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Obliquity: Why Our Goals Are Best Achieved Indirectly (2010)

by John Kay(Favorite Author)
3.53 of 5 Votes: 2
ISBN
1846682886 (ISBN13: 9781846682889)
languge
English
genre
publisher
Profile Books(GB)
review 1: The achievement of a great statesman is to mediate effectively between competing views and values The success of a leader is to continuously match the capabilities of the firm to the market conditions The skill of problem solving frequently lies in the interpretation and re-interpretation of high level objectives The best means of reengineering is not going back and inventing a better way of doing work but trying models that have been successful elsewhere Happiness is where you find it, not where you go in search for it
review 2: Just the kind of “stuff I’ve always known without being put into words” kind of book I like! Quick: which band do you think has a chance at making it big? The band that has real passion for what they do and whose focus is on m
... moreaking music, or the band that has determined what a #1-selling band looks like, sounds like, and acts like and has strategically implemented all of those elements in order to get rich? If you guessed the first one, you already get the premise of Obliquity.Our society is full of examples from history, business, and our own lives of how we best achieve our goals indirectly as opposed to straight on. It’s an interesting and somewhat bizarre realization, but I’ve certainly seen it play out that way. Knowing that this truism is, well, true, how can we use it to our advantage by aiming for our goals with indirect routes? That’s the only way I feel this book fell short – there were lots of fantastic anecdotes, data, and research, but not much application. Which I guess makes sense for the topic – it’s not really the kind of thing you can directly apply. Instead, the understanding gained from the book allows you to arrange achieving your desired outcomes via a circuitous route, thus, you know, proving the premise of the book. less
Reviews (see all)
manncass
The idea of obliquity is interesting, but Kay keeps elaborating on the same theme.
Shan
Interesting. But could have been much better
chilichichi
one book that Singapore's PAP should read.
md312
Read 3/4. So boring.
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