“Another Way: Building Last, Last, Last and Last Business,” by Boringham and Dave Wharton
A few days after Warren Buffett announced he was resigning from Berkshire Hathaway, another way happens. Legendary US investors are believed here as inspiration that author Dave Wharton is built to last in an “evergreen,” purpose-driven corporation.
The book is structured as a predominantly orthodox story from an ambitious Silicon Valley venture capitalist who learns at the feet of Kleiner, Perkins, Caufield and Byers’ John Doer, and through the experiences of high-tech entrepreneurs, that are in more epiphany than the Day Big First approach than capitalism.
Hooton’s account of his exhausted Silicon Valley era, including seating at Google’s first turbulent board table, is a familiar story of fundraising and Buckbit. However, when he moves from Silicon Valley to Sun Valley, Idaho, his perspective changes radically. He was intrigued by the prospect of supporting companies with a long-term vision and helping VC companies establish them to invest in them, and then the tugboat Institute will nurture and spread the value of companies, ranging from jewelry startups to powerful enterprise rental groups.
Another method involves listing these seven values, including purpose, perseverance, people, personal, profit, pace growth, and practical innovation, and exploring ways to apply them. Whorton has a slightly ridiculous, Buffett-esque style, but he paints a fascinating picture of the benefits of walking the slower path to lasting growth. Andrew Hill
“Deep Resting: Relationships with Family, Friends and Enemies,” Emily Casriel
In Deep Resting, Emily Casriel will use her BBC career to work as an executive coach and mediator, exploring ways to move beyond superficial interactions towards authentic connections.
Shaped by psychologist Carl Rogers and enriched with insights from law, psychology and indigenous traditions, her methods provide a practical guide to avoiding “hollow performance” acts. She says deep listening can change our relationships and affirm other people’s dignity as “basically equal to us, but unique and irreplaceable individuals. Hearing is often taught in school and work, but often taught to approach conversation as a fight to block alternative perspectives and facts.
Kasriel uses real-life stories from politics, business and art, and as a result, it is a toolkit for those who want to deepen conversations, ease conflicts, or simply become better people.
The book outlines an eight-step approach to deeper listening, beginning with creating a safe space and encouraging presence, curiosity and empathy. It highlights nonverbal clues such as eye contact and silence, and highlights the essence of what is shared – unspeakable, to reveal a deeper story.
But if your readers are most attracted to books about becoming better listeners, one would be wondering. The real challenge is to convince people of resistance to picking up it in the first place. Anjli Raval
“How to Change the World: How Social Entrepreneurs Move From First Ideas to Global Influence,” Joe Owen
How often do you declare that you can do better work than the government? Governments, often well-known for their inefficiency and short-termism, may argue by skeptics, but they can motivate polls and media rounds rather than enacting meaningful change.
Charities and NGOs offer potential solutions. This is described in this action-oriented book by social entrepreneur Joe Owen. He argues that the third sector can fill in the invisible policy gaps with overly extended sectors with the dynamism required to coordinate approaches across the region.
“Just as everyone has a book within them, everyone has an idea within them that can change the world,” Owen writes. He walks us around the steps social entrepreneurs should take if they want to achieve long-term change. This is a lesson led by his own experience of establishing eight NGOs, including the adoption of charities by British teachers.
In How to Change the World, Owen encourages him to become a social entrepreneur and targets the cause “beyond the symptoms of the problem.” Whether the problem is Kenya’s women’s literacy skills or UK’s educational disadvantages. Owen is also the author of over 20 books, including smart thinking and smart work.
The success rights of one initiative, chaired by Owen, demonstrate the need to streamline the outcome of regional integration and avoid the fatigue faced by one Blackpool bed-rag principal. Leah Quinn
“Stoic Capitalists: Very Ambitious Advice,” Robert Rosenkrantz
A guide to some people’s lives, this is a great read for everyone, but a particularly good gift for young people. Robert Rosenkrantz, now in the 80s, has a moving story. He came from working class roots, went to Harvard Law School, made a lot of money in finance, and is now a philanthropist.
Stoic capitalists roughly tell the story of Rosenkrantz’s life and work. The twist is that it is weaving in both the ancient philosophy he chose, and the much newer doctrine of cognitive behavioral therapy, or the CBT that Rosenkrantz is a fan. It’s an attractive combination of old and new.
As Seneca writes, “using reasons to regulate emotions” is a key point throughout the book, as he acknowledges anger as the “most destructive emotion.” The author details high stakes meetings and transactions that could have been horribly wrong. By maintaining stoic principles, he maintains both his reasons. This means he can make good decisions and is cool. “Staying angry may be an unwilling response, but stoics will advise that acting angry should be a conscious decision.”
Stoic capitalists are good entry points for the ancient popular, but good entry points for Marcus Aurelius and Epictetus, and those who don’t want to all-in-all into the scripts of their good life. But it is also a great story of a financial adventurous life. Rosenkrantz, for example, writes that Bernie Madoff’s promises were too good to be true. He tried to warn reporters in the New York Times. The reason was that at the time I was out the window. Isabel Berwick
