books to power up your thinking
Without exception, each one of these books provided a fresh perspective and acted as a source of inspiration and concepts for ‘SPIRIT Managed Thinking’
Smart Questions
Smart Questions is all about learning to ask the right questions for powerful results. It is jointly written by Professor Gerald Nadler of ‘Breakthrough Thinking’ fame and it incorporates a comprehensive summary of the seven principles of creative problem solving before going on to provide a structure and a process that can be used to marshal your thinking and increase the likelihood of uncovering breakthroughs.
The 80/20 Principle
The 80/20 principle is often acknowledged as a powerful and useful tool by highly effective people and organizations.It is based on the Pareto principle that there is a consistently uneven distribution relating general populations. The numbers may not always be exactly 80/20 but the principle is very powerful and almost universally applies e.g. 20% of the customers account for 80% of the profits, 20% of the sales people are responsible for 80% of the sales.
The Blank Slate
Steven Pinker’s Blank Slate is large in size but is packed full of research and anecdotes that inspires us to think about how we are conditioned and how we are programmed to be on autopilot much of the time. He explores the concepts of nature versus nurture, the ‘ghost on the machine’, the ‘noble savage’, and of course the ‘blank slate’. All of these concepts provide insights into why we think and act the way we do and suggestions as to how we can change things.
Thinkertoys
Thinkertoys is inspirational, refreshing and a joy to read and use. As an officer in the U.S. Army, Michael Michalco organized a team of NATO intelligence specialists and international academics in Frankfurt, Germany, to research, collect, and categorize all known inventive-thinking methods. Everyone should have a copy of this book.
The Power of Positive Thinking
Even if we logically accept that every one of us has a personal well of creativity and the potential to dream up major breakthroughs, there are forces holding us back. The Power of Positive Thinking provides much food for thought on ways to overcome low self-esteem and wasteful worrying and how to believe in ourselves and achieve out goals.
The Power of Your Subconscious Mind
The Power of the Subconscious Mind is a really exciting and useful read. Joseph Murphy’s book outlines simple, scientifically proven techniques and the amazing information about how your subconscious powers can perform what many would call miracles. He covers many areas from healing and relationships through to how your dreams can help you solve problems and make difficult decisions.
Why Didn’t I Think of That?
Charles McCoy is a Los Angeles Superior Court judge and professor at Pepperdine. He promote a very valuable lesson: no one in business or in their personal life can afford to make haphazard and lazy judgments without examining all the facts. This is the foundation of a book that becomes a guide to business and professional success based on creative methods. It is full of interesting anecdotes and it is both amusing and readable with mental exercises interspersed between straight text and chapter summaries.
The Effective Executive
Peter Drucker contends that the measure of the executive is the ability to “get the right things done.” This usually involves doing what other people have overlooked whilst avoiding spending time on unproductive activities. He also indicates that intelligence, imagination and knowledge require the acquisition and practice of certain mental habits if results are to be achieved. He identifies five practices as being essential to business effectiveness. They are: time management; choosing your contribution; leveraging your strengths; prioritization; and effective decision making.
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(All titles are listed as “Search Inside” which lets you dive right in and get a good feel
for the book before you buy). Enjoy!