Outliers: The story of success

By Malcolm Gladwell

As the name of the book suggests, it talks about people who are different from others and so they stand out and become successful. It attempts to explain why certain people succeeded where other failed, moreover, the book inspects the cases where the success is not necessary the ability of the person alone or in some cases, the person doesn't really have any real outstanding ability, what is important in a lot of cases is the circumstances and the system has somehow favoured someone or a group of people. On the other hand, thre are people with remarkable ability but has been mirginallized by the system.
While the idea of book is pretty interesting, I found the cases and description a bit repetitive and long-winded. This is the 3rd book that I read from the same author, the other two books were "Tipping point" and "Blink" which I enjoyed a lot, but I must say I was a bit disappointed about "Outliners".

Margin of Safety: Risk-Averse Value Investing Strategies for the Thoughtful investor

Margin of Safety: Risk-Averse Value Investing Strategies for the Thoughtful Investor

Margin of Safety: Risk-Averse Value Investing Strategies for the Thoughtful Investor (buy from Amazon) by Seth A. Klarman

The Art of the Long View

Type: BusinessAuthor: Peter Schwartz  My rating: Buy now
Posted by Dominic Book introduction: A book that teaches people how to plan for future scenarios and position your accordingly, it illustrates its point by many real business examples.
My review: This books talks about how to make major decisions by looking at different scenarios, the goal is not to score well if the best scenario pervail, but rather how you are do well in all cases.

Stand out

Type: Business Self-improvementAuthor: Simon Vetter  My rating: Buy now
Posted by Dominic Book introduction: This book is about personal branding strategies for Business Professionals. Learning from the case studies of some of the world's most successful speakers, independent professionals.
My review: Interesting collection of cases and invaluable lessons, I'm trying to incorporate these ideas in everyday life. It is sometimes not very obvious how you can do the same

The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference

Type: Business Author: Malcolm Gladwell My rating:  Buy now
Posted by Dominic Book introduction: This book attempts to explain why some ideas or diseases spread like wild fire and some other ideas do not. The book introduces a concept to systematically look at how ideas, messages, viruses spread through the key characters. - The connectors are people who are well connected, they simply love to get to know more people, they have a natural facsination in meeting everybody and genuinely find them interesting. The connectors can always find a common topic with almost everyone. - The mavens are people who have a habit in knowing the fine details of all sorts of things like pricing, differences in products and love to help others and share what they know - The salesmen are people who have the ability to convince others and engage a conversation and lead the other party to adapt the salesman's harmony and pace. They have a gifted talents to make others more agreeable The book quoted various examples of products, viruses, historical events and explain how they fit in this connectors/mavens/salesmen concept. There are other very important factors too, such as stickiness of the message.
My review: Finally got to read this book that has been recommended by a few friends and business associates. I think I fit in the description of the connectors and mavens, but need to work harder on the salesmanship. If you are in a mass-market business, this is a must read. If you are simply amazed by how certain people are gifted in one of the aspect of the social skills, this is also a very interesting read.

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Replied by irene. My rating: My review: The examples are quite long, but it's interesting to review how the past big trends/serious illness tipped. Inspire you to think about your business strategies.

Mr. China

Type: BusinessAuthor: Tim Clissold  My rating: Buy now
Posted by Dominic Book introduction: This is a memoir of an Englishman who felt really attached to China since late 1980s. He came to Beijing in 1990s to study Mandarin and travel around China. He saw the opportunity of bringing capital from Wall Street to China and started investing into a selected set of industry, hoping to dominate certain market through numerous Joint Venture in the early 1990s. That was the time when it was hard for businesses (SOEs state-own enterprises) to raise capital within China. Together with a successful Wall Street banker, they raised US$418 Million in a number of fund raising round. Soon they find that doing business in China is much harder than they thought, and their investments have started to go terribly wrong. This book is a recount of the various battles that they fought against the Chinese partners of their joing ventures.
My review: Highly recommended for everyone who plans to work, invest, start business in China. China has changed since, but to read and learn about its past and how/why things have evolved in certain ways and what lessons did foreign investors learn through numerous failed JV are all highly insightful. The situation described in the books are so so so true, the attitude towards foreigners, the opportunity to grab money fast during an infant stage of development of a huge nation and the lack of respect of contracts. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it.

