100 books like Antifragile

I laughed at Kahneman’s straightforward explanation of how my brain works without making me feel stupid. Apparently, humanness is normal, thank goodness.

He explains the complexities of System 1 and 2 thinking through storytelling, demonstrating what he is teaching about how our brains work. Even though I’d learned about these concepts through academic reading, I now feel like I “get it,” although even that statement is a product of both System 1 and 2 thinking and availability bias. Key takeaways: Intelligence and rationality are not the same, and the research is so substantial in how Systems 1 and 2 work that disbelief is not an option!

In this book, my friend the late Professor K Anders Ericsson, proves that innate talent is not the most important factor in achieving expertise in any field.

Instead, deliberate practice is the key to improving performance and achieving mastery. But deliberate practice is not the same as regular practice: it involves specific and focused efforts to improve skills, often with the guidance of a teacher or coach.

It requires a high level of concentration and effort and can be mentally and physically exhausting. The book provides practical advice on how to apply this concept to any field.

Reading this book a second time, I felt my anger growing from a lifetime of hearing the Church’s teaching on fear: “Ignore it.” This is at least negligence and, at worst, abuse. De Becker makes it abundantly clear that we should listen to our fear (he differentiates it from anxiety) and learn to trust the inner voice (intuition).

We are “experts” in our situation, and he skillfully showed me how to listen to myself and see the signs of danger. I realize I need to re-read the final chapter to integrate the common wisdom of knowing myself, seeing danger, and understanding how fear works. It is possible to have faith in God, manage my fear, and more likely avoid violence without resorting to trite spiritual naivete or blind faith in God.

Hungarian-American psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi tackles a colossal question in Creativity: how do people come up with new ideas?

I love the scope of this book, which journeys from breakthroughs in science to experimentation in jazz. I love the myths the author debunks, including the out-of-nowhere “aha” moment: Ideas don’t just burst into consciousness, they emerge from a lifetime of knowledge and experience that comes before them.

And I love that Csikszentmihalyi concludes his book with a chapter about how we, his readers, can enhance our own creativity. Key takeaways: cultivate curiosity; look for surprises in the ordinary; allow yourself to sit still and reflect; create a space that nurtures your soul. 

The Pyramid Principle is about problem-solving and communication, two areas completely decisive for anyone who has the ambition to get the most out of their personal and professional lives.

It offers practical advice on how to organize your ideas and present them in a clear and persuasive manner. It provides a framework for effective problem-solving communication that can be applied to a variety of contexts, from business writing to presentations and speeches.

Yale professor John Bargh is a wonderful writer and a great storyteller.

We all know that our minds operate at both a conscious and an unconscious level, but not until I read this book did I realize how much happens at the unconscious level and that this helps explain everything from how getting a flu shot affects our attitudes toward immigration to how having power can induce us to try to unfairly advantage people we perceive to be like us at the expense of “out-group” members. 

What I loved about this book is that Norman Marks, a global expert on risk, wrote about the complex field of risk management in an accessible (lay) voice. I loved that, as a contributor to the ISO standards, he then pointed out the imperfections in the standards he had contributed to.

Intellectual humility is not often seen. I appreciated the way he explained world-class management as if he were having a conversation with the major risk management theories, pointing out strengths and weaknesses and boldly stating what he disagrees with or doesn’t actually work. I loved hearing his voice: “If I ruled the world, [I’d do it this way…].” Of course, I was curious to keep reading.

The summons to think in new ways and develop new awareness is a challenge I loved in this book. Gigerenzer distinguishes between an inner spiritual voice, intuition, and rational thinking: these are different ways of knowing and should be honored.

His numerous examples of the 3 critical skills for developing risk literacy are provocative but comprehensible. I’m encouraged to learn that my intuition in situations of uncertainty is often correct, and I should listen to it, even if I cannot immediately explain why. Why does this matter? The places where humanitarian relief work focuses are often highly unstable and dangerous. I must be able to explain how to do a risk assessment in less than fifteen minutes and make a quality risk decision.  Otherwise, it’s not helpful (simple solutions for complex problems).

Trust is, indeed, the emotion of business but it’s also just a starting point. The endpoint is by contrast to be delayed as long as possible, as retaining workers is best achieved by making them feel appreciated and given respect and a fair degree of autonomy. Great leaders can follow this recipe whether in business, the non-profit sector, or beyond.

This book is short and massively powerful. It gets you to think about all the possibilities you have to reach your full potential and do more than you might have thought possible. This 48-page, 2-word book just might change your life forever. You will learn 3 simple, powerful tools you can use immediately to access your unrealized potential. When you really start to think, What If?, around any issues, goals, or challenges, your possibilities can be endless. This book can inspire you to greatness, in my opinion. I bought hundreds of copies of this book because I thought it was so powerful and wanted to share it with my clients and prospective clients, so if you can’t find this book, I do have 5 more copies left.