable material from the curriculum.
  

• At the level of college, we could stop subsidizing education at taxpayers expense. ‍

The Hidden Psychology of Social Networks: How Brands Create Authentic Engagement by understanding what motivates us.‍

Book by Joe Federer
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Joe Federer, a leading marketing practitioner and thought leader, uses evolutionary biology, anthropology, neuroanatomy, and psychology and more than a decade of practical experience to explain why people behave so differently in different online spaces they are looking for from each one. He demonstrates how the internet is a digital reflection of the collective human psyche and how other social networks correspond to different mindsets: platforms like Reddit to the unfiltered Id, Facebook and Twitter to the managed Ego, and Instagram to the ideal Superego, using a framework based on Sigmund Freud's Id, Ego, and Superego model of the human psyche.

• Ego networks create opportunities for self-expression and connection with offline friends.

• Superego networks like Instagram or TikTok align with people's ideal selves.

• ID networks focus on fostering an authentic online community.

‍Milk and Honey

‍Book by Rupi Kaur

'Milk and Honey' is a poetry and prose anthology on survival. It is divided into four chapters, each of which serves a distinct purpose. Violence, abuse, love, loss, and femininity are all explored. 

• Few words can mean a lot.

• Writing down emotions is a powerful way of expression.

• Poetry is as close as it gets to showcasing feelings.

• Words move mountains.‍

‍Jugaad Innovation: A Frugal and Flexible Approach to Innovation for the 21st Century‍

Book by Navi Radjo

In India, the word jugaad is frequently used in casual conversation. Indians swear by it, whether it's to come up with creative solutions to issues or transform hardship into opportunity.

• Jugaad is already being used by leading firms like Facebook, Future Group, GE, Google, PepsiCo, and more. 
  

• Jugaad Innovation shows how to innovate, be flexible, and accomplish more with less in the face of expanding global competition and soaring R&D costs.‍

‍Invisible Women: Data Bias in a World Designed for Men‍

Book by Caroline Criado Pérez
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Data is essential in today's environment. We rely on data to distribute resources and make critical decisions in various areas, including economic development, healthcare, education, and public policy. However, because so much data ignores gender, seeing males as the norm and women as the exception, bias and discrimination are baked into our systems. Women pay a high price for this attitude in terms of time, money, and, in some cases, their lives, speaks the book.

• Addressing the gender data gap is an essential step on the road to achieving gender equality.
  

• Whether you're designing a survey or chairing a decision-making meeting, actively seek out women's input. 
  

• Vocalizing your needs and the needs of other women is one of the most constructive ways in which you can challenge the male default and work to correct the gender data gap.

‍The Serendipity Mindset: The Art and Science of Creating Good Luck‍

Book by Christian Busch
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In his book The Serendipity Mindset, Christian Busch explains that serendipity isn't about luck in the traditional sense. It's about finding connections that others don't, combining these insights in surprising and strategic ways, and learning to recognize the times when seemingly disparate or unrelated thoughts come together to produce new opportunities. Busch examines serendipity from a rational and scientific standpoint, arguing that there are observable methods for fostering the conditions that allow serendipity to flourish.

• Creating a secure area for blending new ideas from many brains is an integral part of fostering serendipity.
  

• Cultivating serendipity is a playful way to handling uncertainty in a fast-changing world.
  

• Serendipity might take a long time to develop, so be patient

‍Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal‍

Book by Eric Schlosser
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Fast food has accelerated the transformation of our landscape, widened the wealth gap, fostered an obesity epidemic, and advanced American cultural influence abroad. With an artistic mix of first-rate reporting and detailed reasoning, Eric Schlosser makes that long list of charges against fast food.

• The fast-food industry uses employment policies that exploit the weak.

• When you eat fast food, what you taste is not what you get.

‍Every Job Is a Sales Job: How to Use the Art of Selling to Win at Work‍

Book by Cindy McGovern
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Even if your job title doesn't say "sales," it doesn't imply you don't have to sell. Dr. Cindy McGovern, a renowned sales expert, believes that everyone is a salesperson, regardless of their work title. You're selling the other person on an ideal version of yourself when you ask for a referral, network to make a new connection, or apply for a job. Every job is a Sales Job will teach you how to spot "selling" chances that you might otherwise overlook. This essential guide will show you how to master your personal and professional success.

‍Born Liars: Why We Can't Live Without Deceit‍

Book by Ian Leslie
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Our views on lying are muddled and conflicting, to the point of becoming self-deceiving. On the one hand, we despise liars. On the other hand, we're all guilty of lying, tall stories, and fantasies. Why do we all lie, both to others and to ourselves, if lying is wrong? Ian Leslie argues in Born Liars that, far from being a flaw in human software, lying is fundamental to who we are and that we cannot comprehend ourselves without first grasping the dynamics of deception. He analyses the role of deceit and self-deception in our childhoods, careers, and health, as well as the function of lies in art, advertising, sport, politics, and war.

‍The Work‑Life Balance Myth‍

Book by David J. McNeff
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An inspirational guide that will show you how to break free from the fallacy of "work-life balance" by combining  seven major components of your life to achieve harmony and whole-life success.

• The Work-Life Balance Myth will not make your life perfect—no one can, and you should be wary of anyone who claims to be able to do so.
  

• To reclaim your life's equilibrium, you must cope with stress.
  

• Balance isn't only about balancing work and life; it also incorporates a variety of other elements.

‍Buyology: Truth and Lies About Why We Buy‍

Book by Martin Lindstrom
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Thousands of brand pictures, logos, and advertising assault us every day, urging us to buy their products. Only a few advertisements, though, get us to reach for our money. Why? Buyology solves that question and investigates the hidden motivations behind our purchasing decisions using cutting-edge neuromarketing technologies.

• Mirror neurons have an uncontrollable influence on our purchasing decisions.
  

• The way we perceive products is influenced by somatic indicators.
  

• Marketers are increasingly relying on fear to persuade people to buy their products, and it's working.‍

The Innovators‍

Book by Walter Isaacson
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Through the history of computers and the internet, The Innovators examines the social and cultural influences that influenced technological advancement. The Innovators provides you an intimate look at how the finest and brightest invent and interact by weaving together the personal tales of technology's greatest brains.

• Modern computers were not the outcome of a single brain, but rather a collection of ideas.
  

• The software, or programming, of a computer was a major invention in the development of multi-purpose machines.
  

• The first transistor was invented by a group of three brilliant minds, ushering in a new era of computing.