Good To Great

Type: Business Author: Jim Collins  My rating: Buy now
Posted by Dominic Book introduction: From the author and research team that brought us - Build to last - comes a book focusing on the key factors of how some companies were able to jump a leap and went from GOOD companies to GREAT companies.
My review: Good is the enermy of great. To become a great, one must not get too comfortable with being just good. Although I find the stories in the book interesting, there is little practical tips that one can follow. The concept of a level-5 leader is too abstract.

The Servant : A Simple Story About the True Essence of Leadership

Type: Leadership Author: James C. Hunter My rating:  Buy now
Posted by irene Book introduction: John Daily, a businessman who heads up a company and has a family and good life style, is failing miserably in each of his leadership roles as boss, husband, father, and coach. What went wrong? Find out from his weeklong retreat at a remote Benedictine monastery.
My review: Is leadership born? or trained? This book explains the simple principles of a good and successful leader. One of the concepts is: POWER = The ability to force others, by virtue of your position over them, to do what you wish them to do. AUTHORITY = The ability to have others voluntarily do what you wish them to do as a result of the nature of your relationship with them and the example you set in front of them. The principles can be applied to different situations of our life.

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Replied by Dominic. My rating: My review: A great book! Highly recommended. A lesson in what it takes to become a true, great leader, the answer lies in serving other people's need and respect other people. Gain authority by giving. The book make very logically deduction of the above conclusion and history provides the best and finest examples of leaders. It also talks about when giving, you must give with love. Love is a verb and not merely a noun. This book has given me great insight and reinforce my belief in helping and serving other people. It reassures the idea of good person should prevail. If you want to learn how to become a true leader with authority and respect, this is the book that you are looking for, put it into practice.

Rich Dad, Poor Dad

Type: Business Author: Robert T. Kiyosaki My rating:  Buy now
Posted by irene Book introduction: By comparing how rich dad and poor dad educates his kid, the author shows why rich people get richer and poor people struggle to survive. It points out some neutral human behaviours which restrict us to build our wealth.
My review: The concepts are simple, but we always need to be aware of whether we're buying "assets" or 'liability" to our personal balance sheet. It is useful for financial planning.

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Replied by Vanessa. My rating: My review: An easy piece of reading, a whole series of simlar books are available and this made me felt that it is very 'commercial'. Simple concepts, easy to say and maybe difficult to implement.

Modern Competitive Analysis

Type: BusinessAuthor: Sharon M. Oster  My rating: Buy now
Posted by Dominic Book introduction: How strategic planners can use powerful ideas from economic analysis in making business decisions?
My review: Interesing business ananlysis with plenty of real industry research cases.

The Wisdom of Teams

Type: Business Self-improvementAuthor: Jon R. Katzenbach, Douglas K. Smith  My rating: Buy now
Posted by Dominic Book introduction: This book talks about how to create the high-performance organization and the secret lies in the team.
My review: I once heard TEAM stands for Together Every Achieve More. Sounds easy? Well, can be if you need how to motivate, delegate and with a clear common goal.

The McKinsey Way

Type: BusinessAuthor: Ethan M. Rasiel  My rating: Buy now
Posted by Dominic Book introduction: A book on the McKinsey's way to management consulting.written by an McKinsey Alumnus.
My review: This could be an interesting reading for those who want to become a management consulting. McKinsey or the Firm as we call it (as a McKinsey alumnus myself), is almost a religious. In a way, this book is documenting what we "believe" in.

In Search Of Excellence

Type: Business
Author: Thomas Peters, Tom Peters, Robert H. Waterman, Robert Waterman
My rating: 
Buy now 
Posted by Dominic

Book introduction:
This book was based on the result of extensive research on successful corporations in US. This forms the foundation of the McKinsey infamous 7S framework on good corporate management. The 7S are Shared values, Structure, Systems, Style, Staff, Skills and Strategy

My review:
An interesting strategy book. Though the research was based on late 70s, a lot are still applicable today.

