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

“Good friends, good books, and a sleepy conscience: this is the ideal life.”
― Mark Twain

Well, we are not sure of a sleepy conscience but we are most certainly in the company of good books and good friends.

‍

21 Lessons for the 21st Century

Yuval Noah Harari

Being apprehensive about the future is quite normal; not knowing what to expect can be scary, especially when you could be in a field of profession that can drastically turn around 360o. After his two consecutive best-selling novels, Harari offers solutions for 21st Century dwellers on the challenges one may face, the solutions to those and how to keep yourself updated for the future. 21 Lessons for the 21st Century attempts to highlight the most pressing issues in politics, culture, economy and ecology, created by technology while aiding us to be prepared for what may come in the near future.

• Data is of the essence, which is why everyone wants more of it.
• We think we do know something, but in reality we don’t – which poses to be a real fix.
• The idea behind education is not to provide abundant information, but rather how to efficiently manage them.

Tribe

Seth Godin

Human beings are social creatures. Throughout their lives, they depend on other humans to make their life a little more worth living. Some humans tend to grow from within their household bubble to become leaders of their communities, their states, their countries, in this, they inspire and urge others to be like them and to follow them. Tribes in this sense are the perfect example: they represent a group of people who come together through an idea, a leader and a connection to one another. A leader is as connected to their tribe as the tribe is to their leader, such that leaders cannot be leaders without their tribe and a tribe cannot be a tribe without their leader. Herein lies the idea of great leadership - with the human need to belong, people grow to lead their communities to strengthen their belonging. A good leader will always outweigh those who do whatever they wish to, and in doing so will reinforce the idea that believing in what you do and believing in your community is all you need to move forward in life.

• Tribes need their leaders as leaders need their tribes, neither is anything without the other. This is because humans are inclined to belong.
• A good leader will always outweigh those who do whatever they wish to.
• Believing in your purpose and your community is all that you need to lead your life in the direction you want.

The Introverted Leader

Jennifer B. Kahnweiler

It’s uncommon to find leaders who are introverted, or rather it is unheard of. Jennifer Kahnweiler writes a book on Introverted Leaders and how this unusual trait can be extremely beneficial in realizing a dream or goal. In her groundbreaking book, she sets out a tried-and-true four-step method introverts may take to harness their quiet strength and transform it into a reservoir of enormous power. Losing out on valuable opportunities is something introverts regularly face, but on the same hand, they are better listeners, thus better leaders. But it is unfortunate that in this extremely competitive and extroverted world, introverted people will have to push themselves to be heard. These are few of the learning one can learn from Kahnweiler’s book, The Introverted Leader.

• It is challenging to take on leadership responsibilities as an introvert.
• An introvert’s listening and observational skills can give one an upper hand over their peers.
• Introverted way of networking and pushing oneself is necessary to come out these obstacles.

Poor Economics

Abhijit Banerjee and Esther Duflo

Nobel Prize laureates Abhijit Banerjee and Esther Duflo published a book that paints a picture about the economic condition in poor countries and how impoverished people lead their lives. The book is primarily divided into two halves: one, where they talk about the private lives of the impoverished. In the second half, the spotlight is turned to how institutions surrounding the poor function. At times, the book tends to be technical, but tries to make the reading as interactive and easier to understand without prior knowledge in economics.

• Big ideas to eliminate poverty might not work.
• Reform in local, small institutions are as necessary as big, global organizations.
• Fighting poverty is no child’s play and there is no one solution for all.

A World Without Ice

Henry Pollack

Climate change has been a top agenda and an imperative goal to work towards for world governments and institutions. It has been on the top of every person’s vocabulary. But not enough awareness surrounding global warming is created among local organisations and global citizens. The book, A world without ice by Henry Pollack tries to draw a fascinating image of Earth's fragile geological equilibrium with its ice, and explains why the speedy loss of ice foretells catastrophic implications in the not-too-distant future. This critical book examines the impact of glacial ice on potable water supplies and irrigation, as well as the present effects of thawing permafrost and diminishing Arctic sea ice.

• Ice not just an addition to your drink, but a vital ingredient in maintaining life on Earth.
• Anthropogenic activities are the main cause leading to global warming.
• Opportunities to learn about climate change and managing them are plenty.

