Seeking Growth

Made to Stick : Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die

Authors: Chip and Dan Heath

Who should read it: Entrepreneurs, Marketers, Managers, Educators, Parents

Note: An abridged version of this review originally appeared on Venturebeat's Entrepreneur Corner.

One of the most important roles we can play as entrepreneurs is to inspire and motivate, evangelizing our ideas to recruit partners, employees, customers and capital.  It’s a 24/7 job and mastering the skill is vital.  Yet I, like most entrepreneurs, have a healthy skepticism for much that passes as lessons in marketing communications or ‘Marcom’.  Advice is often based on 'spin management' and lacks concrete, actionable recommendations.  This is why this book is so wonderful: it provides a concrete formula for making your messages stick and spread.  There is a formula for being a master at evangelizing great ideas and the Heath brothers have captured it.   If you remember nothing else remember this – the reason you are not doing as well as you could in your communication is that you know too much.  Amazing but true - read on. 

The authors have developed a formula to rate any message or presentation on exactly how memorable and effective you are likely to be in your call to action. Even better, the formula can be tested and also shows you how to improve.  The model was developed based on analysis of a broad range of proven and effective messages ranging from famous speeches like Aesop’s fables, to sports quotes, successful lesson plans and advertising messages. It also combines a splash of neuroscience to support why the brain needs these elements to hold on to an idea.  The resulting formula can be used to significantly improve your ability to define the core message. Use it to get people's attention, get them to believe you, get them to care and then finally – get them to take action.  And the best part is that the Heath brothers practice what they preach so there are lots of interesting stories with surprising turns, that demonstrate the power of their advice.

Delivering Happiness, A Path to Profits, Passion, and Purpose

Author: Tony Hsieh

Who should read it: Founders, Entrepreneurs, Managers, Coaches, Teachers

This review was first posted at VentureBeat's Entrepreneur Corner

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Entrepreneurs are always trying to break new ground, so it is inspiring to look at how others have succeeded.   Tony tells the story here of how he started his two very successful companies, the lessons he learned along the way and a model he has developed for creating intensely passionate corporate cultures.  Unlike business books by researchers that observe trends, this book is about what Tony has learned personally and how he thinks other companies can benefit from his experience.  Interestingly it pulls together many themes for my last few book reviews - Switch, Drive and Made to Stick.    

 Tony also likes reading and applying the latest learning from the emerging field of positive psychology (a.k.a. how to be happy).  He is the first entrepreneur that I have seen to take many of the tenets from the positive psychology field and apply them to make his customers, partners and employees work together for a great, shared outcome: very forward-looking and clearly successful.  His insights are helpful for anyone building an organization looking to deliver amazing results.