We might not have as much control in our lives as we think.  The Black Swan by Nassim Taleb explains how random and unpredictable events (black swans) can have massive consequences on the world in which we live.

In this episode I discuss how we have tendencies to confirm our own biases when analyzing facts, draw narratives when they aren't really there, and make decisions without examining unseen evidence.  All of this leads to us not understanding how we fail to see Black Swans coming, even though we convince ourselves that we can predict the next one.

I also discuss two more books and compare them with the lessons in The Black Swan:

- What does an old economics book, Economics in One Lesson by Henry Hazlitt, tell us about the unseen world?

- What advice from Creativity, Inc. does Ed Catmull, founder of Pixar, have about the random events that account for the creation of successful companies?

Please let me know your thoughts on this episode by finding me on Instagram!
@kail.letkemann

Good to Great by Jim Collins lays out six business principles that explain how companies can go from being good, or average, to being great or extraordinary.

The six principles are called:

- Level 5 Leadership
- First Who, Then What
- Confront the Brutal Facts
- The Hedgehog Concept
- A Culture of Discipline
- Technology Accelerators

After going through what these mean, I compare Good to Great to two books that have been covered in previous episodes:

- How does the Hedgehog Concept relate to the advice given in The $100 Startup by Chris Guillebeau?

- Can we see these principles in the efforts of Howard Schultz in his book Onward?

Please let me know your thoughts on this episode by finding me on Instagram!
@kail.letkemann

If you're feeling trapped doing work you find unfulfilling, stuck in the same place 50 weeks of the year, and wishing for a way out, then this might be the book for you.

This episode covers The 4-Hour Workweek by Tim Ferriss.  Tim lays out his guide to a better life in four steps:

Define what you want to do with your time.
Eliminate unproductive work and time-wasting distractions.
Automate tasks that can be done in an easier way.
Liberate yourself from working in a box - learn how to work remotely.

After we cover these steps, I'll share with you two more books that will help you understand the different ways you can choose to earn income, and how to get more done in less time.

Let me know your thoughts on this episode by finding me on Instagram: @kail.letkemann

Is there something that you love that you wish you could do for a living?  It might be more feasible than you think to start your own small business doing what you love.

In this episode we're going over The $100 Startup by Chris Guillebeau.  We talk about how to choose a viable business idea, why it's important to focus on helping others, and how to keep things simple when getting started.  I also compare the advice in The $100 Startup with my own journey of starting my recording studio.

But one book is never enough!  Reading different books gives us fresh perspectives, and we can learn new things by combining these books together.  I share another book that helps us understand the importance of leading a community around what you love.  Combined, these two books build a compelling picture of what your new business could look like!

Sometimes the world feels like it's falling apart.  This is certainly how it would feel if you ran a company during the 2008 financial crisis.  How would a successful CEO turn their company and their brand around?  And what can we learn from this story that will help us in our own lives?

We look at Onward by Howard Schultz, the story of his return as CEO of Starbucks in order to save the company.  He teaches us about loving what we do, holding fast to our core values, and how to bring people along with us.

But one book is never enough!  Reading different books gives us fresh perspectives, and we can learn new things by combining these books together. I share takeaways from two more books from successful CEOs, and what we can learn when these three perspectives meet in the middle.

It's deceptively easy to make mistakes when getting to know someone.  We think we can judge things like personality, body language, and facial expressions, but so often we get it all wrong.  In this episode, we explore how to navigate this difficult landscape of interacting with people we don't (and do) know.

We start with an examination of Talking to Strangers by Malcolm Gladwell.  There's a lot we can learn from the stories and research in this book, and I share my favourite takeaways.

But one book is never enough!  Reading different books gives us fresh perspectives, and we can learn new things by combining these books together.  In an early plot twist for me, we're comparing Talking to Strangers with a novel - murder, fraud and deceptive interactions abound!

If we want to create great habits, we must first understand how habits work.  In this episode, we learn the components of a habit, and how we can piece together a system of habit formation that will make positive changes in our lives.

Atomic Habits by James Clear is our jump-off point.  This is an easy-to-read tool for creating lasting habits.  The book is very well laid out and gives us a "clear" understanding of the components of a habit.

But one book is never enough!  Reading different books gives us different perspectives, and we can learn new things by combining these books together.  We go over two more books at the end of the episode, and how all three create a powerhouse framework for understanding and implementing habit change.