On Teaching Yourself to Live, My Life, and The Five Dysfunctions of a Team
On Teaching Yourself to Live, My Life, and The Five Dysfunctions of a Team
Books that changed my thinking, my behaviors, and my life
Hello all!
Here is your weekly dose of goodness:
1. Personal development
Teach Yourself To Live
Summary
This is a classic from 1955. Yes, the language is dated, but the ideas are useful. Many nuggets of wisdom. If you like to be inspired on living life to the fullest, this is a great book for you.
Insight: Money is harder to keep than is to make. It temps you to risk itself in a score of ways on the specious excuse of easy increase: as by speculation, gambling, lending, and the like. Be wary and steadfastly resist such common temptations. Far more money is lost by such activities than is gained by them. Be careful of fools bait. Better be satisfied with the modest safe increase and remember the adage about one bird in the hand being better than two in the bush. Remember, the dog that dropped his real bone in the water beguiled to open its mouth by the sight of the bigger reflection-bone on the surface of the stream.
Insight: You start your working life in debt to others.
Quote: Youth is a blunder, manhood a struggle, old age a regret -Benjamin Disraeli. (Old age requires comfort, even luxury, it requires a sufficiency of hard cash. It needs an interest in life-something to live for, something to do, be, and think. It is too late to think about providing these things once old age has come. They are the harvest from youth and maturity)
Author: C.G.L. Du Cann
Themes: Personal development, Living a full life, Philosophy
My personal notes from the book
2. Autobiography
My Life
Summary
Golda lived such an incredible life and helped to shape Israel when it was in its infancy. She was the first woman prime minister of the Middle East (and one of the first in the world) and led Israel through some of its darkest times. Golda was born in Ukraine, emigrated to Milwaukee, WI, and then emigrated to Palestine in 1921. She was a signer of Israel’s Declaration of Independence in 1948, and was elected to the Knesset in 1949 and went on to serve as prime minister in 1969. A controversial figure in Israel, Golda has been lionized as a founder of the state and described as the "Iron Lady" of Israel politics, but also widely blamed for the country being caught by surprise during the Yom Kippur War. Gold resurfaced in my life recently because there is a new movie out about her. It’s good. Golda was full of wisdom–the quintessential Jewish grandmother.
Insight:...nothing in life just happens. It isn't enough to believe in something; you have to have the stamina to meet obstacles and overcome them, to struggle.
Insight: Jews neither can, nor should ever depend on anyone else for permission to stay alive.
Insight: There is a big difference between being frightened and lacking faith.
Insight: Disappointments are not failures.
Author: Golda Meir
Themes: Autobiography, Israel
My personal notes from the book
3. Culture
The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable
Summary
I was introduced to Patrick Lencioni by my friend Sean Michael–and my life was forever changed. Since then, I’ve read every Lencioni book. You’ll hear about other Lencioni books in future 3BTs. They are all important. The Five Dysfunctions of a Team should be read by anyone who leads a team; it is transformational (and even more powerful when read in combination with his other books). Think of this as your first step of a journey.
Principle: Not finance. Not strategy. Not technology. It is teamwork that remains the ultimate competitive advantage, both because it is so powerful and so rare.
Principle: If you could get all the people in an organization rowing in the same direction, you could dominate any industry, in any market, against any competition, at any time.
Insight: Teams, because they are made up of imperfect human beings, are inherently dysfunctional.
Insight: Success comes only for those groups that overcome the all-too-human behavioral tendencies that corrupt teams and breed dysfunctional politics within them.
The 5 Dysfunctions
Absence of trust
Fear of conflict
Lack of commitment
Avoidance of accountability
Inattention to results
Authors: Patrick Lencioni
Themes: Culture, Entrepreneurship, Work hygiene, Growing a business, Running a business
My personal notes from the book
That’s a wrap. Thanks for reading!
Please continue to share with me the books that changed your life!
Best,
Adam
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