Drunk: How We Sipped, Danced, and Stumbled Our Way to Civilization

Edward Slingerland

Alcohol is closely linked to stress-busting, often called a social lubricant, building trust with others and bringing pleasure to thousands worldwide. Edward Slingerland dissects the history, psychology and anthropological roots of intoxication in his book Drunk. Slingerland demonstrates that our fondness for chemical intoxicants is not an evolutionary blunder, as we are sometimes taught. Our urge to get intoxicated, as well as the individual and societal advantages given by intoxication, played a critical part in igniting the emergence of the first large-scale communities. In fact, Edward Slingerland states that we would not have civilization if alcohol did not exist.

• Alcohol and intoxicants have been humankind’s best bud for a long time, but it was created by mistake.
• Alcohol consumption is closely linked to igniting creativity and building social skills.
• While the culture of drinking exists in certain societies, level of alcoholism is equally rampant.

Unleashing the Ideavirus

Seth Godin

Marketing strategies are central to any business - they keep the business afloat and drive both awareness about the business and a strong customer base. The advent of the internet age has been revolutionary to how we see marketing and there is a desperate need to introduce radical creativity to targeting customers. The important aspect of this creativity is simply what makes an idea special. The need for our society to look for the next big thing is something that can be used to grow and transmit your ideas. Thus, these cultural shifts become necessary to the success of a business. Recalibrating the marketing approach is centered upon turning the manner of your marketing on its head. You need to be ready with a great idea before you start to develop your marketing strategy to cultivate the success of your businesses.

• A great idea that is powerful and unique is what precedes a great marketing strategy.
• Upending your marketing strategy on its head to introduce radical creativity is how you can come up with an effective strategy.
• The need for our society to look for the next big thing is something that can be used to grow and transmit your ideas.

Doesn’t Hurt to Ask

Trey Gowdy

The art of persuasion is an integral element of communication and negotiation, and the manner in which persuasion can be utilized to the benefit of your audience is what is analyzed and explained in the book by Trey Gowdy; Doesn’t Hurt To Ask. The author explores how to become a master of persuasion by asking all of the right questions and demonstrates how asking intentional questions is the key to expressing your ideas, engaging your audience, and convincing people of your point of view whether at work or at home. The book narrates how effective persuasion can be achieved by not only being good at debating but also having the ability to listen to the opponent and basing the argument while countering with accurate questions to eliminate the possibility of a defensive response. While considering the other keys to persuasion, the author elaborates on the usage of repetition and asking rhetorical questions can help achieve better understanding of the case by the audience in an argument or a debate. By strengthening the skills of listening, repeating and repackaging arguments can indeed help one master the art of persuasion and channelize a better communicator within the audience.

• The secret to the nuanced art of persuasion is to ask questions.
• By gauging your words, repeating yourself, and repackaging your opponent's claims, you can strengthen your argument.
• Divert, dissect, double-down, and play the victim if you need to cut your losses in an argument.

Crucial Conversation

Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, Al Switzler, and Ron McMillan

Conversations can range from friendly to professional, low-risk to high-risk, and calm to stressful. Every day, we have several discussions, each of which has a significant impact on our expectations, relationships, and outcomes. It takes specific qualities to navigate talks well, such as social intelligence, boldness, self-control, and even humility. The Athlos staff recently finished reading Crucial Conversations by Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, Ron McMillan, and Al Switzer. This book provides techniques for conversing when the stakes are high and guides the Athos team through an interesting discussion about important topics. Words matter; what we say matters, as does how we express it. This is not to say that we should avoid important talks; rather, we must approach them with purpose. Instead of participating in discussion, resorting to sarcasm, comedy, or negative body language is counterproductive. Words matter; what we say matters, as does how we express it. This is not to say that we should avoid important talks; rather, we must approach them with purpose. Instead of participating in discussion, resorting to sarcasm, comedy, or negative body language is counterproductive.

• Drive conversation with an objective and goal instead of getting carried away emotionally.
• Take into consideration other’s opinions and beliefs and offer a safe place for these opinions to be communicated in an effective manner.
• Aim to be factually right, lay down what can add value to the conversation and help finding a solution through these facts.

