FRED'S BOOK OF THE MONTH...
MARCH 2020
THE CHECKLIST MANIFESTO, ATUL GAWANDE
Checklists have been the scourge of industry for a long time now. Something to be embarrassed about. Avoided at all costs. After all, if you really were an 'expert' worth your salt you would know everything off by heart, wouldn't you?
Not according to journalist, CEO and surgeon Atul Gawande.
From the frontlines of surgery to natural disaster relief Checklists are vital in the pursuit of excellence and eradicating errors, you just have to know how and when to use them.
For a deep dive analysis into this month's book check out the expanded edition - https://www.wearebrasstacks.com/insight
FEBRUARY 2020
DRIVE, DANIEL H. PINK
The thesis of Drive is a simple one: The key to human motivation is intrinsic rather than extrinsic. Written plainly, this may seem obvious. But as Pink says, the dominant approach in management is that the best 'way to get us moving in the right direction is by dangling a crunchier carrot or weilding a sharper stick.' He finds numerous fascinating studies to back up his arguments.
Throughout his book, Pink shows us companies that are bucking the trend. And seeing real results in the process. According to him, 'For too long there's been a mismatch between what science knows and what business does.'
His arguments for motivation based on the elements of autonomy, mastery and purpose are extremely convincing.
JANUARY 2020
SMALL GIANTS, BO BURLINGHAM
Growth for growth's sake isn't the only way. 'Business leaders are free to choose another path'. Boldness, creativity, and passion.
This isn't merely surface level fantasy. Case studies are varied - from brewing and storage companies to VFX houses and dressmakers. Covering essential topics such as hiring, training, and comms. It is fully aware that SIMPLY being bold and passionate isn't enough to survive. Cash-flow requirements, of course, have to be met. But it wants us to know there is more than one way to thrive.
Small Giants is never dishonest. This 10th-anniversary edition is full of updates. Following up with the companies involved whether they flourished or floundered. The results might just surprise you.
DECEMBER 2019
TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS, CLEMENT CLARKE MOORE?
Some things I can’t stand about Christmas:
Festive bunnets in the office. The inevitable shortage of pigs-in-blankets at dinner. Don't even get me started about tinsel!
But every Christmas Eve since I was a baby skull I'd sit down and read this wonderful little poem. No more rushing, shopping, fretting, wrapping. All of a sudden, it's really Christmas!
If you haven’t picked it up in a while, feel you’ve outgrown it, or just somehow missed it, I recommend dusting off Twas The Night Before Christmas this year. Get some loved ones to gather around and let the excitement of the morrow take over.
'Merry Christmas to all…'
NOVEMBER 2019
MESSY, TIM HARFORD
As you should know by now we’re fond of books that ruffle feathers and challenge established beliefs. And when it comes to the workplace, Messy is right up our street.
With a plethora of evidence to back up his claims, Harford makes a strong case for a more human approach. Championing autonomy and allowing room for risk and spontaneity, Harford applies his unkempt logic to everything from creativity and workplace happiness to politics and war.
'Many jobs, buildings, and relationships are monotonous and controlling. They sacrifice messy possibility for tidy predictability. And too often we let that happen, because we feel safer that way. That is a shame.'
OCTOBER 2019 - 1ST ANNIVERSARY EDITION!
CIRCULAR, No. 20
Circular is the annual journal of The Typographic Circle. A volunteer organisation bringing lovers of typography and design together. Their 20th edition was kindly gifted to us by Paul from G.F Smith.
Circular is wonderful to look at. Large, experimental typefaces own the space and are as elaborate and elegant as the ideas they convey. This is not something to be read and have your brain take in the words, more so a treat for your (mind's) eye to savour and a demonstration of where you can go with 'just' letters on a page. It is no accident that the theme of No. 20 is ‘inspiration’ because if you can’t find any in here, then I worry where you think you will.
Starting from now Circular shall be replacing The Beano as our annual of choice. Read Fred's expanded review here.
SEPTEMBER 2019
DEEP THINKING, GARRY KASPAROV
'Since you know the outcome of the game before you analyse it, it is very difficult not to eye the eventual loser’s moves more critically, even when it may not be merited.'
Deep Thinking shines a light on and encourages us to overcome many of our ingrained biases when it comes to data and decision making. To help us effectively learn and take more informed action.
The kind of deeper, analytical understanding promoted by Kasparov is foundational for creating lasting change. Leading to results that are real and sustainable as opposed to mere novelty.
Come for the Man Vs. Machine storyline. Stay for the golden nuggets of reflection and wisdom from a truly insightful thinker.
AUGUST 2019
VISUAL DOING, WILLEMIEN BRAND
‘To win hearts and minds you need to present clear information in such a visual way that it oozes creativity, conviction, and passion.’
Building on the principles established in the original (Visual Thinking - Book of the Month Feb 2019), Visual Doing is every bit a book in its own right. Packed full of creative gems like ‘breakfast furniture’ and 'thirty circles', not to mention the literally mind-blowing ‘UZMO’ light bulb method there is plenty here to keep you thinking and scribbling.
What sets this volume apart, however, is the application of these ideas. Breaking down exactly how to use simple but strong visuals individually in your own work, collaboratively in your team and widely across your entire organisation.
