Reading is a great way to absorb the knowledge of some of the greatest minds in the world. Bill Gates, widely recognized as a very intelligent man, is an avid reader and regularly shares his recommendations. 2019 is shaping up to be an excellent year for books that will help you transform your business. Be on the lookout for these four new releases this year.
Loonshots: How to Nurture the Crazy Ideas That Win Wars, Cure Diseases, and Transform Industries by Safi Bahcall
To make a significant breakthrough, you first need to have a crazy idea and a group of people willing to make that idea a reality. How successful the idea becomes relies on phase transitions. Phase transitions are the scientific principle that small changes in structure either make people more or less open to crazy ideas. The author is a physicist and entrepreneur who teaches organizations how they can be better optimized to ensure these risky ideas reach fruition.
Nine Lies About Work: A Freethinking Leader’s Guide to the Real World by Marcus Buckingham and Ashley Goodall
The oft-spouted management wisdom only exists to reinforce the idea that organizations have power over individuals. The authors break down some of the most common pieces of advice, such as people crave feedback and leadership is a thing. Organizations and leaders should toss these aside and instead embrace the messiness that occurs when people work together.
Possible Minds: 25 Ways of Looking at AI edited by John Brockman
It’s no secret that artificial intelligence is infiltrating many major industries. But, should that concern us, or should we welcome the technological advancement? What roles will humans play in a world that’s ruled by algorithms? Will machines render humanity obsolete? Brockman solicits 25 big-brains to offer their take on the technology and what it means for us and the future.
The Prosperity Paradox: How Innovation Can Lift Nations Out of Poverty by Clayton M. Christensen, Efosa Ojomo, and Karen Dillon
Poverty is the biggest problem facing humankind and one that doesn’t have a clear solution. In this book, Christensen, a Harvard professor, offers a new approach to tackling poverty. Instead of working to eliminate poverty, there should be a focus on creating lasting prosperity. Entrepreneurs should be pursuing market-creating innovations to create jobs, profits and permanent cultural change. These types of innovations build a foundation for prosperous economies and can lift up developing countries.