In Praise of Walking: The New Science of How We Walk and Why It’s Good for Us

Shane O'Mara

Humans are the only animals on Earth that have the ability to walk on two feet, upright, head held high and evoke the confidence in a mere action like walking. Author Shane O’ Mara explores the evolution of walking by humans, the benefits that walking has on your body and brain, and many more marvels. But as technology advances, comfort seeps in and walking to the nearest mart seems like a stretch. The book enlightens us on the pleasures, therapeutic benefits, and biomechanics of walking, and encourages us to get out of our chairs and find a happier, healthier, and more imaginative self. Here are the three main takeaways from the book.

• Brain and nervous system provides body with the ability to balance and run our inner GPS.
• Walking is excellent for our muscles and stance, it helps to preserve and restore organs, and it can prevent or reverse brain aging as well improve our mood.
• Walking together to pursue a same goal is another social bond that has benefited to our civilization’s survival.

Hyper Learning

Edward D. Hess

The advantage of being in the modern age is that life here is simpler than back in the day. Learning to adapt quickly and to survive is something that was an essential skill. Today however with the lack of immediate threats to our survival, we are more complacent - our ancestors adapted and learnt so we could be safer. Today, however, we face this same issue again - we are in an age where the threat of machines taking over our jobs is very real. Thus, to remain on top of things, becoming a “hyper-learner” is key. Changing your mindset is the first step to becoming a hyper-learner. The process is deeply tied with ego and lifestyle. Therefore, the next step is working on your behavior and subsequently you need to adhere to the four ideas of meritocracy, positivity, psychological safety and self-determination to become a hyper learner.

• Becoming a hyper-learner is important in today’s world to survive and keep on top of things.
• The key to becoming one is to change your mindset and to improve your behavior.
• By following the four ideas of meritocracy, positivity, psychological safety and self-determination, you can take advantage of this hyper-learning.

How to Run the World

Parag Khanna

The World is not an easy place to survive, it is a convoluted mess and every actor decides the fate of the planet based on individual desires. In turn, it makes it so much more difficult to live in. From the age of ancient kingdoms, to statehood s and monarchies to recent world governments, How to Run the World by Parag Khanna the world is turning chaotic, making it difficult to access resources, poorer countries becoming poorer and rampant war and conflict. Parag Khanna talks about “mega-diplomacy” which can be harnessed by diplomats who could be anyone from activists, international organizations, world governments, celebrities or anyone who can assemble like-minded people and pool all resources necessary to bring about the change in this modern, complex world. There are always solutions, we need to look in a new way.

• World has a number of global actors, acting in self interest.
• War and suffering is rampant and requires a new diplomatic system to foster better communication.
• Mega diplomacy can help poor countries become self-sufficient over time.

No Rules, Rules

Reed Hastings and Erin Meyer

Apart from being a multibillion company and revolutionizing the watching experience, Netflix has become an integral part of our culture and a core component of our day to day lives. While Netflix’s success may be given to the revolutionary ideas, the true credit goes to the work culture inhibiting and inculcating such ideas through open communication with their employees. Reed Hastings, the founder of Netflix along with Erin Meyer, a professor from INSEAD joined hands to write the book, No Rules Rules. The book narrates a story of how Reed Hastings, the creator of Netflix, built a company that challenged the conventional status quo. Instead of enforcing additional restrictions as Netflix's popularity rose, Hastings offered his staff more leeway. By building a culture of freedom, creating dream teams with stunning talent and creating an open flow of conversations, employees are at ease and creative flow at work. Understanding the work culture at Netflix can be highly beneficial for the readers to implement in their organizations or institutions.

• At Netflix, acceptable performance earns a hefty severance package, and hard effort is unimportant.
• At Netflix, you don't attempt to satisfy your employer; instead, you practice extreme candor.
• Employees at Netflix never need authorization, and the firm always pays over and above the commercial rates.

24/6: The Power of Unplugging

Tiffany Shlain

Shlain's family's Tech Shabbat routine is detailed in 24/6, from the Friday night meal with guests to the deep sleep they all get, to the lazy Saturday morning filled with journaling and listening to full albums on the record player, to family activities like biking, crafting, and swimming at a pool. When travelling somewhere new, they utilize a landline, print out the day's schedule and phone numbers in advance if necessary, and consult a paper map. But there's a lot more to the book than that. It explores how technology addiction is undermining society's fabric; adults no longer know how to talk and have difficulty making eye contact, which has an influence on children's development and even dogs whose owners rarely look at them. Shlain discusses the difficulties of parenting in the age of social media, when kids are pressured by FOMO, 'likes,' and Snapstreaks. She advises parents to wait until their children are at least 14 years old before giving them a smartphone and creating a thorough contract for safe use.