JULY 2019
PREDICTABLY IRRATIONAL, DAN ARIELY
Through plentiful experiments in social economics, Dan Ariely strongly contradicts the view that humans are completely rational beings with un-corrupted views of what we want and need.
He suggests instead that we have an inherent irrationality when it comes to major financial decisions, controlled by various external factors.
By showing that this irrationality is not random, the book works as a tool to help us understand our own decisions, and by doing so, helps us make them with a more planned and controlled approach.
JUNE 2019
PIG WRESTLING, PETE LINDSAY & MARK BAWDEN
‘Stop thinking about how you are going to solve this problem and start thinking about how you’ll know it is solved’.
As anyone who watched the Game of Thrones finale will tell you, it's stories that matter. Here the authors present their problem-solving technique by way of a fable involving crystal balls, gold nuggets and porcine suplexes!
Bullet pointed summaries can be a little... Knowledge is porridge – 'think less about fixing deficits and more about redirecting energies' - for example, but for the most part, the method rings true and encourages you to reassess the (often falsely assumed) root causes of the problems you face and find an answer to the ‘Miracle Question’… What does good actually look like?
MAY 2019
LEONARDO DA VINCI A LIFE IN DRAWING, MARTIN CLAYTON
After visiting the exhibitions at Kelvingrove Art Gallery in Glasgow and the Ulster Museum in Belfast, Fred felt obliged to pick up the full collection.
200 draughts in red chalk and silverpoint give immediate confirmation of Da Vinci’s consummate and unrivaled expertise in the fields of anatomy, architecture, biomechanics, botany, cartography, engineering, geology and so on ad infinitum. The detail is so mesmeric and precise that you must remind yourself every few pages that the purpose of the exhibition is to celebrate Da Vinci’s death… 500 years ago! Breathtaking.
See the entire collection for yourself at the Queen’s Gallery in Edinburgh from Nov 22nd to Mar 15th 2020.
APRIL 2019
THE BOOK OF QUESTIONS, GREGORY STOCK Ph.D
A collection of ethical and moral conundrums designed to spark debate, conversation, and inevitably judgment, amongst peers.
Some are tricky:
'If your child were to be boring, stupid or ugly, which one would you prefer?'
Some not so much:
‘If you could take a pill and eat food all day without absorbing calories or nutrition, would you?'
Ideal lunchtime water fountain fodder and guaranteed to get you thinking about who you are and what you stand for.
MARCH 2019
CURIOUS, IAN LESLIE
A journey from intelligent apes to the discovery of America via the printing press and myriad other examples, Ian Leslie traces the history of human curiosity. A clear advocate of lifelong learning, he argues for the importance of encouraging and nurturing curiosity despite its uncertainties, despite its distractions and despite theistic notions such as the dangers of forbidden fruit, and his case is strong.
By the end, choosing whether to ‘explore the worlds of knowledge that present themselves to us’ or to ‘turn our face from the beauty and the mystery and make for the next appointment’ doesn’t seem like a difficult decision to make.
FEBRUARY 2019
VISUAL THINKING, WILLEMIEN BRAND
'Your brain only needs three dots to recognise a face.'
Without cliché about exactly how many words a picture might be worth, it's important to remember just how powerful simple imagery can be. Informative and practical, Visual Thinking functions as both a guide to the concepts behind the use of visuals and as a beginner’s handbook for the artistically impaired to create effortlessly engaging visuals on the fly.
Whether collaborating, problem-solving, studying, or just reorganising your DVDs there is plenty to learn here, as Fred can attest to. He’s been doodling all over the office for the past month.
JANUARY 2019
THE NUDE FIGURE - A VISUAL REFERENCE FOR THE ARTIST,
MARK EDWARD SMITH
After a rather heavy festive period, Fred didn't have a lot of reading in him, bless his hard hat. So, rather than skip this month, he thought it best to pick this beaut for his blog.
Elegant and tasteful photographs entirely in black and white give rise to fascinating thoughts on how tone and contrast can affect the human form.
Suffice it to say this is the only book to date which Fred has insisted on 'reading' twice.
DECEMBER 2018
MAKE IT STICK - THE SCIENCE OF SUCCESSFUL LEARNING,
PETER C. BROWN, HENRY L. ROEDIGER III & MARK A. MCDANIEL
'We harbour deep convictions that we learn better through single-minded focus and dogged repetition…'
Make it Stick challenges this attitude to learning and many other attitudes like it.
The book should appeal widely and is itself a fine example of the kinds of learning it encourages.
A great advert for a work-smarter-not-harder approach.
NOVEMBER 2018
THE SAFETY ANARCHIST, SIDNEY DEKKER
A colourful read which centres on the need for more human-centric approaches to safety in the workplace.
Fred wouldn't go as far as Dekker to say that process and procedure infantilise the workforce but wholeheartedly agrees for the need to humanise HSE culture.
OCTOBER 2018
LEADERS EAT LAST, SIMON SINEK
'And when a leader embraces their responsibility to care for people instead of caring for numbers, then people will follow, solve problems and see to it that that leader’s vision comes to life the right way, a stable way and not the expedient way.'