What Color is your parachute?

Type: Business, Self-improvement Author: Richard N. Bolles My rating:  Buy now
Posted by Dominic Book introduction: This book recommends some exercises and approaches to identify your ideal career. It also suggests how you can get there. You may generate some new ideas about your next move and what actions you should take now.
My review: Though the ideas are not new, the book does give some insights on searching the desired career. Don't waste your time on paths that lead to no where, focus on your networks. "Are you approaching your job hunt as a LIFE-CHANGING career move?" YOU SHOULD! But how? Spend some time to really understand yourself and devise a strategy that suits you! Also learn about the myths of job hunting. Is there something wrong with your job hunting process? Read this example: A typical job hunting process 1. Search on mass-internet job site 2. Read classified in newspaper 3. Contact head-hunters 4. Ask network for referral Employer filling a position 1. Look from within his organisation 2. Ask trusted network for referral 3. Engage head-hunters 4. Advertise in newspaper or mass job site So you see how a typical job hunting process is out of step to the employers' procedure in finding talents. Many people waste precious time in endless search on mass jobs site and classified AND they convince themselves that they are making good progress by browsing a long list of job openings that match their so called "keywords". Instead they should catch the jobs at a much earlier stage - the "Network referral" stage. Not only you are able to catch the better jobs, you actually have a higher chance of finding the RIGHT job! - Because, your network has done the screening for you and your prospective employers, not to mention the important "trust" element in a referral. Isn't it time you adopt the correct approach? I wish you every success!

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Replied by irene. My rating: My review: I find the exercise to brainstorm career options useful, but the disadvantage of this book is that most job search information are for America.

Leading at the Edge

Type: Business Self-improvementAuthor: Dennis N. T. Perkins  My rating: Buy now
Posted by Dominic Book introduction: A book on leadership lessons using the 1914 Antarctica exploration led by Sir Ernest Shackleton on a boat called the "Endurance". A remarkable journey, the boat was soon trapped by the ice and the crew was strangled in the most harsh region on the globe. Under Sir Ernest's amazing leadship, the crew was able to survive for over 2 years and eventually reached safety with no loss of a single life. His unique style of leadership skill was able to hold the team together and keep their spirit alive, how to eliminate doubts and achieve incredible results. The book analyses these outstanding qualities and citing more turn-around examples of modern corporations.
My review: A remarkable story that has been quoted countless times. This book gives a good summary on the lessons that we can learn and leadership skills that can be applied in modern society, in organisations of any kind.

Peter Drucker on the Profession of management

Type: BusinessAuthor: Peter Drucker  My rating: Buy now
Posted by Dominic Book introduction: Peter Drucker, a well respected professor of corporate management. This book summaries his view of what consistutes good management.
My review: A good easy reading.

The Essays of Warren Buffett : Lessons for corporate America

Type: BusinessAuthor: Warren E. Buffett, Lawrence A. Cunningham  My rating: Buy now
Posted by Dominic Book introduction: A collection of Warren Buffett's letter to shareholder which covers many aspect on good investment, corporate governence, M & A and beyond
My review: A good condense reading on corporate management.

Say it with charts

Type: Business
Author: Gene Zelazny
My rating: 
Buy now  




Posted by Dominic

Book introduction:
This is a tool book on how to use charts to spell out your message. A picture can take a thousand words. Pictures that make your presentation come to live.




My review:
This is one of the first set of books that I received at McKinsey & Co. Very handy.

Valuation: Measuring and Managing the Value of Companies

Type: Business Author: McKinsey & Company Inc., Tom Copeland, Tim Koller, Jack Murrin  My rating:  Buy now
Posted by Dominic Book introduction: This is the tool book for doing all sorts of valuation on companies, ROIC, EBITA, EBIT. You name it, it has all of them.
My review: This is again one of the first set of business tool book that I was given during my time at McKinsey. Excellent book! Here is where I learned the ROIC tree if you know what I am talking about :-)