• Importance of Unplugged routine, putting your brain and body in the habit of unplugging from devices for that particular day.
• Plan ahead for the unplugged day, decide on what activities one can indulge in beforehand so one doesn’t get tempted to use the device to pass the time.
• Managing your time on devices irrespective of the unplugged day.

How to Fix Meetings: Meet Less, Focus on Outcomes and Get Stuff Done

Graham Allcott and Hayley Watts

If you are anything like the millions of those employed in the world, the one thing you dread on a Monday morning is a long meeting. While ensuring employees are doing the work they are expected to do and reviewing them in a meeting is essential, meetings often tend to run long and suck the life out of all the attendees. How to Fix Meetings is filled with subtle ideas, such as how to block one’s calendar for other appointments, events etc. in a way that won't be questioned. The authors, Allcott who is a keynote speaker and entrepreneur and Watts, who is a productivity ninja at Graham Allcott’s organization, present a four-point basis for implementing, chairing, and following up on meetings that will help one to provide a pleasant experience for everyone participating. The book's objective is for all meetings to be constructive, and for one to feel at the end of the week that their presence in meetings was a precedent above work that didn't get done. Some takeaways from the book:

• Plan out the agenda and actions to be taken for an effective meeting.
• Invite those participants who will have valuable contributions to the related topic.
• Give everyone in the room a fair chance and note down the actionable steps and ensure those are completed.

The (Honest) Truth about Dishonesty

Dan Ariely

Dan Ariely, a behavioral economist and author, analyses the multiple, often contradictory motivations that urge people to cheat and lie — and to stay honest – in The (Honest) Truth About Dishonesty. Using a variety of tests meant to explain the factors and aspects of cheating – such as moral sense, physical and mental exhaustion, and temptation. Why reminding yourself of the Ten Commandments can help you avoid cheating. Why wearing phoney brand clothes will have an impact on your overall moral behavior. How cheating is contagious, spreading from person to person like an epidemic. Why does one dishonest behavior lead to another? And why, if we cheat, we're likely to deceive ourselves into thinking we didn't. Are few of the questions answered by the author in the book.

• Cheating is not based on rationality, the potential gains or the odds of being caught don't lessen or increase a person’s wish to cheat.
• At times morality plays a role in deciding whether to cheat or not.
• One is more likely to cheat on/with someone if they have psychological distance.

Drive

Daniel H. Pink

Motivation is a concept that we have been misguided about for a long time. Goals can be both healthy and yet dangerous. The main difference between healthy goals and the dangerous ones is that healthy goals are set by oneself, while dangerous ones are usually set for one by other people. This can also be linked to the effectiveness of rewards - research shows that extrinsic rewards are beneficial for tasks that are done the same way over and over again. However, these same rewards can be counterproductive for tasks that require unique problem solving and inventiveness. Thus, it is easy to infer that high-performance is not linked to our biology or to the gratification we feel after getting a reward. Rather, it is linked to the desire we have to be in control of and live purposeful lives. Motivation then becomes a three-way street that involves this desire for control, the urge to be skilled at the things that matter and to fulfil the purpose of a greater good.

• Rewards are not as beneficial for more inventive tasks, unlike in the case of Algorithmic tasks. Thus, motivation is not linked to the gratification that a reward makes us feel.
• Goals can be helpful, in case we set them for ourselves.
• Motivations are linked to our autonomy, our mastery and our sense of purpose.

Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life

Francesc Miralles and Hector Garcia

Japan holds a world record for having the highest number of elderly people, often above the age of 80. To unravel the Japanese secret behind longevity, Miralles and Garcia visit Japan to learn from the elderly population and scholars about this well hidden secret. Ikigai shows how having a reason, eating healthily, and not retiring may help you live a happy and fulfilling life. The Japanese, on the other hand, have practiced ikigai, or "cause to live," for millennia. It enables them to live longer and happier lives. This tradition is what qualifies Japan as one of the world's five Blue Zones, where people live the longest. Many individuals are enslaved by the insatiable need to achieve everything quicker, better, and harder. Finding your ikigai, on the other hand, will help you decelerate and appreciate life more. Finding your true destiny will also help you live a longer life. Takeaways from the book for a longer and fulfilling life:

• A sense of purpose is essential for longevity and pleasure.
• Follow the counsel of a few of the world's oldest individuals if you wish to live a long life.
• Make sure you get enough exercise to be fit throughout your life.

Hooked: Food, Free Will and How the Food Corporations Exploit Our Addictions

Michael Moss

We feed daily, at least many times a day, since the day we were born. Food is an integral part of our life, and the experiences we have with various food items differ from each other, and these create a memory with a certain emotion attached to it. Michael Moss, an American journalist unravels why certain foods keep circling in our heads, why certain foods taste better to us and how the processed food industry mint money out of our humaneness. Moss states that our species has evolved to favour quick, easy meals, which explains our current penchant for ready-to-eat foods. From diet food culture, to legal battles to concerns about obesity being raised in the White House, the book takes us on a long lecture on why our bodies act the way they are.

• Processed food gets stuck in our brain.
• Families' reliance on processed foods.
• Processed meals and our digestive systems are not good friends.

Communicate with Mastery: Speak With Conviction and Write for Impact

JD Schramm and Kara Levy

Communication is an essential tool in the 21st century, forming the crux of what builds a vision, goal or even a dream. Oftentimes, even good communicators tend to fall flat on their face and are unable to send out a message with a conviction to their audiences, failing to motivate them in the right way. In the end the essence of the communication is lost, and the vision is lost. Communicate with Mastery by JD Schramm and Kara Levy is a vast treasure mine of frameworks and techniques for leadership communication created and taught at Stanford's Graduate School of Business during the last decade. Tailored for the on-the-go entrepreneur, it gives you instant access to effective ways to challenge communication barriers that leaders confront today while communicating to a variety of audiences.

• Speaking with gravitas and writing with purpose.
• Customize your message to any purpose, situation, or audience.
• Increase the effectiveness of your leadership with mentoring.

A World Gone Social: How Companies Must Adapt to Survive

Ted Coine and Mark Rabbit

Imagine a decade back in time. Did we ever expect social media to blow up so much, so much that it became an everyday part of our life? So much so that, social media took over a significant part of our time and revolutionized the way we view things? Social media is having a massive influence on the global economy, causing such a drastic shift that it has ushered in a new economic era. A World Gone Social provides you with the resources and knowledge you need to survive—and thrive in an economic landscape where consumers hold all the cards. It contains anecdotes, analysis of real life situations, and vital counsel. Social, like the asteroid that most likely caused the annihilation of the dinosaurs, is the trigger in a mass extinction in the field of business, as we know it has altered permanently.

• Companies that refuse to evolve will be like dinosaurs in the Social Age: doomed to extinction.
• Avoid the pitfalls of cynicism and learn what it takes to become a "Blue Unicorn"—the social leader.
• How to analyze the health of your company's present culture and social visibility realistically.

Lateral Thinking

Edward E. Bono

Creativity and innovation enables you to develop a vision, foster a culture of curiosity and exploration, delegate power to all levels of the organization, establish objectives with time periods and metrics for monitoring innovation, and promote brainstorming to generate multiple ideas. This is what a lateral thinker/leader thrives on. Lateral thinking is a method of tackling issues by shifting your perspective. The lateral leader provides four cardinal elements to understand the context for change: ideals, rationale, culture, and mission. These form the crux of any and every organization, which is what Edward E. Bono attempts to explain in his book.

• Leaders must convey their ideas in every way possible in order for people to comprehend why they are changing.
• The boss's proposals are just as excellent as anyone else's, although not necessarily better.
• Because training promotes creativity, people are rewarded for being inventive.

Physics of the Impossible

Michio Kaku

Sci-fi movies throughout the generations have fed us with innovative, unique and hyper-realistic technologies and equipment. To a. level, they fuelled our scientists and researchers to see if it's possible to replicate its properties here on Earth. Death rays, force fields and invisibility cloaks may seem like a stretch, but according to the author, Michio Kaku, explains how the days where such technology will be widely used aren’t far away. With fundamentals and limits of physics and the world of science fiction, Kaku explores to what degree may science fiction technology and equipment that are regarded equally implausible now, may actually become normal in the future.

• The concepts of force fields and invisibility cloaks are based on genuine science.
• Beyond the Star Wars universe, phasers and death stars may arise.
• The ethical implications of future technology and the fate of humanity.